"Ask not what your country can do for you".. "Give 'til it hurts".. "servicing" the service economy

[SoCalDem]

Apparently there's a big "Service Conference" about to convene.

Let's look at "service":

Kennedy's oft-quoted speech spoke to involving young people in the furtherance of their country's ideals & spreading the "word", all while bolstering the young people's connection to their society. We have to remember what was going on at this particular time in the world. There was a cold war (simmering hot, just under the surface). The rest of the world was only 15 years past the devastation of WWII. The Nazis were still being rounded up.Black people were still in the grasp of Jim Crow. There was no medicare for the older folks, who were pretty much poverty-stricken as they aged out of the job force. There were millions of people who still did not have telephones, indoor plumbing...here in the US.

The sprawl of America had not really started yet, and inner cities were ripe for the chaos that would start in a few years.

Young people were rather insulated, as the prized-possessions of the families created after the war. Kennedy was speaking to those kids & teens..to inspire them for the FUTURE. He knew that young people would be the perfect ambassadors abroad, because they had not been abroad, killing..They would go out as a new generation of Americans, ready to show a new way to view America. he did not want the next wave of Americans venturing abroad, to be carrying weapons., He wanted their brainpower, enthusiasm & adventurous spirit to be exported abroad.

There's that kind of "service:..

I don't think that Kennedy expected this service to be in lieu of American aid to those countries. In fact that kind of service Vista (inside the US) and the Peace Corps meant MORE money would be spent...not less.

The "new" service seems to be an entirely different beast.

We expect teachers to spend their own money & time to supply what used to be considered normal operating expenses for any school

We expect nurses & doctors to give up their own off-time tending to the people our country seems uninterested in medically.

We expect ill people & their families to hold car washes & bake sales to help defray costs of lifesaving medical treatment provided by mega-million dollar corporate hospitals, and millionaire specialists.

We expect parents to take time off work (if necessary) to "volunteer" at their children's schools.

We expect students to accept mandatory volunteerism, as a part of their requirement-to-graduate.

I am NOT saying that volunteerism & service are bad. I am saying that when they SUBSTITUTE for services that should be (and are provided by most civilized nations) provided as a routine consequence of being a citizen. Many of these "services" are being outsourced to individuals so that the government can then re-direct the money they would have cost, to "other things"..Anyone want to venture a guess, what those might be?

They also mask a need to raise taxes to pay for the necessities. The money NOT spent on the continual increase in cost-to-provide services suddenly becomes "available" to use for taxcuts to the "friendlies", who immediately set out to demonize anyone who dares to expect a service for their tax money.

[Robb]

1. The right wing co-opted the spirit of volunteerism as a source of cheap labor.

Saw an opportunity to exploit, and took it.

[SoCalDem]

3. Especially the right wing religious zealots

They saw this as the perfect double whammy.. Get tax-free money from "the faithful" and parlay that into an empire of people willing to "work" for free, while sending their hard earned dollars to the "ministers" who then used it to get political favors in exchange for votes from the "faithful".. It's a perpetual money-making machine.

[Cassandra]

5. Until the faithful...

run out of money. Coming soon to a community near you.

[katsy]

2. k/r

[msongs]

4. our president and congress have endless $$ for war profiteer corporations. sad ent it? nt

[Lorien]

6. K & R. "Sacrifice" has always been expected of those who reap the least benefit

those who reap the greatest benefits from the system-the ultra rich-still expect special treatment and an exception from any sacrifice.

[SoCalDem]

7. Right back to "blessed are the meek"

convince poor people they will get their "reward" in a mythical heaven, and you can torment them at will while here:grr:

[katsy]

8. You nailed it.

And there's a tax break for every good deed should they wish to participate.

[SoCalDem]

10. I always wonder how "generous" the rich would be, if they got no tax benefit

A while back 60 Minutes did a piece about this very thing.. a very rich person was donating art for auction, with part of the "profit" going to "charity".

They threw a gala wing-ding party with the crème de la crème of high society. They wined & dined and bid on the art.

The donor got a tax write off for a fancy party, the rich attendees no doubt did some schmoozing for their own businesses. Everybody had fine food & drink, got to borrow some fancy jewels & designer duds, and in the end, a large portion of the "profit" most likely ended up in some not-for-profit "foundation" probably run by a relative or compadre of the "donor". The money went full circle, with tax deductions at every juncture, and pennies on the dollar may have tricked out to some needy people or cause, somewhere.

The auction house made money, the caterers made money, the security people made money, the limo companies made money, and the "donor" got rid of some piece of art they probably bartered for at one time or another, and may have even had in storage somewhere. The "high bidder" probably "donated" the art to some museum for yet another "write-off".

[katsy]

11. Ah yes. The foundations.

Employ friends and relatives who in turn make 6 figure salaries and whose living/travel/entertaining expenses are all covered... yes. Philanthropic I'm sure. Is my cynicism showing yet?

Pennies on the dollar is exactly right.

[krabigirl]

9. Great post..I completely agree. This stuff is no longer "voluntary." And it hurts us.

And people in power profit from it greatly. Teachers should NOT have to spend their own money to buy supplies!

[EFerrari]

12. You know you're looking at a failing business when the guys in charge start saying

they don't need capital to operate.

[Radical Activist]

13. What a cheap shot.

It's silly to pretend volunteer service has anything to do with your rant about other problems.

Peace Corps wasn't just about showing the world what young Americans are like. It was also about showing young Americans what the rest of the world is like. It's a teaching experience.

The same is true today with domestic service. It shows children and young adults what the world is like beyond their suburb, small town, or privileged little family. There's probably no better way to stop someone from becoming a selfish, close-minded clueless conservative than giving them a little experience of what the real world is like for other people.

It's a good thing and there's no reason to trash the conference just because you're mad about unrelated issues.