Change.gov - All public school students should do 50 hours community service per year

Just make it 50 hours per week and put all the kids to work as sweatshop laborers, so we can compete with China and India.

 

Edward, I wouldn't get too worried about it. Without getting into why I don't think it's really that big of a deal in the first place, it's irrelevant; Obama said he would do a lot of things he hasn't done. I'd be really surprised if the White House actually reveals its policy on or takes serious advice from polls carried out on change.gov

 

Good. Kids might build some decent ethics this way. Besides, it's only 50 out of 8760. This might be a different story if they were trying to force labor out of adults. This is only public schools right? If you don't like it send your kids to a private school. You sound like a smart Capitalist, I'm sure you can afford it

 

Guys like you scare me. you'll be the down fall of this country. you seem blissfully ignorant of big government and the traps that lead to oppression. You remind me a guy like Chris Matthews, who wrings his hands every night that, "the Republicans would oppose FREE health care for Americans". Why not give up our rights and freedoms? Its free!

Let me get this straight, you have no problem with the government MANDATING labor from kids?

 

No.

 

Also known as... Slippery slope - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I think it's a great idea. There is a lot of international precedent for compulsory civic participation in education systems. Depending on how it is recorded and advocated and with the provision of alternatives -- these programs offer a great standard for participation.

I can't really see any downsides, if you're not invoking an informal fallacy.

 

The year after I graduated my high school made it mandatory for kids to have 15 hours of community service to graduate. Here's the kicker: they can do whatever they want. Which probably won't involve sewing shoes together or pressing license plates.

If I look at this like the whinny, lazy, immature teenager I was in high school, then I would be opposed to it. But if I look at it as an adult with a little bit of social curiosity, it's not really a big deal.

 

From the website:

I'm not in college, but if the gubment was going to give me tax credits to do public service at a rate of $40/hour, I'd "volunteer." Of course I believe all participation should be voluntary.

 

At this point in time, no because I believe we have conflicting views of what this "labor" is. They don't have a choice in going to school(brain labor). And I don't see your government forcing little 1st graders into scrubbing graffiti or picking up trash off the highway when they can barely tie there fucking shoes. Not to mention the attention span of the younger children would throw a wrench into any productive enslavement of the masses. In America at least.

Besides, from my understanding, this would apply to public schools only. If you don't like it, dear consumer, send your children to a private school. You should be able to work with the oh so fair capitalist system to acquire the appropriate funds. Remember, you always have a choice.

 

All for it. Have you seen most kids in most public high schools? Fat slobs, everyone is ODing on something, and people are committing suicide every week (off weeks are for the shootings, of course). Kids need something to do, they obviously aren't doing much on their own. I'd support it if there was an option to have certain kids opted out because of realsituations (serious illness, mental problems, maybe if they have a job that won't permit the hours, shit like that). The rest of them, off you go. You're working for the greater good, get on with it.

 

fuck this we need jobs not volunteer work

 

50 hours a week isn't that bad; it's a nice, low number that people won't really care about. Then it'll go up to 100 hours. Then 150. 200. 300. 500.

Sit, doggies. Good doggies!!!
Work 40 hours a week for us, doggies. Good doggies!!!
Pay all of our bailouts for us, doggies. Good doggies!!!
Let us raise your children for you, doggies. Good doggies!!!

I just don't understand the necessity of government intervention; if the children need to do some extra work, why not have them help around the house? Fuck the community.

 

.... satire .... or....?

 

REQUIRE 50 hours of SERVICE?

No.

 

No. Why would community service be government mandated? I see that as a good way to get kids used to Big Brother breathing down their necks and looking over their shoulders at any given time. It seems like they're mandating this to keep kids busy; remember, they're not interested in critical thinkers with the mental capacity to question decisions, dissect problems, innovate solutions, and revolutionize their lives. They are looking for obedient pets that follow instructions and work for doggy treats.

SERVE THE MOTHERLAND. START YOUNG, WORK HARD, GROW OLD.

Didn't Obama call it something like "universal voluntary service" ? How is it "universal" if it's "voluntary" ? Is he trying to build an obedient youth that is willing to sacrifice itself to the warmongering of a few profit and power-hungry individuals?

Hmm, it gets more interesting...

I really like that last bit there. Fuck the government mandating service.

 

Actually, this point of view I think will lead to the downfall of this country faster than requiring service, something (as already mentioned above) that there is strong international precedent for (just to name two, Israel and Sweden).
Now, this is the most laughable fallacy that I've seen on this board in a while.
So, first we'll have a nice low number... then bam! Everything will go to shit for some unknown reason, and no one will ever do anything about it.
Let me apply this logic to something that I believe you would support, so you can see how ignorant and untrue your argument is.
The US invades Afghanistan, just to start small, on premises we can all agree with.
Then we'll invade Iraq, don't question us its patriotic!
Then pretty soon we invade Iran, don't question!
Then we'll invade Saudi Arabia, don't question!
Then we'll invade Egypt! dont' question it!
Then we'll invade Turkey! Then Russia!
See how dumb that sounds? And the first two parts of MY argument have actually happened.

Now, the last sentence is what scares me most.
"Fuck the community".
Yeah, the government telling people that they should do something that they choose to better our nation as a whole will eventually doom the nation.
Having the mindset of "fuck the community" will have no repercussions.

 

Uhhh.... I actually don't support the wars at all. I think they're an excuse to fight for oil in the Middle-East because a few oil lords in the US can't bare to see hemp legalized, so I'm not really sure what you're trying to get at ...

That doesn't sound dumb, by the way, it sounds exactly like what the US does

"better the nation" ?? What the fuck are you talking about? The people in power have brought this nation down to its knees, and now it's the responsibility of our children to blindly serve a government that socializes expense and centralizes profit?

You serious bro? Maybe if they didn't loot this country, I'd be okay with helping "the nation" out.