Obama should mandate his National Service Plan

by yellowdem1129, Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 07:14:01 AM EST

Yesterday, Senator Obama returned to an effective criticism of the Bush administration and a proposal to "offer" national service to Americans as an opportunity to serve their country.
The context includes the ridiculous position of the Bush admin. that Americans can fight the terrorists by going shopping and continuing their normal lives.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2008/0 7/obama_issues_new_call_for_nati.php

This is an accurate critique of Bush since 9/11.  The failure of the President to galvanize the American people to fight the terrorists in real and important ways should be highlighted and rectified.

Senator Obama is on the right track concerning National Service except the proposal should go further to being either mandatory or highly incentivized in some way.

For example:

In order to qualify for Federal student loans, pell grants, tax exemptions and deductions on your taxes, or other public benefits, people should have to Serve their nation in a defined manner that can be quanified.

We live in the best nation ever created, and to keep it that way we need sacrifice, not just from those who volunteer for the military, but also we need various types of assistance from numerous people.

I have no idea whether this is popular with anyone, but I do know it is the right thing.  We are all used to 100's of t.v. channels, cellphones for the whole family, a wide variety of choices for every meal, and practically no limits on our energy use.  As Americans, 9/11 should have been a wake-up call in a big way that "nothing is free" especially not freedom.

I believe Obama knows for this proposal to really matter there needs to be some mandates somehow.

Once again though, Obama is on the right track and is showing he has the right instincts to be POTUS.




Tags: craig farmer, newliberal, barrack obama (all tags)

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I agree with you YellowDem (none / 0)

hopefully this will one day be a mandate.


by puma on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 07:39:06 AM EST

Re: Obama should mandate his National Service Plan (2.00 / 2)

"As Americans, 9/11 should have been a wake-up call in a big way that "nothing is free" especially not freedom."

As a non-American I call bullshit on the parroting of the 9/11 line, and how it should supposedly make you surrender to the government.

If you explain to me exactly in what way the things you suggest would have prevented 9/11, then and only then you would have been making the slightest sort of sense.

As it stands, your whole diary is nothing but a repetition of the old : "FEAR the terrorists, therefore SURRENDER to the government."

"Federal student loans, pell grants, tax exemptions and deductions"

Oh, goody! Even more ways to force the poor to join the military. What, the War On the Poor wasn't harsh enough for you already?

If you want to force public service, have the good grace NOT to force it only on the poor.

For example why connect this service to student loans and tax exemptions? Why not connect it to driver's licenses instead? If you want your own car, rich kid, two months of community service at the very least.


by Aris Katsaris2 on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 07:39:39 AM EST

Re: Obama should mandate (none / 0)

Good luck!

Elizabeth Edwards hasn't yet convinced him to mandate health insurance.  Guess he has an anti-government, libertarian streak.  Or maybe its the influence of his U. Chicago economic advisors.


by moevaughn on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 08:00:07 AM EST

Re: Obama should mandate (none / 0)

You don't need a college professor to tell you that Americans aren't big fans of being forced to do stuff.


by Whash on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 09:02:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama should mandate (2.00 / 1)

You make it sound like Obama's having an "anti-government, libertarian streak" keeping him from conscripting millions of young Americans into service against their will is a bad thing.

Mandated national service without a clear, present, and pressing danger to national security is a violation of everything our country stands for.


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by mistersite on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 09:02:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Obama doesn't like mandates (none / 0)

Forcing people to do things is a surefire way of turning them away from you.

Just another in a long line of yellowdem1129 disasterous ideas sure to hurt Obama's electoral chances.


In this avalanche, the pebbles get to vote.
by Dracomicron on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 08:05:26 AM EST

Re: Obama should mandate his National Service Plan (none / 0)

mndate national service... hey how abt reinstalling draft... or how about mandating national gaurd service?

obama IMO has no authority to mandate anything on hard working americans.. never in his lifetime has he ever held a full time job.. so I dont even think he understands when he says some ofthat stuff!


by gladiatorsback on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 08:12:01 AM EST

Re: Obama should mandate his National Service Plan (none / 0)

Never had a fulltime job?  Don't be ridiculous.  


by Whash on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 08:52:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama should mandate his National Service Plan (none / 0)

Well in a sense there is a mandate in his plan. If you accept  the $4K college ed. assistance you will be required to give two years back in Public Service.


Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.
by jsfox on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 08:37:39 AM EST

Re: Obama should mandate his National Service Plan (none / 0)

I don't know if that will pass... but I support the mandate... EVERYONE should either serve in the military or public service for 2-3 years.  Heck, I would say most should do it right after High School... it would probably improve college success rates and decrease the number of stupid thins done on campuses these days.


http://www.imvotingrepublican.com/ McCain Sucks!
by yitbos96bb on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 08:54:29 AM EST

Re: Obama should mandate his National Service Plan (2.00 / 1)

Yep.  Those damn kids don't know what's good for them.  We know better.  Thus, our violation of their right to freely choose their path in life is justified.


Join the Matthew 25 Network and help Democrats win the next generation of evangelicals.
by mistersite on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 09:04:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Nuts. Govt benefits come from taxpayers (none / 0)

Whatever the govt outlays for whatever govt program -- its our money. We pay taxes from gasoline to income tax -- and everything in between.   In doing so, we expect govt services on a wide range of policies to promote the general welfare of our citizens.  

Requiring mandatory service of its citizens in order to receive their tax dollars reallocated to them, as you outlined, is goofy beyond words.  Think of it this way -- before you get any benefits from your employer, to which you contribute $s out of your salary (as in its your money anyway...), your employer will require mandatory 20-hrs-per-week community service time.  Need to go to the doctor and get treatment? Too bad, because you haven't volunteered at the soup kitchen this week...

A goofy policy formulation idea.


by dcrolg on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 08:56:21 AM EST

Re: National Service (2.00 / 1)

 We all, of course, should get full credit for the fine service we do for our country right here at MyDD! Maybe even medals?


by xdem on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 08:59:57 AM EST

Re: Obama should mandate his National Service Plan (2.00 / 1)

In order to qualify for Federal student loans, pell grants, tax exemptions and deductions on your taxes, or other public benefits, people should have to Serve their nation in a defined manner that can be quanified.

A thousand times, no.  Not only is this a complete violation of a person's right to freely choose his or her path in life, it also smacks of "we, the government, know better than you do what you should do with your life."  That sentence there implies that students who receive Pell grants or Stafford loans, or anyone who takes tax deductions, is getting a free ride right now; that quite simply isn't true.

In addition, such a plan would favor those who do not need those services - i.e., the rich.  Why should they not share in the sacrifice?


Join the Matthew 25 Network and help Democrats win the next generation of evangelicals.
by mistersite on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 09:09:57 AM EST

Re: Obama should mandate his National Service Plan (none / 0)

Absolutely not. What a terrible idea.

The best way to destroy our national service institutions is to stock them full of people who HAVE to be there instead of WANT to be there.


by Addison on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 09:37:54 AM EST

Re: Obama should mandate his National Service Plan (none / 0)

Good luck with that! He won't even mandate health care coverage, which is a far more pressing issue that affects the economic security of American businesses, individuals, and the country as a whole.


by LakersFan on Thu Jul 03, 2008 at 05:59:59 PM EST


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