What Can You Do for Your Country?

In today's plummeting economy the prospects for young people entering the workforce look especially dim. Youth unemployment (ages 16-19) is at 20 percent. Economists blame this on a domino effect when older workers or workers with a college degree are forced to take lower paying and entry-level jobs, squeezing out the least experienced workers.

Nor is it getting any easier to be a student. A report released yesterday estimates that the cost of college, which had continued to rise at a rate far higher than incomes even before the recession, will soon be out of reach for many Americans. Student borrowing has doubled in the past ten years, according to the National Center for Public Policy and Education. Already, the US ranks beneath Hungary, Poland, Ireland, Greece and Korea in college enrollment, and the US is one of the few countries with fewer younger workers holding degrees than older ones, according to the report.

These parallel developments-- rising college costs and fewer jobs for young workers-- may actually mesh well with the vision for service that Barack Obama outlined in his campaign.

Obama has long publicly made the connection that education is essential for American competitiveness on both economic and national security fronts. He has presented education as something that should be a right for Americans, but also something that should be inspire a sense of pride and indebtedness to the country. His policy proposals reflect that sentiment.

His college affordability plan involves a tax credit in exchange for public service. He has pledged to expand AmeriCorps to 250,000 positions, with new programs such as "GreenCorps" and "Classroom Corps," and to double the PeaceCorps to 16,000. He has supported the Serve America Act introduced by Sen. Ted Kennedy in September, which enlarges AmeriCorps and also increases funding for service non-profits such as Teach for America.

On the campaign trail in July, Obama said: "I will ask for your service and your active citizenship when I am President of the United States. This will not be a call issued in one speech or one program--this will be a central cause of my presidency."

He may find a willing group of active citizens among young Americans. This recent Washington Post article reports that interest in government jobs has peaked among college seniors and graduates this year. Teach For America has seen a 36 percent increase in applications, according to their newsletter. Certainly the allure of service and government work increases when they are the only ones hiring, but let's not forget that the youngest generation was also Obama's biggest bastion of support during the campaign. From a less cynical angle, one could see this as interest in Obama's campaign turning into long-term involvement. Whether spurred by the economic downturn or inspired by Obama himself, we could see a new generation of commitment to public work.

Comments (14)

1. Well, here we are. And after all the conservatives flaming on the Nations website, I don't see ONE comment about a constructive direction to take to ease our current financial dilemma. You can be sure that, once some conservatives see this post they will get busy with the name calling, the flaming, the blaming it all on Bill Clinton. Or me. Or anyone, just so that they may obfuscate and pontificate.

   But they cannot, will not, and will never have anything constructive to say about 'our' current nightmare. C'mon. Resist flaming me and get busy laying out a plan, all of you eloquent geniuses. Does Anne Coulter have a plan? Sean Hannity? Rush? All of those opinionated morons who sang songs while Rome burned? The answer is no, no, a thousand times no.

   I'm going to do anything I can to keep the nation going forward. That's the ONLY answer. Unity. And if we can't get that sacred unity... we aren't a country. We are just one big outlet store laying off employees.

   Posted by ficheye at 12/04/2008 @ 3:10pm

2. Posted by ficheye at 12/04/2008 @ 3:10pm

   Of COURSE they have a plan, fich.

   "Cut taxes more and promise to cut wasteful spending...except for needed wars...oh, and more de-regulation!"

   Posted by Mask at 12/04/2008 @ 3:48pm

3. Obama has a plan and given the chance he will get this country back to work...if only he could implement his plans now and get the ball rolling!!! As he said there is only one President at a time and unfortunately Bush is it, he seems oblivious as to what is going on anyway and shows no real interest. So we are stuck between a rock and hard place for now...while Bush decides whether he still the President or not.

   Posted by Caj at 12/04/2008 @ 4:28pm

4. I'm still trying to figure out how an Obama administration can convince a bunch of 16-19 yos to give up their IPODS, fast cars and their dreams of becoming the next LeBron James or Terrell Owens -- FOR FREE!!

   Posted by ACook at 12/04/2008 @ 4:32pm

5. Posted by ficheye at 12/04/2008 @ 3:10pm

   You don't have a clue either.

   Posted by ACook at 12/04/2008 @ 4:54pm

6. I think those who are more motivated to do well in life and look up to Obama as an inspiration will only be too glad to jump on board. There will always be those who just want everything handed to them on a plate and will have no desire to help themselves. Nothing in life is free, there is a price to pay for everything, you just have to have that motivation and drive to go for it.

   Posted by Caj at 12/04/2008 @ 4:55pm

7. unity in this country is a fine idea. it's just not the reality. we are divided as seldom before.

