Category Archives: AWSC

American World Service Corps

Buffett Request

People’s Lobby Inc. (501c4)

People’s Lobby Education Foundation (501c3)

www.PeoplesLobby.us

5/11/2018

Mr. Warren Buffett:

Because of my service as a Peace Corps Urban Community Development volunteer  in Mumbai, India from 1966-1968, I write hoping you will pen some supportive words for People’s Lobby’s   nontraditional funding mechanism (NTFM).  The NTFM will fund fielding 21,000,000 Americans into peaceful, healthy national service over the ensuing 27 years via enacting its American World Service Corps (AWSC) Congressional Proposal.

Peace Corps service exposed me to the engrained disparities of life and provided the “why” that has me pushing People’s Lobby’s   American World Service Corps Congressional Proposal for over 10 years.  The AWSC is a simple, effective means to involve the super-rich in funding millions of Americans to reduce ugly disparities.  Those engrained disparities remain with me, like…  Giving the few rupees I had to men scavenging through an  8’ mound of garbage piled in Bombay’s streets at midnight, watching a woman dying on the  curbside of a well-traveled bridge with only a rag covering some of her breast and a white textured substance covering her pelvic area, staring at a child a few feet away from me while lying on my backpack at the train station as the child scooped and licked its own diarrhea…

I served in an era where working as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) garnered one extra respect among a growing number of world citizens and humbled us PCVs via the enlightenment such service bestowed.  It was an era when Americans could safely roam just about anywhere.  It made me understand why John Kennedy wanted the Peace Corps to grow rapidly and robustly.

President Kennedy often expressed his visionary desire that “I would rather send the Peace Corps than the Marine Corps.”  Today’s Peace Corps, at about 7000, is less than half the size it was when it reached its peak of about 15,000 from 1966-68.

Today the world Increasingly sees the United States as the world’s preeminent War Corps.  Kennedy envisioned creating the world’s preeminent Peace Corps, inspiring other nations to build similar Service Corps.  Dealey Plaza bled out that vision of Camelot.

During the Vietnam War era, 9+ million served on active duty in the military.  Imagine how different the world would be if 9+ million Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV) had done active duty, rather than today’s meager 225,000 RPCVs sense its 1961 inception.

With climate weirding, violence, disasters, inequities, hatreds, etc., growing, isn’t it time that an Army of Gun-free Americans:

  • implemented the vision JFK had for the Peace Corps (and later VISTA, AmeriCorps, etc.)?
  • helped those who have little to live more securely?
  • Initiated a healthy competition among fellow Americans and the rest of the world that emanated from the good their peaceful National Service programs produced?
  • got to know fellow Americans and other nations citizens better via joint Peace Corps programs, such as Congresswoman Boxer’s HR 1807 of 1989, the US-Russian Peace Corps, which People’s Lobby inspired?
  • walked the talk about “greatness” that we so often bestow on ourselves?

I write with the hope that you may lend your stature to the envisioned nontraditional funding mechanism (NTFM) as a visionary, worthy, and doable mechanism that could provide billions of donated dollars from billionaires and celebrities; which would field millions of Americans doing good at home and abroad.

If enacted as written, annually for the first seven-year ramp-up, approximately 140,000 additional Americans would voluntarily choose to serve full time for a year or two for modest pay in their choice of:

Listed below are some of the peace building platoons of AWSC that would be dramatically enlarged and invigorated by fielding a million volunteers a year to their worthwhile efforts, after the initial seven-year ramp-up of the AWSC to a million.

Peace Corps AmeriCorps Habitat
Doctors Without Borders Head Start Mercy Corps
Oxfam Americans Friends Service Committee TechnoServe
Heifer Red Cross International Rescue Committee
Mercy Ships UN Volunteer Center Fuller Center for Housing
Boys & Girls Clubs State Conservation Corps In-need Schools
Hospitals Therapy Wards Homes for the Elderly Local Do-good Non-profits
Under-staffed needs Community Health Clinics Carter Center… Etc.

