Obama calls for national service

[TC95GT]

This isn't gun related so maybe it should be moved to off topic politics.

This is part of an article on a speech by BO. I know he doesn't come right out and say it but it sounds like he wants to make national service mandatory for high school and college students. Maybe I'm just reading it wrong.

http://www.reuters.com/article/politics ... nnel=10179

Obama issues new call for national service
Wed Jul 2, 2008 2:07pm EDT
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama promised on Wednesday to create new opportunities for national service that would give Americans a chance to fight growing challenges on issues like poverty, climate change and education.

On a trip to Colorado, which Obama hopes to turn into an election battleground in his November White House race with Republican John McCain, Obama said Americans were ready to answer a new call for national service.

"I won't just ask for your vote as a candidate -- I will ask for your service and your active citizenship when I am president of the United States," Obama said.

"This will not be a call issued in one speech or one program -- this will be a central cause of my presidency," he said. "We will ask Americans to serve. We will create new opportunities for Americans to serve. And we will direct that service to our most pressing national challenges."

Obama, an Illinois senator, touted a package of proposals he first offered in December that would expand AmeriCorps, the domestic service agency, and double the size of the Peace Corps.

He also would offer more service opportunities to retirees and set goals for middle- and high-school students to serve 50 hours a year of public service, and for college students to serve 100 hours a year.(Editing by David Wiessler)

(For more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/ )

[nyffman]

This guy is a skilled politician and public speaker. Beyond that, I don't see anything that he has to offer. He is starting to sound more like the third term of George Bush than McCain.

[1911fan]

Except he's a chicago based politician, coming out of the last of the big political machines, and he's corrupt as hell.

He may be shiny and new on the outside, but inside, he's being run by the Daley machine and that means in cahoots with the mob. He may have plausible deniability, but the mob is inside this guy.

[EricMN]

50 hours of community service? WTF? Sorry, but that's not going to do a whole lot. that's, what, a week of long days?

[mattxd]

"We will ask Americans to serve. We will create new opportunities for Americans to serve. And we will direct that service to our most pressing national challenges."

so would we be building pyramids, picking cotton, or just signing over our accounts and drinking the cool-aid.

He also would offer more service opportunities to retirees [size=150]and set goals for middle- and high-school students to serve 50 hours a year of public service, and for college students to serve 100 hours a year.(Editing by David Wiessler)

What collage student (not sucking on their parents' checkbook) has time for 100 hours of community service. And at that age my response was "I'll wait for sentencing."

[BRIT_in_the_weeds]

And at the end of the day filling sandbags, in flood threatened areas, the kids will sit around a fire, listening to tales of william ayres, and singing koom by are barrack, koom by are

[hammAR]

You could stand around and hold flowers like ttousi did and get a check.................

[ttousi]

never under estimate "Flower Power"..............gummy. I will respond in kind

[chunkstyle]

You could stand around and hold flowers like ttousi did and get a check.................

The likeness is uncanny!

[ttousi]

never under estimate "Flower Power"..............gummy. I will respond in kind

Found that pic of you when you were AWOL in the 70's gunny

[Fubar]

I saw a lot of "asks" and "set goals" in the speech, nothing about forcing people to do it. Sounds a lot like the current volunteer arrangement we have, the "President's Volunteer Service Award" that Bush II got rolling (and I think he might have bogarted a program Clinton had planned but not implemented).

http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/

[Fiery Red XIII]

Yes, bu it's the service BHO tells you..no church stuff unless it's for "Rev." Wright/Wrong...No police reserves or anything like that...Only something to help the "underclass" from the volunteers themselves...Mr. "I got a sweet way low loan on my house" Obama.


Red

[chunkstyle]

I'm sorry. I forgot, what was Obama's service, when he was in high school/college?

[nyffman]

I'm sorry. I forgot, what was Obama's service, when he was in high school/college?

Are you saying that only those with military experience are qualified to be Commander in Chief. I think this is just another of his pandering, throw away lines. But what do I know?

[R.E.T.]

I'm sorry. I forgot, what was Obama's service, when he was in high school/college?

Are you saying that only those with military experience are qualified to be Commander in Chief. I think this is just another of his pandering, throw away lines. But what do I know?

Its just tell the voters what they want to hear or what sounds good and when you get in office do as you please.