Too bad it may violate the 13th amendment. Read the constitution:

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime where of the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

IMO this constitutes involuntary servitude.

Anyone who is not opposed to this bill, and especially those whom view the Constitution of the United States as outdated (more propaganda, as is that there is a difference between the 2 parties), need to do a bit of research into the history of Hitler and his Brownshirts. There is a wise saying which stands the test of time because it is periodically forgotten, and always to the detriment of free people – Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. This bill is an oxymoron to the definition of volunteering. Promoted by historically tested propaganda, the true intentions of the bill is none other than to indoctrinate the younger generation into a collectivist mindset, and then channeling their time and effort into projects approved by the state.

Perhaps we are so long removed from the origination of a free society that we have forgotten its price. Perhaps we have forgotten what freedom is: the absence of government coercion. Perhaps we have forgotten that truly beneficial policies almost always stand on their own merit, without the aid of massive government enforcement agencies.

Perhaps we have begun to take liberty for granted, so we allow it to be chiseled away each year by just a few more taxes, just a few more regulations, just a few more unconstitutional spending programs, just a few more harmless potheads turned into untouchable felons, just a few more unwarranted surveillance operations, just a few more troops on our streets to suppress the political dissenters, just a few more unfounded arrests and detainment's, just a few more unnecessary casualties in the never-ending war for universal authority, just a few more computerized balloting systems, and just a little bit more government control.

meliorism, love your statements, they are ever so true.

When un-involved Americans, and those who support this bill wake up one morning and find they can't even walk down the street without permission, they will ask, "What's going on?, What Happened?, Where are you taking me?, Where are my children?, What have you done with them?"

"A CENTRALIZED ELECTRONIC CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION SYSTEM" wording is also included in this bill.
For those of you who Agree with this bill, Please just move to a Country that is already totally controlled by it's government, you will be much happier there!

Can someone PLEASE give me a logical explaination why it should cost the taxpayers $100,000,000 the first year of this bill for volunteers? Does that not suck the wind out of the very notion? I guess the taxpayers are "volunteering" more money to the government. This bill is not some dumb, its plumb dumb.

Americans need to wake up and realize all socialized programs do, is take away Freedom & Liberty from themselves!
The Federal government needs to get out of the business of schools and socialized programs. They have just about destroyed our schools with all their regulations, etc.

"Do not separate text from historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized form of illegitimate government". – James Madison

"The policy of the American government is to leave their citizens free, neither restraining nor aiding them in their pursuits".- Thomas Jefferson

My son worked at a fast food restaurant, while getting paid, for the summer and received scholarship money from his employer for his education. In fact, he paid for two years of his college this way and had a little bit of money to add to the economy. Let the American people do what they do best, work hard, create innovative incentives, freely volunteer their time and resources. It is not the government's responsibility to do this. This particular bill outlines where students, veterans, and retirees will be serving and for how long. We do not need layer upon layer of government programs...that is not their role.

After all, most of us feel we can still go about our business uninterrupted by these controls and live adequately, if not freely. I fear now that by the time we realize that this is no longer true, by the time our old friends and fellow citizens–educated, hard-working, freedom-loving people of integrity–are declared dangerous enemies of the state, it will be too late to change the authoritarian direction of our nation, and it will be easier for us to act nationalistic and tolerated, silent and unencumbered, compliant and alive, than to be honest and endangered, righteous and imprisoned, patriotic and dead.

The false patriots will have won, successfully driving freedom out of the only safe harbor it has ever known. American freedom, having long treaded in tempestuous weather, is drowning in the vast seas of prosperity and contentment it produced. Its only lifeline is We The People.

litesalt ~ No one is distributing misinformation about Americorps. We're talking about the bill, H.R.1388, right?

I'm saddended that Americorps. is one of the particular groups that this agenda is hidden behind. There's no misinformation. President Obama and Mr. Emmanuel have made no bones about what they intend to do.

People have every right to question and voice their opinion in regard to tax payer monies and their children's future. If there's complete integrity in this bill, then let's debate it openly. But don't legislate money and questionable verbage into "stimulus packages" and bills while quickly slipping it under the radar screen and expect people not to react. The frenzy is a result of this administration's lack of honest communication and leadership.

"SEC. 1302. REQUIRED AND ELIGIBLE NATIONAL SERVICE PROGRAMS."

‘‘(a) REQUIRED NATIONAL SERVICE CORPS.—The recipient of a grant under section 121(a) and each Federal agency operating or supporting a national service program under section 121(b) shall, directly or through grants or subgrants to other entities, carry out or support the following national service corps, as full- or part-time corps, including during the summer months, to address unmet educational, health, veteran, or environmental needs:

‘‘(c) PRIORITIES FOR CERTAIN REQUIRED CORPS.—In awarding financial assistance and approved national service positions to eligible entities proposed to carry out the required corps described in subsection (a)—"

"service-learning is a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency."

