Yesterday, Barack Obama advocated a major expansion of the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and other national service programs, declaring, "This will be a cause of my presidency."
The local paper reports that the Illinois senator said the government is not keeping pace with those who want to help. "We will create new opportunities for all of us to serve," he said at a rally at Cornell College. Read more here.
National Service is not just a good idea, it's the right idea. This country has problems, and they will not soon be set right by ignoring them. JFK created the Peace Corps to help impoverished nations overseas, but we have real problems right here in America that need addressing: underserved rural and urban schools, environmental cleanup, extension of help to the aged and the sick, and crumbling infrastructures.
My son, who just graduated from High School, is in the front lines of service right now, working for City Year in some of the toughest inner city schools in Philadelphia. He is not alone -- thousands of other young men and women are doing their part to make America a better place.
Good on Barack Obama for recognizing that service is part of the "cover charge" Americans should be happy to pay in order to continue to live in the greatest nation on earth.
And shame on the many Americans who whine when asked to do anything -- whether it is paying taxes, donating to charity, or doing service work of any kind.
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