   Posted by emile duBois at 12/04/2008 @ 5:15pm

8. while Bush decides whether he still the President or not. Posted by Caj at 12/04/2008 @ 4:28pm | ignore this person | warn this person

   he has in effect abdicated his office, by providing no leadership in this great crisis. all he can do now is stink up the place with his "executive" orders.

   Posted by emile duBois at 12/04/2008 @ 6:05pm

9. he has in effect abdicated his office, by providing no leadership in this great crisis. all he can do now is stink up the place with his "executive" orders.

   Posted by emile duBois at 12/04/2008 @ 6:05pm

   You would think he would like to leave office with some kind of dignity, by at least trying to even look engaged!!! The country is going to hell in a hand basket and Bush is out there buying a house for when he leaves...lucky for him he can afford to buy one!!!! What a sad, sad President he has turned out to be and the country will be better of when he has gone and Obama takes charge.

   Posted by Caj at 12/04/2008 @ 6:35pm

10. Ah, yes. The Bush-slamming continues. You remember you won the election, right? The MSM has essentially informed Bush he is a lame duck. what would the left do if Bush starting putting up some substantive proposals on the economic downturn? They- you, emile, you, caj - would shit a brick and spit outrage that he would have the audacity to interfere with Obama's grand plan.

    But, hey, we are way off topic. Community colleges are still dirt cheap. And, service in the military gives you great educational benefits. Oops, what was I thinking, this is the Nation. On second thought, raise taxes. Free college for everyone. Except those rich bastards.

    Posted by twillie at 12/04/2008 @ 10:54pm

11. Posted by ficheye at 12/04/2008 @ 3:10pm

    What you parochial Americans may not have got up to speed on yet (Obama fortunately is a fast learner) is that the rest of the world is championing free trade and market economics as the only way forward out of the current economic mess.

    Some also, perhaps because of their isolation from the big world out there, seem to be unaware that Europe, which has tended, in the past, to be more into government intervention and regulation than the US, is just as deeply embroiled in this financial crisis and their economies are affected just as much as that of the US.

    So the future the world is after, according to the G20, etc statements, is for more of the same and nothing of the archaic and irrelevant "New Deal" type semi-socialist approach that some in their wildest dreams imagine the very intelligent Obama will embrace.

    The reason for that is obvious to former control economies like China and India who now know, along with other advanced and developing nations, that free trade and the market economy produces a better standard of living for more people than any alternative.

    Obama's challenge is for America to provide leadership in the increasingly integrated "world" economy. That is what other nations expect and ultimately what will also be good for America.

    Posted by lrjones4 at 12/05/2008 @ 07:00am

12. This is why we need to build off this movement and expand it to make a better future. Provide a proper tailor-made education to those seeking public service similar to military service its academies. It's time to build a United States Public Service Academy. The movement has been started, help support it!

    uspublicserviceacademy.org

    Posted by estierli at 12/05/2008 @ 11:32am

13. Amen, estierli!

    We should take this opportunity to build something real, something lasting, something that will benefit generations to come. We should build a U.S. Public Service Academy. What better way to raise the prestige and visibility of public service than to create an institution dedicated to producing top-quality graduates who will commit their lives to working in our government and our public institutions?

    The movement to build the Academy is growing. There is a bill in Congress with more than 100 co-sponsors, and many of Obama's new Cabinet picks (Clinton, Daschle, Richardson) are supporters -- not to mention Joe Biden and Rahm Emanuel.

    You can vote to put this on the national agenda: http://www.change.org/ideas/view/build_a_us_public_service_academy

    Posted by E_Pluribus_Unum at 12/05/2008 @ 12:16pm

14. #

    I'm still trying to figure out how an Obama administration can convince a bunch of 16-19 yos to give up their IPODS, fast cars and their dreams of becoming the next LeBron James or Terrell Owens -- FOR FREE!!

    Posted by ACook at 12/04/2008 @ 4:32pm | ignore this person | warn this person

    Actually ACook, none of this has to be given up to do a term of national service. Terms of national service don't last horribly long, a year or two tops. This doesn't really mean you have to defer a dream to do it (I should know, I'm currently serving in AmeriCorps). Also, their is a draw that will always catch young people's ears; that draw is the opportunity to earn more money for college then they normally could in a given time frame. You offer money to pay for college/pay off student loans (as every national service program does in the US), and you are practically guaranteed to have young people apply (if not before college, almost certainly afterward when they realize just how big of a debt they just acquired). Couple this with a bad job market and a better advertising budget for national service and people will sign up for national service for the same reason a lot go to the military. In other words, what else am I going to do?

    Posted by shadow master at 12/08/2008 @ 10:06pm