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I think this is a great idea. Do away with federal student loans and make this a requirement to get tuition, unless you pay cash out of pocket for the tuition.

You know, our country became great economically because we have ALWAYS rode the backs of slave labor...and still do to this day via exporting jobs to 3rd world countries. This would be an opportunity to make this country great again, but this time putting the harness on our own backs and depending on ourselves, wealthy and poor alike, to share the burden of making it great.

This MIGHT work if it doesn't turn into a conscripted indoctrination of our youngsters ALA 'The Hitler Youth"!! Or the 'Young Moaists" ! Voluntary only and no propaganda of any kind! Work and constitutional civics only!
Zindo

Originally posted by detachedindividual
Sorry to disagree with you, but I think that's a fantastic idea.

Kids have it way too easy, I don't know of a single kid who works a paper round, or volunteers, or does things for charity like I did as a child.

It taught me to work for my living, made me more respectful of how hard my parents worked for our family.

Kids these days scream and yell enough and they get what they want.

We have ASBO's in the UK (Anti-Social Behavior Order) for kids who act up, break the law and so on. It basically just requires them to behave or face further prosecution (really it just means another ASBO!) what we should be doing is forcing them to do service in our country, cleaning up the graffiti, working in social responsibility and developing another community.

Hard work forces kids to face responsibility and teaches them that don't just deserve everything they want without having to work.

It's another great idea by Obama as far as I am concerned. I wish we could elect someone as modern, intelligent and sensible as him in the UK!

You're right. While I'm living in poverty trying to support myself alone in a horrible job, and attempting to excel in school, I should also be required to dedicate more of my limited energy toward someone else's idea.

Excuse me... I tried to join the Coast Guard. They denied me on some technicality (some OLD marijuana charge when I was FOURTEEN). Now, they want to force me to serve? Screw that. Should've taken my application the first time. Try again when I'm rich and lazy.

and yes, I'll use this excuse for a military draft, too.

duplicate post, please delete at your earliest convenience

[edit on 10-11-2008 by bdswetty]

I checked out the site just now and it has NOTHING about "REQUIRED"?

www.change.gov...
America Serves
"When you choose to serve -- whether it's your nation, your community or simply your neighborhood -- you are connected to that fundamental American ideal that we want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness not just for ourselves, but for all Americans. That's why it's called the American dream."

The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation’s challenges. President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps. Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by setting a goal that all middle school and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year and by developing a plan so that all college students who conduct 100 hours of community service receive a universal and fully refundable tax credit ensuring that the first $4,000 of their college education is completely free. Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55, while at the same time promoting youth programs such as Youth Build and Head Start.

Originally posted by Aggie Man
I think this is a great idea. Do away with federal student loans and make this a requirement to get tuition, unless you pay cash out of pocket for the tuition.

You know, our country became great economically because we have ALWAYS rode the backs of slave labor...and still do to this day via exporting jobs to 3rd world countries. This would be an opportunity to make this country great again, but this time putting the harness on our own backs and depending on ourselves, wealthy and poor alike, to share the burden of making it great.

I already have too much on my plate to worry about having to do community service to assure I get my education. My education itself is a community service.

You go on to talk about slavery. What do you think this plan is?

[edit on 11/12/2008 by AndrewTB]

Originally posted by AndrewTB

Originally posted by Aggie Man
I think this is a great idea. Do away with federal student loans and make this a requirement to get tuition, unless you pay cash out of pocket for the tuition.

You know, our country became great economically because we have ALWAYS rode the backs of slave labor...and still do to this day via exporting jobs to 3rd world countries. This would be an opportunity to make this country great again, but this time putting the harness on our own backs and depending on ourselves, wealthy and poor alike, to share the burden of making it great.

I already have too much on my plate to worry about having to do community service to assure I get my education. My education itself is a community service.

You go on to talk about slavery. What do you think this plan is?

[edit on 11/12/2008 by AndrewTB]

It's not slavery if you are getting PAID for it genius. Also, Where are you going to school at that makes this so hard? I obtained a MS in Biology from Texas A & M University (one of the top schools in the nation by the way) and I had plenty of time for volunteer work...and still had time to party with my friends and hold down a PT job. The youth of today are the MAIN problem with this country. You want something for nothing. Don't want to put in the blood, sweat and tears that make something worthwhile.

Oh, and don't flatter yourself by thinking that YOU are doing the community a service by going to college. Going to college is a privilege...just ask someone from a poor neighborhood who never got the opportunity to go mold and sharpen their now wasted intelligent mind.

[edit on 12-11-2008 by Aggie Man]

Originally posted by Aggie Man

Originally posted by AndrewTB

Originally posted by Aggie Man
I think this is a great idea. Do away with federal student loans and make this a requirement to get tuition, unless you pay cash out of pocket for the tuition.

