Opinion
Service emphasis good for country
Looking for a print version?
Simply use your browser’s ‘Print’ command and a printer-friendly document will be generated automatically.
Also by Ben White:
- Testing flawed, but best option (March 31, 2009)
- Move to Library Mall would benefit carts, students alike (March 9, 2009)
- McEwen a misguided anarchist (February 9, 2009)
- Service emphasis good for country (January 27, 2009)
- In wake of attacks, rethink terror (December 1, 2008)
Sharing tools:
E-mail this article:
For years, American leaders have been attempting to instill a sense of civic engagement and civic responsibility in the American public. These attempts, for the most part, have been futile, as evidenced by the continual characterization of our generation as a “me-first” group looking out for their own. Jean Twenge, author of “Generation Me,” collected vast amounts of data to write about how our generation has an unprecedented and unapologetic focus on the self. “Bowling Alone” by Robert Putnam demonstrated “the frequency of virtually every form of community involvement measured in the [polls] declined significantly, from the most common — petition signing — to the least common — running for office. Americans are playing virtually every aspect of the civic game less frequently today.” However, while most are quite certain the phenomenon exists and few know who or what to blame, we should focus on is how this might change in the near future.
For all the hype and admiration laid upon President Obama and his “genius” plans to rescue everything from our economy to our moral standing in the world, there is one major facet of his executive platform that receives little attention yet offers a glimmer of hope for those of us wishing to cast aside our “selfish” distinction. Obama greatly values a dedication to public service and is ready and willing to enact proposals meant to attract young people to the cause. While it seems doubtful that creating a system of mandatory public service — as many other nations have — would fit into the ideology of “American liberalism,” Obama’s current plan allows for the proper incentives that just might kick our generation’s engines into gear.
Dedication to public service, most often in the form of a post-graduate (either high school or college) “service year,” offers many opportunities both to those engaged in service and those receiving assistance. Programs like AmeriCorps, which Obama is pledging to expand threefold, from 75,000 positions to 250,000, and the Peace Corps, which Obama plans to double, allow for the individual to grow in ways immediate entry into the workforce doesn’t. By committing a year of service to the country, young people can gain a closer connection to their community as well as gain skills and experience they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
To question the tangible societal benefits of such service is to misunderstand the impact large groups of motivated young people can have. One article states, “As of [September 2008], 12,000 AmeriCorps members have served in the
Yet one must ask, given the current climate, how programs like AmeriCorps can begin such a large expansion project. Estimates for Obama’s national-service plan put the bill at around $3.5 billion annually — money that might be hard to come by in tough economic times. However, to neglect such an important aspect of Obama’s plan for the future of our nation would be a mistake. First, the lofty price tag put on the program is a bit misleading. AmeriCorps workers receive less than $10,000 for their year of service (a figure substantially below the minimum wage) yet contribute to public agencies that otherwise would be forced to pay full-time workers. By increasing the supply of extremely motivated young people willing to work with such little financial compensation is a huge asset in these troubled economic times. In addition, a service year is a good way for a college graduate to push back their search for a full-time job in the hopes that by the end of their service year the tide will have turned on our financial woes. If that is not the case, however, service-year alums can use their $4,725 education stipend to begin work on a post-graduate degree.
It is because the expansion of national service programs is so practical for both those engaged in service and those receiving it, that the project must be undertaken. The hope is by providing incentive for young people to dedicate themselves to public service we will create an atmosphere in which our generation begins to connect to a society that it has been taught to withdraw from. President Obama shares this type of rhetoric with President Bush; both adhere to public service as an ideal we should work toward. With hope, President Obama will be able to translate that rhetoric into action.
So while many presidents who wished to engage the civic responsibility of the American people have passed, it seems now might be the time when serious action can be taken. Instead of defending itself from possible cuts, “national service for the first time is on offense,” according to Paul Schmitz, CEO of a Milwaukee-based charity. Maybe we will show the world our generation has finally begun to step out of our own addiction to self-focus; maybe we will finally and forcefully end the notion that we are all just “Bowling Alone.”
Ben White (bwhite2@wisc.edu) is a senior majoring in political science.
