CONGRESSWOMAN WARNS ABOUT AMERICORPS

By Sarah Foster
Posted 1:00 AM Eastern
April 13, 2009
© NewsWithViews.com

Rep. Michele Bachmann, a second-term conservative Republican congresswoman from Minnesota, has become the target of an increasingly vicious smear campaign by liberal bloggers for daring to openly criticize her Democratic colleagues and President Obama’s plans for the United States. The latest bash-Bachmann-fest springs from concerns she expressed on a local radio talk show that the AmericaCorps program, which is to be overhauled and vastly expanded through recently passed federal legislation, will morph into a mandatory service program, with young people sent to indoctrination centers for “re-education.”

“It’s under the guise of — quote — volunteerism,” Bachmann told host Sue Jeffers on KTLK-AM in Minneapolis during an interview April 3. “But it’s not volunteers at all. It’s paying people to do work on behalf of government. We had about 75,000 people involved in AmeriCorps before, this adds another 250,000 people, so more government employees – but what’s even more concerning about it is the focus is on young people.”

“The original language of the bill was mandatory service for government,” she continued. “Right now the language is voluntary, but just this last week a Democrat colleague introduced a bill to make this mandatory.

“I believe when is all said and done … there’s a very strong chance that we will see that young people will be put into mandatory service. And the real concern is that there are provisions for what I would call re-education camps for young people, where young people have to go and get trained in a philosophy that the government puts forward and then they have to go and work in some of these politically correct forums.

“So it’s very concerning. It appears that there’s a philosophical agenda behind all of this. And especially if young people are mandated to go into this, as a parent I would have a very, very difficult time seeing my children do this. Again – a huge power grab and it’s at a cost of billions of dollars.”

That was it. During the 15-minute interview Bachmann discussed the dangers of inflation and the national debt, new taxes, and the costs associated with the cap-and-trade policy to deal with the alleged dangers of global warming. But it was her comments about AmeriCorps, in a segment just over two minutes long, that triggered a splenetic outburst of rage across the blogosphere with comments ranging from snarky to obscene. Here are some examples:

At the very left-wing Huffington Post commenter “Skiwee” writes: This woman is a maniac and is dangerous!! How the people of her state voted her back in '08 is beyond me. I've always felt she was a little bit touched, but she has proven me wrong - she's full blown touched.”

From ”TyneCrescent” (also at Huffington Post): “The woman is certainly delusional, and a real embarrassment to the good people of Minnesota, and anyone else anywhere in America who can put together rational thoughts. Obviously, she lacks the mental capacity to do so.”

And, responding to the audio clip on YouTube, “Chicagoken” rants: This woman (Michele Bachman) is paranoid and delusional and needs to be recalled or impeached by her constituency. She is obviously unstable and without the capacity for distinguishing reality from her own fantasy.”

Those are three of the more tempered comments. Dylan and Ethan Ris, at aol.com, asked where in the bill are there provisions for mandatory service, at the same time slamming a popular news-site that’s been tracking the issue and the legislation from the moment Obama talked about it during his campaign.

“We're not exactly sure how she [Bachmann] sees North Vietnamese-style re-education camps in the bill, but we're pretty sure her source is the same reputable journalists who fed her the story about Obama replacing the dollar with a New World Order currency -- World Net Daily.”

The GIVE Act

Admittedly, the recently passed landmark bill, H.R. 1388 – originally titled the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act (GIVE), and renamed the Ted Kennedy Serve America Act after its passage by the Senate on March 25 -- does not have a provision for mandatory service … yet. It’s essentially a series of government job programs, for which college students and other young people and seniors can apply and receive stipends and grants for “service oriented” work – just as Rep. Bachmann noted.

H.R. 1388 reauthorized the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 – the bases for such programs as AmeriCorps, instituted by President Clinton in 1993 and the National Senior Service Corps. H.R. 1388 will increase the number of full-time and part-time “volunteers” from 75,000 to 250,000 by 2014 and create new school-based programs where students will be involved in mentoring, helping with health care programs in low-income communities, increasing energy efficiency, and park clean up.

