Wednesday, September 29, 2004

The Draft: Kerry Advocates Mandatory Service to Graduate from High School

With all the bogus stories flying around out there about a possible return of the draft, it would appear that CBS and those on the left are overlooking one important fact. It would appear that John Kerry himself is pushing a plan to create a "New Army of Patriots."

On a page that has been pulled from the official John Kerry site, but stored forever in the Web Archives of the Wayback Machine, details for these plans are clearly outlined. Here's just a sample:
...John Kerry believes that in these times, we need to bolster these efforts with a nationwide commitment to national service. Whether it is a Summer of Service for our teenagers, helping young people serve their country in return for college, or the Older Americans in Service program, John Kerry's plan will call on every American of every age and every background to serve. John Kerry will set a goal of one million Americans a year in national service within the next decade.

John Kerry Outlines Plan to Require Service for High School Students

...As part of his 100 day plan to change America, John Kerry will propose a comprehensive service plan that includes requiring mandatory service for high school students and four years of college tuition in exchange for two years of national service.

"Service for College" Initiative

...A Kerry Administration will offer Americans the chance to earn the equivalent of their state's four-year public college tuition in exchange for two years of service. If service members decide not to go to college, their award can be used for job training or to help start a business. John Kerry will set a national goal of half a million young people serving their nation every year within ten years.

100,000 Older Americans in Service

As President, John Kerry will defend and strengthen vital programs such as Medicare and Social Security, but he also believes on calling on America's seniors to give their time, experience, and expertise to an America that needs their help. As President, John Kerry would create the Retired Not Tired Program. ... Alternatively, seniors will be able to use these funds to defray their own health care costs. John Kerry plans to engage 100,000 seniors a year in service in the next decade.

High School Service Requirement

As President, John Kerry will ensure that every high school student in America performs community service as a requirement for graduation. This service will be a rite of passage for our nation’s youth and will help foster a lifetime of service. States would design service programs that meet their community and educational needs.

Creating a New Community Defense Service

John Kerry believes we must create a new Community Defense Service to be guided by our nation’s first responders. This service would be comprised of hundreds of thousands of Americans in neighborhoods all over the country.

A Summer of Service for Teenagers

Thirteen to seventeen year olds are too old for child care and too young for many summer jobs. John Kerry believes we should tap their energy and idealism through a summer of service learning. Supervised by AmeriCorps members, these young people could help out in nursing homes, clean up local areas, or teach seniors computer skills. In turn, they would receive a $500 grant to apply to their college or vocational educations down the road.

To me, a lot of this sounds like indentured servitude...blatant socialism. "The Nations Youth Resources?" Where have we heard this before? Forcing children into civilian service? Who are they kidding?

Hey kid! Want to graduate? You owe Uncle Sam two free years of your life! Yo Grandma! You want all your medicines and health care? Give us 10 hours a week!

"From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs..."

UPDATE: A reader says the following:
Looks like the Kerry Serivce plan was moved (not really "pulled" unless you consider that it looks much revised from the previous info).

here:
http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/national_service/

and here:
http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/national_service/plan.html
Anyhow, it's saved on the Wayback Machine. Thanks goodness for Sherman and Mr. Peabody.

15 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Kerry probably got the idea from William F. Buckley's book _Gratitude: reflections on what we owe to our country_, from 1990

-- The Sanity Inspector

11:28 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Some info on Kerry's Service Plan info can still be found on his site via the forums:


http://forum.johnkerry.com/index.php?showtopic=18702

- Jonathan

12:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Looks like the Kerry Serivce plan was moved (not really "pulled" unless you consider that it looks much revised from the previous info).

here:
http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/national_service/

and here:
http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/national_service/plan.html

More here:
http://www.thepenn.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/09/22/4151bcc64f39d

2:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Hey kid! Want to graduate? You owe Uncle Sam two free years of your life! Yo Grandma! You want all your medicines and health care? Give us 10 hours a week!"

So basically, he's saying . . . people who don't do anything to contribute ought to give a little of their time where they can for the betterment of everyone. I don't see what's wrong with a program that says: Want some of the benifits of the GI bill, but don't wanna go join the armed forces? Help out your community and we'll give you money to go to college!

Hey senior citizens! You can't afford your pills because drug companies are making them so ungodly expensive that even medicare won't cover it all? Lend your years of experience and expertice in guiding America's youth in the right direction!

By the way, the requirement for highschoolers to do community service to graduate is A) already being enacted by many PUBLIC high schools around the country, regardless of whether Bush or Kerry is elected, and B) if you noticed, gets you not only your deploma, but 500 dollars from the government.

I went to a private high school and guess what? I had to do TWICE that amount of community service to graduate, and it cost me $5000 a year to go there. No where did I get paied one measly cent for the work I did. He's offering 500 dollars to kids who aren't even old enough to get actual jobs . . .

3:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wonder if maybe someone needs to send Kerry and his administration the definition of the word "freedom". I'm fairly sure that mandatory anything isn't included.

12:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'd like to also just point out that kids thirteen- seventeen are capable of getting paying jobs. I'm in between there and making $7.36 an hour doing something I enjoy instead of being a whore- er, "patriot"- for Bush's oil mongering.

12:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Um...

it is Kerry who is proposing that, Anon, not Bush.

Oh, do you like using computers, listening to music, wearing clothes, watching DVD's or listening to music, eating out, going on vacation, getting surgery when you need it etc.?

Then you use petroleum.

I generally find that the "No Blood for Oil!" crowds are some of the largest consumers of petroleum products. Now if they would just quit buying all that plastic crap such as iPods, CD/DVD's, Polarfleece and synthetic fibers, Mountain Dew in plastic bottles, skateboards, etc.etc.etc. and quit foolishly wasting energy by using a computer then perhaps the world would be less dependant on petroleum. They seem to think that the only things that use petroleum are those "evil SuV's". Hypocrits.

12:16 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

nice site!
My home on the internet bingo
no-physical-term-life-insurance

6:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

chaussures pumaBon March¨¦ Chaussure Sports Shop:baskets pumaChaussure Puma Femme,Chaussure Puma Homme,Chaussure Nike Femme,Chaussure Nike homme,nike shoxChaussure Sport et plus. Livraison Rapide.Paypal

10:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium?
Help, please. All recommend this program to effectively advertise on the Internet, this is the best program!

9:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=17696666&postID=7058020470147359317&page=1&token=1313766493139

10:09 AM  
Anonymous London Escort Agency said...

Your Escort Agency offers exclusive and most beautiful London escort girls of various nationalities.

3:25 PM  
Anonymous London escorts said...

Bestescort4U agency provids best London escorts companionship in the UK.

1:21 PM  
Anonymous fix credit said...

Mandatory service would cut war down to be sure, but with technology advancing to allow for robotic war it might be to little to late.

10:43 PM  
Anonymous Mina Bikot said...

This false impression of being contented with your life carries on just for a while followed by unexpected and dreadful feeling of having no-one.
Bella girl

1:45 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home