Posted on 06/15/2009 11:37:30 AM PDT by Starman417
Weve all seen it. In our schools, our childrens schools, public meetings, television shows, leadership seminars, political speeches, and even in legislation supported by the President, the message is clear: we should all be doing community service. The fact is that the call to service is greater now than at any time in our countrys past, and the pressure to provide it even greater.
The pressure to conform to the growing demand to volunteer your self, in body and bankbook, can be daunting. When confronted with a group of peers, all telling you how much you are needed, it can be difficult to resist. When your childs teacher tells you how important it is that you volunteer for the school bake sale, how can you say no? When your Mayor asks you to volunteer your time for the citywide cleanup, how can you refuse? And when the girl scout who lives next door asks you to buy cookies, or the soccer player who lives down the street asks you to buy raffle tickets, how can you not open your wallet and hand them the money?
Simple. Say no. Unless, that is, you want to do it, and can.
First of all, its not so much community service that I have a problem with. Serving your community has plenty of merit, and everyone should do it, provided of course that you are willing, and just as important, able. The problem arises when you are expected to give your time and your money to a cause that you dont want to support. And more problems arise when you are expected to give your time and your money to a cause when you cant afford it.
(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net ...
I got in trouble when I was a kid and was forced to help feed poor people at the homeless shelter. It sucked.
It's impossible to resist because of the crack cocaine and crystal meth baked into every cookie. I get the shakes a couple of months before it's time to order the cookies.
Agreed. Remember, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth getting paid for. Inevitably, the callers begging you to volunteer your services are, themselves, PAID. I already give the government more than I get in return, so if you want my services, get out your checkbook.
I’ve noticed a recent sharp increase in government radio ads for “good citizenry” behavior.
Those who aren’t capable of starting or running businesses need to find some way to contribute. there are some things that can’t be done profitably and the best use of resources is to have the least productive citizens doing them. The greatest service to the community is profitable private enterprise.
I volunteer for an eleven hour shift weekly with an additional 24 hour shift monthly. I provide EMS services to my community. In addition to actual time serving on the ambulance the state requires untold hours of training and classroom instruction to get my certification and to keep it. In addition to that, I volunteer as an officer in my squad.
I enjoy the time I spend at this, but I don’t think it is for everyone.
The greatest community service would be to take a course or two on manners.
When someone calls or sticks their hand out I say I already gave all my money to the guy at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in D.C.
I suggest that they give him a call and tell him that I said it was okay for him to give them some of it.
I don’t get many repeats, but I am sure I am on at least one list in D.C.....
The people who do community service regularly are those who already take care of themselves, their family, pay taxes, and contribute to society. They are already the foundation of society.
As I proposed on another thread, if we had a volunteeer Healthcare Plan with ALL types (janitors, receptionists, CNA’s, RN,s, Doctors, Plumbers, Electricians, etc) getting a healthy tax credit for their taxes each yrs equivalent to their hours volunteered at a non profit clinic, then we could have great free clinics for the uninsured and not cost taxpayers a dime.
So if Zero wants volunteers let’s do it in Healthcare!
I think that good parenting would do wonders as far as manners are concerned.
Those must have been aired in Latham, Massachusetts. :)
Like helicopter/soccer mommies who are convinced that they have the best answer to the school boards issues, if only everyone would just shut up and let them run things, or the smarmy little metro-man with a hidden agenda who has to keep reminding everyone how much he knows, and has made changing the world his hobby, they're long on rhetoric, but short on effective action.
You usually see them in Subaru's and Volvo's, festooned with ubiquitous “Hopey/Changey”, “Think Globally, Act Locally”, endless variations on a rainbow theme, those insipid little blue and yellow “Equal Signs”, and “1/21/2009” bumperstickers.
They have to work for free, because no one will hire them. Exactly the kind of folks Obama wants to run "his" AmeriKKKa.
I seen “good parenting” produce the rudest, most self-centered animals one can imagine.
Personally, I would like to find time to perform community service with the USO or at Veteran’s Hospitals. I want to do something for the military, guys and gals, active and inactive.
I do volunteer EMS and Girl Scouts. Corzine wants to go regional (paid, ie more gov’t employees) EMS and GS above the troop level drives me crazy with PC.
I like doing my volunteer work. I have a great time. Pressure me to do it, require my kids to do it and it’s not happening any more.
Right with ya. Community service by it’s nature is voluntary. Mandating service is a form of slavery. I do a LOT of service work because I see a need since God gifted to me many talents that others don’t have. (Real version of sharing the wealth). But if I am forced to do commune service, I will do a crappy job. Kinda like the forced monitary charity in the form of taxes. If my taxes were a lot lower, I could be more generous with local charities. But when dims run the show, they want to be generous with my funds, leaving me with a lot less.
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