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originally posted by: Rewey
a reply to: Boadicea
I like the idea, but I've heard of it many times before. Instead of spending time in a social work capacity, however, it's as a cadet or reserve in one of the services of your choice.
The only reason I like that alternative better is because it teaches young people the importance of being part of a team, respecting authority, and that loving and serving your country isn't always the dreaded 'nationalism'...
originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: Boadicea
I think too many people equate respect for authority with blind obedience. They're different things.
There are way too many people walking around who couldn't, wouldn't and won't respect another person if they have no reason not to or even if that respect should be due. This isn't about so-called authority figures who do't deserve it.
There are way too many people walking around who couldn't, wouldn't and won't respect another person if they have no reason not to or even if that respect should be due. This isn't about so-called authority figures who do't deserve it.
originally posted by: TheRedneck
a reply to: ketsuko
There are way too many people walking around who couldn't, wouldn't and won't respect another person if they have no reason not to or even if that respect should be due. This isn't about so-called authority figures who do't deserve it.
Exactly!
How can a kid learn to respect someone who they don't know? That's where my point just above about helping the elderly/veterans comes into play. A lot of the time, just getting to know someone breeds respect. After all, since when do people not respect their those in their own social circle? If they don't, they don't stay in that social circle.
So some young upstart decides they are going to visit old Mrs. Jones, the semi-recluse widow who lives by herself down the street in the old house. They show up and spend 4 hours or so with her. During that time, they hear about how her husband died and left her with so little... they get to see the quilts she has made from old rags, and her quilting frame. They learn how she spends months just to make a single one. They see her face light up at the thought of having company. They hear about how she worried when her husband was off in Vietnam on the front lines, and could have died at any moment.
Maybe they discover that she's not a recluse... she never learned to drive and that old car in the driveway hasn't ran in years. She just can't go anywhere by herself.
Sure, there will be some who still won't get it, but many will... that old lady they made fun of is a person too. She's more than a caricature. She's real, and she has so much to teach those who will just listen. Maybe that kid will get a couple of buddies together and fix the sagging floor in her bedroom. Maybe that shaggy yard that rarely sees a mower will suddenly be nice and well-kept. Maybe that will cause her to sit outside in the sun... do you realize what a vitamin D deficiency can do to someone? Who knows, maybe ol' Mrs. Jones will be a part of the community again.
Isn't that happening worth it? I say one success like that is worth 1000 years of tuition.
Or maybe the crazy Korean vet with one leg that lives across from her can get a little help. He can let some of those demons in his head out safely by telling the young boy sitting there listening how his best friend died next to him in the foxholes... how he enlisted thinking it was just a way to get out of getting a real job, then realized what he had gotten himself into. Maybe, just maybe, the young boy comes away from the experience with a new appreciation of life and the old vet comes away feeling a little more appreciated for his sacrifice.
I know that's worth 1000 years of tuition.
And don't forget... the kid who does this winds up with a marketable skill. They go on to make ten times what they would otherwise have made without a skill. They are not using benefit programs; they are paying taxes, not for a tear or two, but for 40 years. So where's the downside? Sure, you spend $10000 up front to pay their way through a trade school, but then you get back $1000 a year for 40 years. 300% profit, and you benefit society doing it. That's a win-win in my book.
TheRedneck
You sound like Mike Rowe.
originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: TheRedneck
The thing is. . . she's a ####ing Senator NOW!
Why doesn't she push for this NOW!
(because she won't personally benefit from it)
That is not true, in some states it is paid for with local city property taxes. Not federal income tax money. In TN and 43 other states, a percentage is paid for with lottery money.
originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: Woodcarver
K-12 is nearly 100% socialized.
How is education socialized now? Who is getting a gov funded education besides military?
There is a huge difference between socialized programs and socialism.
How would you be able to tell if someone has met their time requirements if it is not overseen by a government employee? Are you going to take their word for it?
Why would they get more than military personel?