You know, our country became great economically because we have ALWAYS rode the backs of slave labor...and still do to this day via exporting jobs to 3rd world countries. This would be an opportunity to make this country great again, but this time putting the harness on our own backs and depending on ourselves, wealthy and poor alike, to share the burden of making it great.

I already have too much on my plate to worry about having to do community service to assure I get my education. My education itself is a community service.

You go on to talk about slavery. What do you think this plan is?

[edit on 11/12/2008 by AndrewTB]

It's not slavery if you are getting PAID for it genius. Also, Where are you going to school at that makes this so hard? I obtained a MS in Biology from Texas A & M University (one of the top schools in the nation by the way) and I had plenty of time for volunteer work...and still had time to party with my friends and hold down a PT job. The youth of today are the MAIN problem with this country. You want something for nothing. Don't want to put in the blood, sweat and tears that make something worthwhile.

Oh, and don't flatter yourself by thinking that YOU are doing the community a service by going to college. Going to college is a privilege...just ask someone from a poor neighborhood who never got the opportunity to go mold and sharpen their now wasted intelligence.

[edit on 12-11-2008 by Aggie Man]

Whoa! slow down there fella. I work near full time hours, I go to school full time and I also volunteer locally (at my own free will) when I have the time. I earn ABSOLUTELY everything I have. That being said, other people can not handle the load as well as we are able to.


You know the people in the poor neighborhood you were talking about? Well.... I'm right here. The plans that are currently out there provide opportunity, you just have to seek/want it. People will only be discouraged by having to do community service to get a foot in the proverbial educational door. I won't get into my life story, but I will say I have lived and am still living in the very shoes of the people in so called poor neighborhoods. Don't talk about something you more likely haven't lived through (from the sounds of it).


Onto slavery.... Actually, many slaves in America's early times were in fact paid in one way or another. Slavery is more well defined along the lines of being forced and imprisoned to do something against your own free will, which is what this plan does. You can still be paid and be a slave.

The government grants and loans that currently exist have put millions of people through school. These people weren't discouraged or distracted by a forced community service plan and many went on to become professionals as intended.

Forcing people to do something will only make them push back, especially in my age range. If I had been told I needed to volunteer to go to school I would have just joined the military and let them pay for it in almost full.

[edit on 11/12/2008 by AndrewTB]

reply to post by AndrewTB


Nowhere in Obama's plan does it say, much less imply, forced servitude. However, if every American HAS to be a bit of a "slave" to this country to make it great again, then I AM FOR IT! If everyone does it, it's not slavery, it called CONTRIBUTING to the BETTERMENT of our country and life. If nothing else, I would do it for my children!

Originally posted by Aggie Man
reply to post by AndrewTB

 

Nowhere in Obama's plan does it say, much less imply, forced servitude. However, if every American HAS to be a bit of a "slave" to this country to make it great again, then I AM FOR IT! If everyone does it, it's not slavery, it called CONTRIBUTING to the BETTERMENT of our country and life. If nothing else, I would do it for my children!

While I do agree with you to a point. Community service isn't going to be what fixes this country. In my opinion its not even going to help.

The framers would probably be very disappointed to see you'd accept slavery to make your country a better place. While it is a sacrifice and a worthy one at that, it shouldn't even come to that to fix our country. We are broke indeed, but we are far from beyond repair.

Originally posted by AndrewTB

Originally posted by Aggie Man
reply to post by AndrewTB

 

Nowhere in Obama's plan does it say, much less imply, forced servitude. However, if every American HAS to be a bit of a "slave" to this country to make it great again, then I AM FOR IT! If everyone does it, it's not slavery, it called CONTRIBUTING to the BETTERMENT of our country and life. If nothing else, I would do it for my children!

While I do agree with you to a point. Community service isn't going to be what fixes this country. In my opinion its not even going to help.

The framers would probably be very disappointed to see you'd accept slavery to make your country a better place. While it is a sacrifice and a worthy one at that, it shouldn't even come to that to fix our country. We are broke indeed, but we are far from beyond repair.

I easily see it working. Community service could/would take the place of MANY taxpayer funded jobs, thus the ability to lower taxes AND spend the taxpayer money in areas that could use it more. If everyone contributed in community service, then people would take pride in their work and their country for the RIGHT reasons.

If you had 100-million people contributing 50 hours of community service annually, that's 5-billion man hours. That's tremendous! So much could be done in ALL fields of study and labor. I just see no way it could hurt.

DOWNSIDE: those that don't contribute still enjoy the fruits of the volunteer's labor. BUT, that's no reason to dismiss the idea.