Oh geez, Kerry's an idiot

[Kirnwaffen]

I agree that this is probably not unconstitutional, but I still don't think it's a particularly good idea. Quite frankly, the people who will do good volunteer work are the ones who want to, and those people are already doing it.

[Gatekeeper]

I don't get it. The way I read it, you would do some sort of community service for "x" amount of time, being compensated during the service itself (i.e. board and whatnot) then, afterwards receiving a two- or four-year college education partially or completely paid for, depending on where you go.

Tell me, how does this hurt poor people? How does this add up to slavery or involuntary servitude? Last time I checked, slavery and involuntary service meant no sort of compensation whatsoever. That doesn't seem to be the case here.

Gatekeeper

[mrmitchell]

Well, Gatekeeper, it can be slavery and you're still compensated.

If I took you and forced you to plow my field, then afterwards decided to give you five bucks for your trouble, would that not be involuntary servitude?

[Gatekeeper]

That's a piss-poor comparison. Keep it in the realm of what Kerry is proposing.

[Kirnwaffen]

I think you're reading it wrong. There is the option to do two years of service for four years of college, but there is also mandatory service as a graduation requirement for high school.

[Shi Huangdi]

The way I read it, Kerry would Federalize a program similar to Maryland's, in which order to recieve a diploma at a public high school once must complete a certain number of hours of community service. (which is then verified by the school in a bureaucratic matter which takes up teachers time and yet still doesn't stop loopholes). Kerry would then institute a seperate program in which people could volunteer for two years of national service in exchange for having their tuition payed.

[Gatekeeper]

Of course, a better overall approach might be to simply better-fund the AmeriCorps program. That seems to have all the aspects of Kerry's idea without the "forced volunteerism" part that seems to have many climbing walls in this thread.

Gatekeeper

[Kirnwaffen]

I agree. I just don't see a bunch of *****y teenagers as ideal, or even helpful, "volunteers".

[Gatekeeper]

True, but that's assuming all teens would be upset with Kerry's idea of volunteerism. It's quite possible that if their service could be tailored to something they're taking a life interest in — the list is endless — it wouldn't be so bad, attitude-wise.

I know that if I had been given the chance to volunteer in HS to help out at any level of journalism in exchange for free or reduced college tuition, I would've jumped at it.

Gatekeeper

[Al B. Sure!]

The way I read it, Kerry would Federalize a program similar to Maryland's, in which order to recieve a diploma at a public high school once must complete a certain number of hours of community service. (which is then verified by the school in a bureaucratic matter which takes up teachers time and yet still doesn't stop loopholes). Kerry would then institute a seperate program in which people could volunteer for two years of national service in exchange for having their tuition payed.

to graduate in the philly public school system, you got to do 80 hours of community service.

[Kirnwaffen]

The thing is, the mandatory service in no way reduces your college tuition. I think the service for tuition plan is fantastic, I just disagree with the other component.

[Drogue]

Originally posted by mrmitchell
I really hate this idea.

But VOLUNTARY VOLUNTARY VOLUNTARY service to pay for college would be great.