GENERATIONS INVIGORATING VOLUNTEERISM AND EDUCATION ACT
Not linked on Ron Paul’s Congressional Website.
SPEECH OF
HON. RON PAUL
OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The House in Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union had under
consideration the bill (H.R. 1388) to reauthorize
and reform the national service laws:
2009 Ron Paul 37:1
Mr. PAUL. Mr. Chair, I rise to oppose H.R.
1388. The idea that it is legitimate for the federal
government to take money from one
group of citizens and use that money to bribe
other citizens into performing “national service”
violates the basic moral principles of individual
liberty that this country was founded
upon.
2009 Ron Paul 37:2
I would make three points to those of my
colleagues who try to justify this bill by saying
that participation in the programs are voluntary.
First, participation in the program is not
voluntary for the taxpayers. Second, nothing in
the bill prevents federal taxpayer dollars from
being used to support state and local programs
that force children to perform “community
service” as a condition of graduating from
high school. Because an increasing number of
schools across the nation are forcing children
to provide “service” as a condition of graduating,
it is quite likely that the funds authorized
by this bill will be used to support mandatory
service. Third, and most importantly, by
legitimizing the idea that it is an appropriate
role for the government to promote “service,”
legislation such as H.R. 1388 opens the door
for mandatory national service. Today, influential
voices in both major parties are calling for
a national program of mandatory service as
well as a resumption of the military draft. With
the increased need for more troops for the administration’s
expanded military adventurism in
Afghanistan, as well as the continuing movement
to conscript young people not eligible for
military service to serve the government at
home, can anyone doubt that this bill is only
the down payment on a much larger program
of mandatory national service?
2009 Ron Paul 37:3
The moral case against national service was
eloquently expressed by former President
Ronald Reagan in the publication Human
Events in 1979: “. . . it [national service and
conscription] rests on the assumption that your
kids belong to the state. If we buy that assumption
then it is for the state – not for parents,
the community, the religious institutions
or teachers – to decide who shall have what
values and who shall do what work, when,
where and how in our society. That assumption
isn’t a new one. The Nazis thought it was
a great idea.”
2009 Ron Paul 37:4
Mr. Chair, millions of Americans including
many young people, are already volunteering
their time and talents to help their fellow citizens
and better their communities without
being bribed by the government. In fact, to
suggest that the young Americans need a federal
check as an incentive to volunteer is an
insult to the American people. I hope all my
colleagues to join me in standing up for individual
liberty, the great American tradition of
true volunteerism, and the Constitution by opposing
H.R. 1388.
