Mom Confessions

"Maryland gubernatorial hopeful Wes Moore (D) wants to create a new rite of passage to adulthood for high school graduates: a year of public service.

The idea of having young Americans spend a year providing service in their communities has been bandied about for more than a decade. National nonpartisan groups have formed around it. A presidential candidate once suggested it. But political will and the often hefty price tag associated with requiring participation have stalled national efforts.

And now Moore, an Army veteran and lead contender in the race to become Maryland’s next governor, is pushing a plan to offer tens of thousands of young Marylanders a chance to participate in a state initiative similar to national programs like AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps and Teach for America."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va ... ce=twitter

Cool!

Love this idea!!

AZOldCoot wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 7:48 pm Love this idea!!

I'm not in Maryland, but I do too!

There is so much to do. I would love to see this.

SallyMae wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 8:15 pm There is so much to do. I would love to see this.

It could be amazingly transformative for communities and students.

This is a great idea!!

I'm in MD. He has my vote!

AZOldCoot wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 7:48 pm Love this idea!!

In times of conscription, you know why they send young men to war?

It isn't because they'd be better at killing than men in their early thirties.

It's because they don't have the wealth / organisational skills / strength of purpose to mount effective opposition. They're vulnerable. Easy pickings, politically speaking.

How is this any different?

Aletheia wrote: ↑Tue Sep 27, 2022 4:20 am

AZOldCoot wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 7:48 pm Love this idea!!

In times of conscription, you know why they send young men to war?

It isn't because they'd be better at killing than men in their early thirties.

It's because they don't have the wealth / organisational skills / strength of purpose to mount effective opposition. They're vulnerable. Easy pickings, politically speaking.

How is this any different?

Because it's voluntary?

I can imagine that there may be complaints from the military about this program as it will hurt military recruitment but I don't see that as a negative.

Aletheia wrote: ↑Tue Sep 27, 2022 4:20 am

AZOldCoot wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 7:48 pm Love this idea!!

In times of conscription, you know why they send young men to war?

It isn't because they'd be better at killing than men in their early thirties.

It's because they don't have the wealth / organisational skills / strength of purpose to mount effective opposition. They're vulnerable. Easy pickings, politically speaking.

How is this any different?

At 18 and 19, high school graduates are often floundering, maybe going to college and maybe not, often not knowing who they wish to become.

They're "easy pickings" on many levels: credit card companies love this age group, political parties find them easy to sway one way or another, and they're given promises by potential employers of the large amount of money they can make in commision sales by selling knives or harassing the elderly for bills the elderly do not owe to begin with.

Mandating that they spend a year in public service can give them more of a sense of community, who lives where they live, and can even possibly give them ideas of what they might wish to do with their future selves.

Society tends to dismiss this age group, either expecting them to make great things out of their lives but not showing them direction, or simply ignoring them and walking away.

We shouldn't be doing that.