Saul Alinsky-style here?

Rahm Emanual wants to make this mandatory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtDSwyCPEsQ

Section 120b3b states:
"service-learning is a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency." This is taken directly from the bill so it is not paranoia. This is forced service and not volunteering. It must be stopped!

This bill makes service learning hours mandatory for secondary schools (Section 120b3b) and funds a study to determine if mandatory volunteer service for all young people can be developed. (Section 6104b6) This bill as written makes volunteer hours mandatory for children in public school and funds exploring the idea of expanding mandatory service for all young citizens. So mandatory service is certainly in this bill as currently written, unless a child attends a private school or is home schooled.

As a person against this bill, I would like to state that I understand the intention of this bill. I have been watching this issue since President Obama mentioned his desire to provide a "service" program from before his election. I even read his entire proposal on his own website, which has since been altered.

Are we reading the same bill, H.R.1388, the GIVE Act?

I find no "6104" and nothing about a "mandatory requirement".

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."
Ronald Reagan

Don't read the bill for what it says now, read it for how it can be expanded by the President in the future.

What about section 6104..."(6) Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable MANDATORY SERVICE requirement for all able young people could be developed..." [emphasis mine] Read the bill!

The concept of mandatory national service is a direct violation of the 13th amendment. More to the point, the services we are ordered to "volunteer" are the ones we were told our taxes were paying for. So where did the money go? Why are we paying taxes for services we are now expected to do for ourselves?

There *WAS* language regarding mandatory service. Not all changes are shown in the OpenCongress.org view. Please note the introduced bill in the US House of Representatives (and search for the word "mandatory" or scroll to the bottom and note the text marked in red):
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-1388&version=pcs&compareto=ih&view=side

By the way, this GIVE bill was introduced a year ago as well, as HR 2857. See the link to it below:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-2857

The language of "reasonable mandatory service requirement" was very similar to that used a year ago in an ammendment to HR 2857 (see page 4 especially of the PDF): http://www.rules.house.gov/110/amendments/hr2857/McDermott1.pdf

This ammendment was introduced a year ago by this man:
http://www.opencongress.org/people/show/400262_james_mcdermott

The language about mandatory service was moved here:
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h1444/text

Wrong. This is mandatory and it's unconstitutional. You have no right trying to come in here and spew out garbage to make Hitler's Youth Program sound palatable. America is not going to stand for this.

The 13th Amendment
Section I. "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."
Section II. "Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

How about section 120(3)(b)
‘(B) service-learning is a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency.

The federal government has already 'educated' our children from 1st in the world down to 24th since the inception of the Department of Education.

Now they're trying to screw up our kids even more. When is enough going to be enough!

If you look at the bill in the Library of Congress record, you will see that the bill was introduced in the House with Title VI; Sec 6104 (Duties). It specifically outlines the author's interest in MANDATORY SERVICE. It was struck before being voted on. Things that make you go hmmmmmm.

THIS IS NOT MANDATORY VOLUNTEERING. You people are insane.

If it were simply a matter of funding that would be another issue. However, this bill would require "volunteer" service in exchange for funding and education. Not only that, the govt. specifically outlines categories for service and how long people would serve. It is not the role of govt. to provide this for elementary, secondary, and higher education at the expense of tax payers. Why do we need legislation for "volunteering"? There are already many non~profit organizations in need of service and citizens are free to choose. It is not the role nor responsibility of govt. to parent our children or dictate to retired citizens how they should spend their time.

The stimulus package already included millions of dollars for AmeriCorps. If that is all that is needed, why this piece of legislation? Read the fine print.

Creating opportunities? Or providing labor for the government's education, universal health care, and environmental programs?

That language has been removed and is NOT in the version passed by the House and being sent to the Senate.

Therefore, there is no need to get hysterical about "mandatory service".

Read Rham Emanuels book The Plan.

I agree. You're making a statement without any supporting evidence. It's not a logical argument by any means.

Antipoverty program? This is a poverty program.

I have an "at risk" teenager, one who is part of the target group of this particular bill. We have been struggling to help him for several years. He knows, from experience, that the laws do more to protect juveniles than hold them accountable. Current laws do not support parents, they put our kids in "diversion programs", community service, and they pay a fine (most of the time parents pay it). My son is part of school system that does not hold him to high standards. He knows how to work the system. Now, in comes the govt. wanting to legislate money for service programs? Teachers in my state are being laid off. They will not arrest juveniles because of cost and lax laws. Throwing money and programs at the problems is not the answer. Let's fix the laws already in place.

I would to ask you to qualify your remark. How does promoting volunteer programs equate to socialism?