Obama Calls For Mandatory Government Service, page 5
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reply posted on 12-7-2008 @ 08:42 PM by sweatmonicaIdo
A few things.

Barack Obama's policies are very much in line to create a dictatorship. However, understand that any society of any kind is tantamount to oppression. In other words, even the most free of societies can be the least free.

I don't know if any of you played a game called BioShock, but the game pretty much demonstrates how an Objectivist (uber laissez-faire free market capitalism) society runs itself to the ground. In fact, it even goes as far as to demonstrate how such a free society can spread propaganda in order to advance the agendas of those who maintain power in society. A prominent line of dialogue in the game talks about how the enemy is anyone who does not believe in free market capitalism.

Someone earlier said "government is the problem." I disagree. Government is just one type of institution and organization in society. The problem the general nature of human interaction. In the pursuit of survival, we happen to create institutions such as the government that cause such problems. Its just the way it is and instead of blaming and labeling any one group, we should just try to explain it.

If you guys take away one thing from what I just wrote, get this: ANY society is susceptible to becoming dictatorial and oppressive. You've got the high-tech corporate police societies of rampant free market capitalism and globalization featured in cyberpunk fiction, and on the other side, you've got the state-oriented, more downtrodden, classical dystopian police state societies of novels like 1984 and Fahrenheit 451. Pick your poison.


reply posted on 12-7-2008 @ 11:21 PM by Fiverz
Wow I'm actually pretty saddened to see that a lot of people on this board are against the idea of our children actually working hard and volunteering time in the gimme-gimme-gimme society we have in this country. Especially when the idea is actually something that could benefit the individuals and family for their service.

Granted I see the point ... making it MANDATORY would be very unconstitutional and I would be against that as well. Then again I don't think I should have my children take a music class to graduate. Why should they have to waste 195 hours a year learning about something as benign as musical theory? How DARE my school make it MANDATORY that my son takes music theory! Isn't that unconstitutional?

Oh wait.

So what IF it was the school that made it MANDATORY to take music theory to graduate? You could cry foul and yank your kid out of the school, but there is nothing unconstitutional about it whatsoever.

So is your problem only with FEDERALLY mandated volunteering?

Oh wait.

It's optional. Not mandated. Again ... not mandated.

And people wonder about the makeup of Americans nowadays and why we lag far behind many civilized countries in areas such as education and far in front in stats like murder.

For the record I'm from Obama's home state and I am not even going to vote for him because I don't agree with him on a lot of his issues.

But this is just ridiculous to put that kind of spin on a topic like this.

I take it back I'm not saddened. I'm ashamed. Ashamed to think that people do not see words like "progress" and "betterment" in these candidates' plans and rhetoric and instead see/hear "red" and "blue".

Stupid flippin' election time getting me riled up. I'm going back to lurking in my UFO forum.

[edit on 7/12/2008 by Fiverz]


reply posted on 12-7-2008 @ 11:24 PM by Hal9000
reply to post by LLoyd45


How is it forced servitude if it is your choice to serve or not? What makes you think you will somehow be forced to do something you don't want to do?

People do things to help each other because they want to. Maybe you already have, and if so, why discourage others from doing the same? People that do decide to serve will have a choice. They can choose to serve or not, as well as what type of service they can do.

I just think that using this issue for your own personal political agenda is questionable to say the least. It is a good idea and a good value to teach our children.

Is it worth it to demonize a benefitial issue to keep someone you don't like out of office?



[edit on 7/12/2008 by Hal9000]


reply posted on 12-7-2008 @ 11:25 PM by ~Lucidity
reply to post by Fiverz



no what it is is blackmail. no service, no federal funding. smells like no child left behind to me.


reply posted on 13-7-2008 @ 01:30 AM by saturnine_sweet
I agree that the wording of the OP article is spin....but so is Obama's website. Sure, it says "opportunities." He also says his goal is to have EVERYONE complete community service. Whatever his policy particulars might be, which are a little vague right now, his stated goal IS to make it mandatory. That is the ONLY way he could reach his goal of having everyone serve. No amount of spin can deny that. Given the choice, there will always be a lot of people who choose to serve their personal freedom before some perceived debt to society.