By the seventh year, one million American World Service Corps volunteers of all ages, or less than four-tenths of 1% of those aged 18-70+, would annually serve for a year or two at home or abroad in existing governmental and non-governmental organizations.  Only after 20 years could Congress consider sun-setting the AWSC legislation.  Therefore, over 27 years about 21 million Americans would have peacefully served producing good and goodwill at home and abroad organizations such as those above.

Written in a mix of legalese and laymanese, the American World Service Corps National Service (AWSCNS) Congressional Proposal  is at http://peopleslobby.us/awsc-congressional-proposal

To regain, retain, and rebuild our nation’s strength and stature, we need a robust AWSC to augment our proud military early in the 21st century.  The AWSCNS will:

  • Help keep us out of future trillion-dollar wars.
  • Make service less dangerous for our military.
  • Cost only a fraction of what the Iraq War has cost us.
  • Recycle most of its investment into the American economy by rewarding volunteers with their choice of four years of college tuition or equivalent investment in IRA and Medical Savings Accounts, home down payments, or tax credits.
  • Begin rebuilding our character, world image, and public policy IQ.
  • Respond more quickly and competently to climate weirding and natural disasters with an AWSC that can more quickly help rebuild after disasters.
  • Re-knit America’ s fraying unity by having Americans from different parts of the country address problems throughout the country and world. Serving together addressing needs provides a true picture of the world that peacefully educates and binds us together, making us saner and healthier.

Nontraditional funding mechanisms

The proposed legislation has traditional and non-traditional funding mechanisms.  If visionary leadership pushed and educated the nation on our nontraditional revenue streams, they could potentially eliminate any reliance on traditional tax revenue funding.

Funding raised by the non-traditional and voluntary funding streams would go directly into an escrow account dedicated to funding the AWSC, as outlined here http://peopleslobby.us/awsc/financing-awsc and depicted via power point here http://peopleslobby.us/coverage/powerpoints/forbes006funds.

With individuals like yourself, Gates, Turner, Nader, et al., calling on billionaires to give more, now is the time to offer the AWSCNS as a perfect place to invest their money in a safer, more prosperous future. If just the Forbes 400 annually donated between 1– 2.5% of their wealth to an escrowed account to fund the AWSCNS, no taxpayer dollars would be needed to fund 21 million serving at home and abroad over 27 years.

Including AWSCNS public spreadsheets for the Forbes Top Jocks, Top Celebs, Top CEOs, non-tax paying corporations, etc. in this voluntary donated funding mechanism, further reduces this (1-2.5%) minuscule voluntary donation percentage from American billionaires, whose number is now around 600.

Escrowed donations would be tracked via a publicly-viewable spread sheet, which may inspire billionaires to donate and common citizens to notate who donates.

Many of us see this as just a small step that supports your Giving Pledge.  It would be a wonderful way for the super-rich to provide a healthier and safer tomorrow by donating a minuscule portion of their wealth to a fund that involves millions of peaceful Americans in building a better today.  Such wise but minimal investment today would be good for healthy business tomorrow.

Joint Peace Corps

Included in the AWSCNS Congressional Proposal are calls for other nations to emulate our AWSC National Service program, as well as to form joint Peace Corps programs with other nations, such as the legislation People’s Lobby influenced Congresswoman Boxer ( http://peopleslobby.us/awsc/aspc/ ) to introduce as House Resolution 1807 of 1989.   (http://peopleslobby.us/hr-1807/ )

People’s Lobby would like to see the Joint US-USSR (Russia) Peace Corps pushed via the AWSCNS Congressional Proposal, and/or introduced as separate legislation. [An op-ed view here: (https://www.opednews.com/articles/Trump–Putin-buiild-army-by-Dwayne-Hunn-American-World-Service-Corps_American-World-Service-Corps-Congressional-Proposa_Americorps_Congress-170123-576.html&series=679 ).