Introduced by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) on March 9, GIVE was zipped through the House and overwhelmingly approved 10 days later by a vote of 321-105. Title VI of the bill originally contained a provision – Sec. 6401 -- providing for the creation of a commission to investigate “Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the National and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.”

Title VI, with Section 6401, was removed during debate. However, the bill’s architects anticipated that section would raise red flags, so on March 11, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) quietly introduced H.R. 1444. It’s identical to Title VI and can be brought forward at any time over the next two years and, if passed, will fit neatly into the existing law.

Bachmann’s Concerns “Prudent and Reasonable”

This is not at unlikely, and Bachmann is not alone or “crazy” because she foresees the possibility of universal mandatory service.

NewsWithViews.com contacted Prof. Alan Charles Kors, professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania and noted a authority on indoctrination, particularly of students, for his observations to Bachmann’s comments.

“I think that Rep. Bachmann's prudent and reasonable concerns are not that young people will be herded into ‘camps’ whose goal is ‘re-education,’ but that the ‘training’ for an expanded AmeriCorps, given the growing penchant for highly partisan, politicized, and indecently intrusive ‘sensitivity’ and ‘diversity’ training, will move in an Orwellian direction,” he replied in an e-mail.

A “Real Patriot Act”

Obama and Biden campaigned on the idea of “universal voluntary citizen service,” and presented an outline of their program in a nine-page report: Helping All Americans Serve Their Country, which contains provisions for public schools receiving funds contingent upon developing plans “enabling” youngsters to participate in service projects.

Particularly sinister, Rahm Emanuel – Obama’s chief of staff – made it clear that he favors mandatory service. In his 2006 book The Plan: Big Ideas for America, Emanuel calls for compulsory service for all Americans ages 18-25. He writes (pages 61-62):

“It’s time for a real Patriot Act that brings out the patriot in all of us. We propose universal civilian service for every young American. Under this plan, All Americans between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five will be asked to serve their country by going through three months of basic training, civil defense preparation and community service.” ...

“Here’s how it would work. Young people will know that between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, the nation will enlist them for three months of civilian service. They’ll be asked to report for three months of basic civil defense training in their state or community, where they will learn what to do in the event of biochemical, nuclear or conventional attack: how to assist others in an evacuation; how to respond when a levee breaks or we’re hit by a natural disaster. These young people will be available to address their communities’ most pressing needs.”

“Squealing” about Freedom

Emanuel and co-author Bruce Reed claim “this is not a draft.” They are also aware that there will be resistance; that “some Republicans will squeal about individual freedom.”

Because of Emanuel’s book, Heritage Foundation in its blog First Principles warned last November that Obama’s critics “may be right”: “[Obama] does favor mandatory service and it might be worse than we thought,” the unidentified author declared.

“That Obama has chosen this man as his chief of staff should give anyone pause. This man has a plan that involves training our youth like soldiers, and calls upon ‘a new patriotism that brings us together again in a common mission’ for his plan which will ‘unite us in a higher national purpose.’”

Earlier Stories

1 - Alan Stang: Michele Bachmann and the Death of the Dollar: April 2, 2009
2 - Lynn Stuter: The Obama Machine Affirms Fear of Losing Office: April 1, 2009
3 - C.J. Graham: Will America Kids Trade Baseball Caps for Mandatory White Helmets? March 28, 2009

© 2009 NWV - All Rights Reserved

Sarah Foster is a researcher and freelance writer:
sarahfoster7433@att.net

http://www.newswithviews.com/NWV-News/news139.htm

Facebook group forms to stop HR 1388; massive expansions in volunteerism bills

Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 05:03PM

Ed. Note: Group membership now stands at 1,259 members in approximately a 24 hour period. Links to additional blogs and articles are posted on the message board at Stop HR 1388.

Screen shot of the US Public Service Academy fundraising and lobby site. An excellent tool for growing a class of political elitists.