I think the worst thing about this, though, is how many people have demonstrated that they have no idea of what freedom means. They go on about our "obligation" to serve our fellow man. That's the antithesis of freedom, and arguing the semantics of what is or isn't a flavor of socialism doesn't change that fact. A free man has no obligations nor debts other than those he chooses to incur. Anything else stands against the principles this country was founded on.

We should all be fighting to regain what made this country once the greatest country on earth: personal freedom. Anyone who does otherwise is a traitor to the constitution, and to all of those who have given their lives to the ideals of freedom. When you cut it down to the core, to what impinges on personal freedoms, does it really matter which side of the aisle someone is on? We should weigh ideas and objectives on the scales of freedom, and nothing else.


reply posted on 13-7-2008 @ 03:33 AM by DocMoreau
Originally posted by jamie83
Obama's PLAN/GOAL is to have EVERY middle school kid do 50 hours of community service.

Did it ever occur to you that the job of the POTUS is NOT to dictate how individuals spend their time, whether it be doing community service or learning a foreign language?

The fact that Obama even has a "goal" like this on his campaign website is incredible, but unfortunately typical of Obama's mentality.


Really, what are your thoughts on George Bush's 'No Child Left Behind Program'? What are McCains goals, besides getting elected? I mean, what has he said in regard to our middle school aged children? Does he even have a goal for them, or because they can't vote, he hasn't posed a position to flip flop on?

You also make it seem like 50 hours of Community Service is a huge sacrifice of freedom. that is less that one hour week, for one year, that the Middle School kids turn off the video games or cable tv, and go and help their country.

Wow... The Commies are coming!

It IS incredible that Obama has a goal like this on his campaign website, although I think you think something like this is improbable, I don't think you meant that his idea was amazing. It is unfortunate that your thoughts are not quite coming through correctly.
DocMoreau
www.merriam-webster.com...
Main Entry:
in·cred·i·ble
Pronunciation:
\(ˌ)in-ˈkre-də-bəl\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
Middle English, from Latin incredibilis, from in- + credibilis credible
Date:
15th century
1 : too extraordinary and improbable to be believed
2 : amazing, extraordinary




[edit on 13/7/2008 by DocMoreau]


reply posted on 13-7-2008 @ 03:42 AM by jamie83
Originally posted by Hal9000
Not until it was brought up by a candidate that you are opposed to. You do know that Bush and McCain brought up the same thing after 9/11, don't you?


Typical mindless liberal babbling in an effort to deflect the spotlight from Obama. This isn't about Bush or McCain. This thread is about Obama.





So you are saying that Obama is now a DICTATOR? Great, I guess I missed the entire vote, as well as the celebration.

Damn, I bet it was a good party too.



Another typical mindless liberal diversion. Take what somebody says, and then say they said something different.

There's no need to tell me what I said in your words when my own words are right in front of you. I did not say DICTATOR.

I will gladly clarify though.

It is incredible that Obama even thinks along the lines of evaluating and judging individual choices like whether I eat too much, drive and SUV, set my thermostat too high or too low, or speak enough languages to keep him from being embarrassed.

Now he's going to micro manage my children's lives as well, PLANNING that they do 50 hours of community service because HE thinks that's what they should be doing.

I do not need some weenie like Barry Obama telling me how my kids should be spending their time, what languages I speak, or how much I should eat everyday.

What qualifies him to even make these types of judgments? The fact that he want to Harvard? Does that mean he's smarter than the rest of us and we should just fall lock-step in line and do what he thinks is best for us?

Obama's entire mentality has one unifying message. He believes that the average American is too dumb to know what's best, and that we need Barry O. to tell us what we should be doing.

And when we don't comply, then it's up to Barry O. to mandate whatever he wants us to do because he knows what's best for us. This is just warmed over top-down central government planning that's never worked in the history of civilization as well as bottom up individual choice has worked.

This is exactly the type of mentality that makes you think of the word "Marxist" when you think of Obama.
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