The world could benefit greatly if U.S. and Russian relationships grew from a few astronauts working together in space to tens of thousands of Russian and American Peace Corps volunteers peacefully living, working, and serving together on earth.

Imagine what today’s world be like if 40,000 Russians and Americans had served together over the decades since HR1807 of 1989.

Info links

The top-row and drop-down links at the http://peopleslobby.us/ web site provide substantial information.  Videos, power points, and audios are included in the drop-downs.

Video feeds are available at http://peopleslobby.us/coverage/video

Some YouTubes are at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRbaWfRantA

Some audio at http://peopleslobby.us/coverage/audio/

About 80+ related op-eds appear at http://www.opednews.com/author/author6270.html.

Joint U.S.-Russian Peace Corps links at http://peopleslobby.us/hr-1807/                                      http://peopleslobby.us/awsc/aspc/

Supportive words from a man as respected as you could help our efforts with either/or/and the AWSCNS proposal and Joint Country Peace Corps Proposals.

In summary, we hope you will provide supportive words for:

  • Our nontraditional funding mechanisms that will encourage tentative congresspersons to think outside the funding box during this age of growing wealth inequities.
  • The AWSC proposal itself.
  • The reintroduction of HR 1807, the joint U.S.-Russian Peace Corps.

Thanks for considering.

Please contact me at any time for additional information, Dwayne Hunn, 415-383-7880, dh@peopleslobby.us, Facebook (Dwayne Hunn, People’s Lobby, and American World Service Corps Pages).

Sincerely,

Dwayne Hunn Ph.D. Executive Director, People’s Lobby

415-383-7880

Push Russia

How  to push Russia…

Recently National Public Radio commented that congressional candidates were debating about whether to campaign on the issues surrounding “Russia” in their upcoming elections

Why not “leapfrog” the typical Russian issues and press Russia, the U.S., and the world to do what world affairs and an angry Mother Nature is inconveniently demanding we do — dramatically expand our peaceful national service programs,  like Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat, Doctors Without Borders, Head Start, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, Americans Friends Service Committee, TechnoServe, Heifer, Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, State Conservation Corps, In-Need Schools, Hospitals Therapy Wards, Homes For The Elderly, etc.?

Then challenge Russia to create their own “Russian Peace Corps.”

In front of the world, urge Russia and the US to serve together doing Joint Peace Corps projects throughout the world, especially in those parts of the world where our sabers rattle too closely to theirs. Think Russian-US peaceful cooperation unlikely?  Look at our Space Station work.

We were once close to implementing a joint U.S.-Russian Peace Corps.  Let the visionary in Congress reintroduce an updated version of visionary  Congresswoman Boxer’s HR1807 of 1989.

John Kennedy would smile on those with the vision and insight to challenge the Russians to join us in peaceful development endeavors.  In addition, it would do wonders for improving our politics, public policy IQ, and standing in the world, while avoiding trillions of warfare dollars over the decades.

This wise talk about Russia would be a smart addition to any congressional campaign.

This…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or this?

Gates Buffett

 

To Bill Gates & Warren Buffett:

Re: Seeking support statement for implementing an adjunct to Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge Philosophy.

It is People’s Lobby’s hope that your staff, you, and Mr. Buffett will decide to print (or video, publicize, etc.) something positive about why the world needs our:

1)  American World Service Corps National Service (AWSCNS) Congressional Proposal and it’s

2)  Nontraditional funding mechanism (NTFM) components that uses mega wealth donations to dramatically improve real world health.

With a miniscule staff, it is difficult to convert the overwhelming support we receive in presentations and from about 50 congressional staff visits into introducing and implementing the robust AWSCNS Proposal.  Less robust proposals have been introduced, like the Serve America Act of 2009 in honor of Ted Kennedy, whose goals were never met; and the Inspire Act of 2017 by my Congressman Jared Huffman.

Supportive words about the AWSCNS would bolster all three national service proposals.

