Comments on: Service isn't slavery or socialism

By: Margo/Mom

Margo/Mom — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:34:38 +0000

Walter:

Excluded from what, exactly? The only thing that they have been excluded from so far is the straw man arguments that have been posted here. My son contributed 75 hours to a program run by my church in order to meet the community service requirement of his school. I don’t know if he could count scouting hours, because scouting excludes him.

By: Walter_E_Wallis

Walter_E_Wallis — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:29:06 +0000

How about naming by exception – why are scouting and church excluded?

By: Margo/Mom

Margo/Mom — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:11:28 +0000

“While one can imagine community service programs that would instill discipline, there’s no reason to believe that the programs being proposed will actually do so. Instead, there’s every reason to believe that they’ll be political indoctrination.”

Can you name three?

By: Walter_E_Wallis

Walter_E_Wallis — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:58:52 +0000

Was it the Stakhanovites who carried voluntarism to an extreme?
As I recall, The army that attacked me November 26, 1950, was composed entirely of volunteers if we can believe Mao, and I suspect many educators do. I suspect that, like the shared community charities, this field would soon become another nursery for Green Brownshirts.
The draft, during Vietnam, damn near ruined our ability to defend ourselves.
My grandson will be doing his “Living Skills this summer. I will try to see if his helping my in the yard and hooking new stuff to my computers can count. I will try to teach him how to subvert crap like this.

By: Andy Freeman

Andy Freeman — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:01:45 +0000

> actually use some discipline. Six months of community service and six months of ROTC should do it.

Sorry, but that doesn’t follow. While one can imagine community service programs that would instill discipline, there’s no reason to believe that the programs being proposed will actually do so. Instead, there’s every reason to believe that they’ll be political indoctrination.

And, we know that it won’t be real ROTC because the Dems have already said that ROTC preys on poor people and shouldn’t be tolerated in elite colleges. (The “elite” distinction continues to exist only because they haven’t figured out how to kick ROTC off the other campus’ yet.)

By: Bandit

Bandit — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:57:54 +0000

Kindergarten ROTC – there’s one I hadn’t thought of yet.

By: Wolf 359 Vet

Wolf 359 Vet — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:35:16 +0000

“What would six months of community service do that 12 years of school couldn’t?”

It could expose the kids to true poverty and suffering, to let them know how fortunate they really are to have their youth, their health, three meals a day, a roof over their heads, be living in a free country, etc.

Now, I have no problems making community service and/or ROTC mandatory for the K-12 crowd as a high school diploma requirement – they are, after all, minors, and I also think it would do most American kids a world of good – it’s making it mandatory for the 18-25 crowd I have a problem with. Once you’re an adult and no longer a minor, the U.S. Constitution applies in full, as others in this thread have said earlier.

I would be all for making the community service and/or ROTC voluntary for the college students, though, as a way to reduce their student loans.

By: Bart

Bart — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 04:42:35 +0000

…the majority of high school and college students in the U.S. could actually use some discipline. Six months of community service and six months of ROTC should do it.

What would six months of community service do that 12 years of school couldn’t?

By: Vandal Savage

Vandal Savage — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 03:41:48 +0000

You know, I hate to admit it, but the majority of high school and college students in the U.S. could actually use some discipline. Six months of community service and six months of ROTC should do it.

(It could be required for high school graduation in the K-12 system, and a way to reduce student loans for those already in college.)

Doesn’t Switzerland and Sweden do the same thing? And, like the U.S., those two nations are considered two of the most democratic, free, and peaceful nations on Earth…

By: anon

anon — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:09:15 +0000

Reading and writing (English, not language arts), mathematics, science, history (not social studies), geography(!), foreign languages, and civics (government) up to and through high school. You may have other academic subjects you want to add. Anything else, it’s not a school! We haven’t had real schools now for many, many years. Compulsory government service in government schools is just another way of “distracting” schools from what should be their primary mission.