5 Comments | Leave a comment
Leave a comment
Herald Blogs
The Beat Goes On
Brother Ali makes an ‘Exclusive’ stop
Muckrakers
Report: Barrett to make decision by the end of the week
Extra Points
Top Classified Ads (view all)
HOUSES FOR Fall 2010. All houses are on W Dayton or N Bassett. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 bedrooms. All have parking. madisoncampusrentals.com
1318 RANDALL Court: Huge five bedroom house located near Camp Randall. $2500/mo. Call 257-7368.
LANGDON AREA Housing: Studios through five bedrooms available 8/16/2010. All apartments offer lake/pier access. Most units include heat. Call 257-7368.
$40 per hour for make-work BS? Paid for with borrowed money?
Yeah, that’ll help a lot!
As alluded to in this piece, the Peace Corps is a service oriented institution that Americans will forever attribute to JFK (and for those who look closer, Sgt. Shriver). President Obama and the 111th Congress now stand a chance to renew this country’s committment to public service by adopting legislation to create the U.S. Public Service Academy.
Akin to the military academies, students will study for four years at the Academy before serving a minimum of five years to the country. However, rather than entering the military upon graduation, Public Service Academy graduates will enter civilian public service positions that will serve areas of critical need. These are positions where we are currently not meeting the need, nor will we get much closer to meeting that need as the Baby Boom “brain drain” continues.
I hope Ben White and his readers will all visit www.uspublicserviceacademy.org to learn more about this exciting initiative. The legislation will hopefully be reintroduced next month!
I strongly agree with this op-ed. I’ve read Putnam’s work and also David Myers’ The American Paradox and they agree that community engagement of Americans is way down. Many psychologists have suggested that there is currently a “depression epidemic” in America that is linked to less social connectedness. Getting Americans and young people more involved in service is a way to make them more socially connected, less individualistic, and surprisingly, probably happier.
So, isn’t this just a lofty, fancy word for cheap labor in the US? I mean, normally the government would actually have to pay what the service is worth in order for companies to perform the labor. But, with this plan the government can disregard what is the best, most efficient use of resources because it has an artificially cheap source of labor.
I don’t understand how this will be better for the country or for the individuals providing the labor. All of the time that is spent working for something that is by definition of less value (because they are being compensated less for it) is time that one could have spent furthering their career in the job market and providing work where it IS needed the most. This would be where they get the most money for their labor by companies compensating them for their hard work.
Regardless of whether this is a “me-generation,” forcing volunteerism or providing rewards that are artificially created for more volunteerism is not the way to go about changing the public’s idea of where their interests should lie.
If anything it will make it worse because people will either see it as an affront, or see the rewards as being something that is better than they’d get normally and sign up not for volunteerism’s sake - but because they are getting rewarded for it enough.
Ben,
Recognize Obama’s plan to co-opt Americorp for what it is: A cynical way to disguise his campaign organization as a brand name nonprofit service organization.
In every elected position that Obama has held, he immediately started campaigning for his next position and building the campaign organization to make it happen. In hind site, this is about all he HAS done in those prior elected positions.
Well, he has been elected president and will now be running for re-election for the next four years. He must sustain his current campaign organization and expand it if possible. What better way than to disguise it in the form of an already created nonprofit service organization?
With a Democrat controlled Congress, he will most likely get away with this very dodgy application of nonprofit status. But, what the hell, he already has made it work with ACORN so why not do it again? After receiving $800 Million in unaudited campaign funds to buy the most recent election and unaccountable contributions rolling in yet, he can sustain and expand his ‘shadow’ campaign organization in ways his friend and fellow Democrat IL Gov Blagovich could only dream of! Selling his empty Senate seat by comparison seems almost childish in it’s limited scope of corruption.
In the process, Obama creates a dependent population of 9 years individual duration. The first 4 dependent years are spent in a national indoctrination academy, learning the ‘Hope and Change’ dictat. Hmmmm - I wonder if they’ll be taught from little red books?? But I digress.
The next 5 dependent years are spent in ‘public service’ across the country, spreading the socialist dictat from your salad days and covertly or openly supporting and enforcing the socialist democrat agendas. I wonder if they’ll have little arm bands, to identify themselves to the hapless citizens needing their tender guidance? Maybe an ‘SS’ logo for their ‘Socialist Service’? Ooops - again, I digress.
You are right. ‘To neglect such an important aspect of Obama’s plan for the future of our nation would be a mistake.’
Goose stepping in solidarity with ya,
Invictus Maneo