For over 10 years, People’s Lobby has been pushing to introduce and implement the American World Service Corps National Service (AWSCNS) Congressional Proposal, which would involve 21,000,000 Americans in full-time, voluntary national service at home and abroad for the ensuing 27 years through such organizations as:

Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Doctors Without Borders, Head Start, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, Americans Friends Service Committee, TechnoServe, Heifer, Red Cross, Save The Children, Mercy Ships, International Rescue Committee, State Conservation Corps, In-Need Schools, Hospitals Therapy Wards, Homes for The Elderly, Homeless Centers, Prison Education Programs, Medical Clinics, Drug Rehab Centers, etc.

To fund this magnificent force for peace, People’s Lobby’s nontraditional funding components indirectly connects with and increases the growth of the Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge Philosophy.

A 1-2% annual voluntary wealth donation, escrowed to an AWSC National Service Investment Account, from just the Forbes 400 would totally underwrite the AWSCNS investment in more rapidly involving millions in spreading health, welfare, sustainability, and understanding worldwide. The successful implementation of a robust AWSCNS might inspire other nations to do similar robust national service corps and, hopefully, shift our over-reliance on militaristic forces to peace building national service corps.

Some op-eds that detail various reasons why we should do this at http://www.opednews.com/author/author6270.html.

A power point on how the nontraditional Forbes 400 funding component would work at http://peopleslobby.us/coverage/powerpoints/Forbes006Funds.  Click the “Forbes006Funds” and view the power-point at the site.

More power points at http://peopleslobby.us/coverage/powerpoints/ .

Some experiences from my service as an Urban Community Development Peace Corps Volunteer in Mumbai, India that motivates me and supporters to do this at http://peopleslobby.us/coverage/opeds/peace-corps/.

Thanks for considering.

 

Dwayne Hunn, PhD.

People’s Lobby, Executive Director

359 Jean St., Mill Valley, California 94941

415-383-7880 dh@peopleslobby.us

 

AWSCNS Proposal Summary

This is how a summary for the proposed American World Service Corps National Service (AWSCNS) Congressional Proposal  could potentially look.

 

 “Imagine how much stronger we’d all be if we had this well-stocked AWSC tool in our diplomatic and public policy pouch…Put that in your spinach pipe…”

 

The  fuller text, written for the layman to grasp , is at the link above  and below.  American World Service Corps National Service (AWSCNS) Congressional Proposal   – provides the opportunity for every U.S. citizen, and every other person residing in the United States, between the ages of 18 and 74 to perform a 1-2-year period of peaceful, non-militarized, voluntary national service.

National service opportunities are provided through civilian service in a federal, state, or local government programs or with community-based agencies, 501-c-3s, or entities as outlined in the proposal who are engaged in meeting human, educational, environmental, public safety needs. and job and development goals at home and abroad.

Uses transferable educational, housing, health, tax credit, etc., incentives to build, over a seven-year period, the AWSCNS to one million volunteers per year.

Includes as part or all of its funding a nontraditional funding mechanism (NTFM) via a  social media, web-driven, publicly viewable  spreadsheet donation system to voluntarily inspire the Forbes 400, and other mega-rich groups and individuals, to voluntarily underwrite an investment in 21,000,000 Americans doing peaceful national service over a generation.

Proposes that this robust, peaceful national service program be used to inspire complementary national service programs by other nations; so that the world shifts the emphasis from relying on military solutions to vexing problems to peaceful development oriented solutions that national service armies can provide.  Requires each person, before induction, to be examined physically and mentally for classification for fitness to perform.

The Do-Gooders  platoons…

ISOJI Suppport

ISOJI and Multi-Disciplinary Team, August 8, 2016
Congress Huffman:

Re: Support for The People’s Lobby/Dwayne Hunn’s “American World Service Corps (AWSC) National Service proposal”

Dwayne Hunn as presented his proposal to the ISOJI (e-so-gee) MDT on several occasions and the response has always be affirmative and supportive if not a necessary ingredient into plight of our straying teens and young adults

Collectively we would like to see this proposal forwarded for consideration by Congress as a viable, well thought-out social-economic support system, and certainly, an option for our young people.