The new group Stop HR 1388 has formed at Facebook for the purpose of derailing HR 1388 as it heads to the US Senate after marching its large body through the House of Representatives. The bill is a massive social program that many libertarians and conservatives believe will not only once again contradict the U.S. Constitution, but also create yet another expensive, ineffective program at a time when taxpayers are levying heavy criticism at administrations past and present. The bill makes bloated social programs of the past look stick thin. Hundreds of people have signed up; the group was formed one day ago.

Officially titled the “Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act” (GIVE), the bill amends and broadens the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973. Had the government a grip on reality, members would realize volunteerism is alive and well in the US, and it doesn't come near the cost this program expansion requires.

No one disputes the value of volunteerism and efforts to improve communities. America is and has been blessed with all manner of volunteerism, as those of us who live in the real world know. Many of us dispute not only the exorbitant funding HR 1388 will require, but the shifting of responsibility from the populace to the government on the grand scale typical of government.

Much of the language in the bill attempts to persuade by referencing national disasters. I think it safe to say our communities and states should be smart enough to prepare for our own disasters, having witnessed what a mess various levels of government manifested during and after Katrina.

A major problem involves states’ rights. The bill requires states to develop comprehensive plans for volunteer and paid service by Baby Boomers and older adults.

The cost during a period when a recession is underway and the administration is already proposing obscene levels of spending is extremely worrisome. The government never reduces; like a marshmallow held over a fire it continues to expand and we all know what happens with that—the mushroom ultimately deflates as it cools.

GIVE also “expresses the sense of the Congress” that the number of AmeriCorps, VISTA and NCCC participants should grow to 250,000 (from 75,000) by 2014.

There are provisions for such matters as a “musician and artists corps program” for low income communities. Rarely is art subsidized by the government of a quality anyone in her right mind would praise. Communities at present have free public libraries holding numerous works on every type of art a creative might seek.

The program is all-reaching and more invasive than a root canal. Childhood obesity, juvenile crime recidivism, old people, young people and everyone in between will be addressed by this legislation. The language is full of terms like “social entrepreneur,” and on first glance, I assumed this indicated an attempt to assist the world’s oldest profession.

On the list of goals is a Public Service Academy, a perfect entity for breeding a whole new generation of political elites. It strikes me the political class is healthier than ever because the government is the only sector growing jobs, having launched such a successful assault on small businesses in the form of taxes, ridiculous regulations and fees that it’s a wonder there is a single entrepreneur left in the land.

Government entitlement programs direct funding to constituents of select politicians, and the constituents go on to form fiefdoms wherein power and money accrue and favors are doled out to the loyal.

Some might question the sanity of an administration and a Congress bent on enacting another expensive social program even as those in other countries ask questions like, “Is this the end of America?”

This bill is nothing more than an enormous document that will commit billions of tax dollars to waste. I’ve written here about doing real community organizing, and most of us learn the truth about that early on. If it’s effective, it didn’t come from the federal government. And if the federal government wants to reach into every nook and cranny of this nation, that represents yet another in a long line of infringements on states’ and individual rights.

As the federal government grows, individual liberty and resources decline. Hundreds of years of recorded history at home and abroad validate that statement.

It is obvious Congress and the administration cannot oversee or manage the federal government we have now. Those with any degree of intelligence should be acting to downsize rather than expand.

The GIVE Act is yet another attempt by liberals to revisit the Age of Aquarius. It is another unnecessary attack on the taxpayer wallet, and if you think you will escape the tax increases necessary to pay for the myriad wishes of this administration, you are not thinking clearly.

To join the Stop HR 1388 Facebook Group, visit the website. To read commentary and other articles about HR 1388, visit links in the ‘References’ section below.

Above all, tell your senator to reach deep inside his or her soul and vote no on the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act. And if said senator refuses, remember that at election time and remember that when yet another federal program aiming at social engineering eats more tax dollars than AIG ever thought about.

http://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/facebook-group-forms-to-stop-hr-1388-massive-expansions-in-v.html