Kyle Mcallister <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Are you that bleached in the head? It said MANDATORY on Change.gov! It said > MANDATORY in Rahm Emmanuel's damned book, for crying out loud! YOU need to > read the facts, I'm afraid. I have Obama's book in hand, and I have a great deal of information about him. I assure you, this is a misunderstanding, or something taken out of context. There is not the slightest chance that any American politician would advocate such policies. He would never be re-elected again, period. The only semi-mandatory public service that I have heard of is for some high school kids in some districts, for a few hours per semester. They have to work in a church, shelter, or with special education kids or what-have-you. All very safe, white-bread type public service. It is nowhere near as mandatory as phys-ed -- it is more like sex education, meaning you can get out of it with a note from your parents. They have non-mandatory public service in Atlanta public schools, which I recommend. My kids and their friends thought highly of it. The only other semi-mandatory service, nowadays, is that many able-bodied people on welfare have to work for the community. They have to be looking for a job, or doing public service. They cannot sit at home. There are day care services for their kids. Nobody I know objects to this, least of all the people on welfare. They are happy to get out of the house. It seems only right to me, and I doubt many conservatives would object (unless they happen to be on welfare and would prefer to watch TV). Obama has, of course, suggested that college kids sign up for public service in return for scholarships. I personally think that is a better idea than simply handing out Pell Grants, becasue it builts character and gives them work experience. Plus it makes them more inclinded to study, because they have paid a price for the tuition, and they realize how hard it is to get the money. But perhaps you prefer to see young people get money for nothing, with no committment or effort on their part. Or perhaps you consider that "slavery"? Obama and I are strong believers in taking personal responsibility, working for what you get, studying, turning off the TV, giving young people a stake in their education, etc. As Martin Fleischmann says, we are "painfully conventional people" and conservative, too. I am a little surprised that so many conservatives misread Obama and his intentions. As I said, they appear to know nothing about him. Their source of information must be propaganda spread by right-wing extremists. - Jed