ISOJI surmises the lack of technical and vocational tracks in high school and the 30 to 40% students not wanting to/or cannot attend college puts many students at a disadvantage in transitioning into the workforce. Add to that, the evidences that says 75 to 80% of high-schoolers leave the learning environment with low self-esteem, which means low resiliency skills and reduced motivation, which leaves them unsure about self and the future, and indeed, in need of an environment where they feel useful and have the time to acquire a sense of discipline that helps them sort out their life’s path.

Without question, the compelling arguments, from our point of view, lies in the large numbers unemployed and underemployed and the 35 to 40 % of students NOT wanting or UNABLE to attend college or an advanced technical-vocational training institution.

We see the general disposition, unrest, and the higher levels of negative self-worth and low personal efficacy reflected in societal conditions that too often manifests itself in criminal inclinations – and we know how hard it is for young people to overcome what happens to them when they become enwrapped in a discriminatory criminal justice system.

A number of groups such as Peace Corp, Cross Cultural Solutions, United Planet Abroad, AmeriCorps, National Association of Community Health Centers, The Corp Network, City Year, The Red Cross, State Conservation Corps and multiple non-profits and other charitable works often lack the type of centrality or direct volunteer arm needed to address America’s systemic need to structure healthy and productive youth-to-adult pathways.

Your office can look at this proposal as a complementary necessity to, without question, the need to build a national infrastructure nationally that serves a myriad of social-economic needs. This AWSCNS program could present a national image for addressing youth, many of whom seem to occupy a social vacuum rife with drugs, violent media, social disconnectedness, separated from the health and welfare attributes that our nation has promised.

For all these reasons, ISOJI and the Multi-Disciplinary Team and our CITT “Collective Impact” Community Equity Building Team, endorses fully, this proposal.

In closing, as a former Air Force intelligence manager let me add another reason this AWSCNS program should be implemented. Whereas the military use to be a haven, an option for growing into a healthy manhood, the military and/or war environment too often today does not provide that route. Service as depicted in this proposed bill offers a healthy route, while providing human resources to our overwhelmed non-profits and presenting to the public a government that looks and acts effective, outreaching, and caring.

Sincerely,

Ricardo Moncrief, Director
ISOJI 415 883-1757

UnorthodoxFinancing

From the American World service Corps National Service Congressional Proposal

(G)                Donations by the Forbes Richest Americans  (The  2% Forbes 400 Solution)                                                                Over the last 30+ years, the wealth of America’s richest taxpayers has increased disproportionately as compared to the stagnated and declining wealth increase among America’s low and middle classes.  Fed Chair Allan Greenspan expressed his concern about the increasing income and wealth disparity between upper and lower classes in his March 2, 2005 testimony before Congress.  His answer to spreading wealth was to increase educational opportunities for Americans.  As Greenspan noted, the GI Bill of Educational Rights gave America an opportunity to build and strengthen their middle class.  The AWSC proposals increase America’s educational quality and capacity, while building our economy and national character

(H)                Consequently, a public web site linked to the AWSC web site will list the Forbes Richest 400 Americans, who have benefited most from our nation’s human and physical infrastructure.  Merely to be on this list in 2015, one had to be a BILLIONAIRE worth 1.7 billion.

Those who live in luxury bestowed in large part by the skill and education of all Americans will be asked at the web site, “What have you contributed this year to help make the world safer for today and tomorrow’s children?   Each month the web site will list donations that America’s richest have made to implementing the AWSC and reducing its cost to America’s taxpayers.

