Free Republic

No word on where or when this was shot but it was posted to YouTube just two days before The One’s speech to students, which makes me wonder if it was part of some school’s festivities for the screening. I think parents’ fears about their kids being politically indoctrinated are usually overblown, but I’m open to persuasion by compelling evidence — like, for example, this, or the vid you’re about to see. Getting little kids to croon about how awesome the president is troubles me less than the pop quiz the boss posted, mainly because they’re too young to understand...

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday renewed his call for the government to stop backing private loans to college students and replace them with direct financial aid to young people. Obama said the surest test for success in the challenging economy is a college degree or other training, yet access to higher education continues to shrink as costs rise. To reverse that, the president repeated his campaign proposal that would eliminate the Federal Family Education Loan program that costs taxpayers $15 million each day.

(Senate Floor - March 24, 2009) Mr. President, I wish to speak for few minutes on the Serve America Act. I think this is a great opportunity to talk about what is good about a lot of the Members of the Senate. I certainly appreciate and applaud the sponsors of this bill for their good intentions and know their hearts are in the right place. Some of my best friends are supporting this bill. But I think, as we look at what is good about the hearts of many Members of the Senate, we need to recognize this bill does...

On my wall I have a copy of an old fashioned Senate roll call sheet – the handwritten tally from the clerk recording the passage of the original law creating AmeriCorps in 1993. There were hash marks next to just seven Republicans. Yesterday the Senate approved a bill authorizing a tripling of AmeriCorps. It passed 79-19 – with 21 Republican votes. That’s right, more Republicans voted for the measure than against it. In 1993 those Republicans who did support it were mostly moderates. This time supporters included conservatives like Roger Wicker and Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Michael Enzi of Wyoming...

(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Senate is poised to approve a dramatic expansion of the AmeriCorps national community service program. Conservatives who oppose the measure say it is an attempt to greatly expand government’s role in providing community services by replacing charitable volunteers with paid government workers. Senators voted 74-14 Monday to take up the Serve America Act, legislation that would more than triple the size of the AmeriCorps program over the next eight years, expanding its current 75,000 positions to 250,000. Last week, a similar bill that would add 175,000 participants to the program passed in the House by a...