Defund national service, cripple the nation
Opinion, Sub Feature Monday, February 14th, 2011
ILLUSTRATION BY BRENDAN HEALY/ THE ARBITER
This week’s tweet:
nylcorg Help prevent the largest funder for service-learning from being cut from the federal budget: http://ny.lc/hnoa2Q#saveamericorps
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers is ready to axe the Corporation for National and Community Service. CNCS engages Americans of all ages in national service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America. The people who join CNCS programs are given the life changing opportunity to give back to the country and their local communities while working toward a better future.
The cut is included in the committee’s plan to reduce the president’s budget by $100 billion.
The fact that the committee is fully prepared to dismantle CNCS reaffirms that the crazies on Capitol Hill really have no idea how they are going to get us out of the red. They are also completely unaware of that which is inherently good for this country.
They need some serious help — an intervention, even.
Defunding CNCS is offensive (and insane) on many, many levels. Apparently it’s OK to throw money at irresponsible banks, mortgage lenders and crappy car companies but investing in Americans who truly make a difference is a waste of tax payer’s money. The people involved with CNCS programs work in schools, prisons, after-school programs, non-profits and other organizations for little or no pay. Participants in CNCS programs stand in the gap.
Learn and Serve America invests in service-learning efforts from coast to coast. Through Learn and Serve America, more than 1 million students of all ages, from elementary school to college, make important contributions to their community and grow academically.
Senior Corps recruits individuals 55 years and older to do things such as mentor, coach and act as companions to those in need. The baby boomer population is a major asset to this country. Through Senior Corps, this nation has the opportunity to tap into the invaluable resource of their life experience, job skills and expertise.
AmeriCorps provides opportunities for adults of all ages and backgrounds to give back to their communities. AmeriCorps members meet critical needs across the country through the organization’s vast partnerships with non-profits in all 50 states. AmeriCorps members take a year out of their lives to tutor and mentor at-risk students, build and promote programs that address poverty issues, clean parks and streams, etcetera. In return, they receive a modest living allowance and an education award that can be applied toward college expenses.
Americans need jobs. National service programs offer a unique opportunity for citizens to earn a little money, develop job-related skills and plan for the future. Education budgets are shrinking. As teachers are laid off and class sizes grow, students will struggle. National service members can supplement the losses and give students help they might not get otherwise.
Cuts have to be made — they do. People who rely on government assistance and programming will suffer. They will be at the mercy of the communities in which they reside. Organizations will have fewer resources and will experience even greater demand for services. Those organizations will be understaffed and will have to rely on local donors for funding. They will need volunteers like never before.
By stepping back and funding CNCS, the government can help soften the blow of cuts it has to make in other areas. By supporting CNCS, the United States will stand behind the notion that we all have something to contribute to this nation. This nation is ours, and we have the right and duty to make it better.
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Posted by janahoffman on Feb 14 2011. Filed under Opinion, Sub Feature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
The private sector does not have the capacity to develop an infrastructor of organizations that address these issues, recruit and train highly skilled, well-educated volunteer and support them as they serve their community full-time for one year. The reality is that there are academically at-risk students that need extra help to succeed and AmeriCorps meets that need. It's a win, win, win situation.
It's funny how individuals are so concerned about the constitution now. Was it constitutional when President Bush was sending pallets with $12 billion in cash to Iraq (we could sure that money now)? Is invading a country that didn't attack us and on whom we did not declare war constitutional? Is waterboarding in the constitution? Or how about wiretapping American citizens without a warrant, can you show me where that is in the constitution? The constitution does, however, talk about promoting the general welfare, which national service does!
A. Who was talking about George Bush? Besides, last time I checked, the President doesn't pass a budget, can't declare war on anyone without the approval of the United States legislature, nor can he approve anyone to be wiretapped.
b. If you think that this falls under "promoting the general welfare", then so does giving everyone a car, paying everyone's mortgage, and paying for everyone's college education.
c. If you doubt the private sector's ability to organize, look at the Red Cross, the United Way, Boys and Girls club etc… They do the same if not better work than any federal organization and do so without billions in taxpayer dollars.
Yes, it's true, all three of the organizations you list have VERY large AmeriCorps programs and rely heavily on them for daily operations. I am currently an AmeriCorps for Habitat for Humanity, and at least a quarter of our yearly budget comes through government grants despite being described as "private sector."
@ n/a. No. The organizations listed above (B&G Club, United Way, Habitat for Humanities) and many, MANY others who rely on AmeriCorps members can't find an alternative. Last year, I was an AmeriCorps member in my hometown after graduating from college, along with many others in the same position. Some of us decided to go the grad school route after a year of service and the positions we left open have yet to be filled. The organizations we worked for cannot afford to pay someone even part-time for minimum wage to help out, causing both the organization to its benefactors to suffer. While admittedly, many, MANY government programs should be examined for waste and/or cut. However, AmeriCorps is one of the most successful, beneficial, cost-effective programs ever created. I urge you to take a closer look at all that it accomplishes for so little of our country's budget.
Sorry, "benefactors" should say "beneficiaries". I wrote this in the heat of passion, so to speak, and didn't proof it before posting.
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