(I)                      Donations by certain low tax paying corporations.  — A large number of Fortune 500 corporations annually pay little or no taxes, according to such organizations as Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ) and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP).  At the AWSC website, with additional information supplied by other relevant federal agencies and information sources, those corporations who have paid none, little, or received federal tax paybacks (negative taxes) for the past five years would be listed.  This section of the AWSC web site would strongly urge these light or none paying corporations to contribute to underwriting the cost of making the world safer for them, their businesses, and their children.  The site will remind them, including their stockholders, that by doing good — companies can do well.

These donations would be listed alongside their researched nominal and effective corporate tax rates and tax payments.  Such socially conscious donations could significantly reduce the AWSC’s cost.  For those who paid little, none, or negative taxes, Congress should not allow the donations to be tax deductible.  (See http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2016/03/07/27-giant-profitable-companies-paid-no-taxes/81399094/  for some details.)

(J)                    An AWSC spreadsheet for America’s highest compensated celebrities.

(K)                  An AWSC spreadsheet for America’s highest compensated athletes.

(L)                   An AWSC spreadsheet for America’s highest compensated CEOsCould these donate to AWSCNS escrowed account? http://www.forbes.com/lists/2012/12/ceo-compensation-12_rank.html  An AWSC spreadsheet listing CEO compensations of those who have received federal bail outs.

(M)                Charitable Trusts, Philanthropic Foundations, etc.  – Trusts and foundations may find the American World Service Corps meshes well with their goals of improving world and nation and reflect that in grants and donations.  If the Gates Foundation wants to eradicate AIDS, a robust army of American volunteers can make that happen by doing the hard, face-to-face groundwork.  If we want to reverse climate degradation, we will need more than 4,000 power point presenters, we will need tens of thousands of AWSC volunteers working daily for years with a variety of effective NGOs.  Foundations’ contributions to those NGOs (non-governmental organizations) working under the AWSC umbrella would also be listed at the AWSC site.

12)           Daily Stipend Costs of AWSC volunteers serving in NGOs

Initially, this AWSC proposal leaves the daily service stipends paid to those who volunteer for NGO service as the NGO’s funding responsibility.  However, the unorthodox (or as yet non-traditional) funding mechanisms listed here offer NGOs another means of funding some or all of their volunteers’ daily stipend expenses, as our proposed 2% Forbes 400 Donation graphic depicts.  Congress could allow those donated funds to cover daily stipend costs.

financing-awsc

DCStaffMet9-16

DC staff met 9-2016

Contact Title E-mail Company Phone Web Site Address
Ami Bera Leg Correspondent/Staff Assistant Shaefer.Bagwell@mail.house.gov House of Representative 202-225-5716 bera.house.gov 1535 Longworth House Office
James McGovern Legislative Asistant Russell.Halliday@mail.house.gov House of Representatives 202-225-6101 www.mcgovern.house.gov 438 Cannon HOB
Marcy Kaptur Legislative Director jenny.perrino@mail.house.gov House of Representatives 202-225-4146 2186 Rayburn Building
Tulsi Gabbard HillVets Fellow Daniel.snedden@mail.house.gov House of Representatives 202-225-4906 1609 Longworth House Office Building
Seth Moulton Policy Advisor margo.brown@mail.house.gov House of Representatives 202-225-8020 1408 Longworth Building
Chris Van Hollen Senior Legislative Assistant ken.cummings@mail.house.gov House of Representatives 202-225-5341 1707 Longworth H.O.B.
Krysten Sinema Leg Asst. Michael.Wong@mail.house.gov House of Representatives 202-225-9888 sinema.house.gov 1530 Longworth House Office Building
Raul Grijalva Leg director Kelsey.Mishkin@mail.house.gov House of Representatives 202-225-2435 http://grijalva.house.gov 1511 Longworth HOB
Xaviera Becerra Schedule/Education Emilio.Mendez@mail.house.gov House of Representatives 202-225-6235 1226 Longworth House Office Building
Louise Slaughter Legislative Assistant Jack.Spasiano@mail.house.gov House of Representatives  NY 28cd 585-697-0840 http://www.votelouise.com/ 2469 Rayburn HOB
Suzan DelBene Legislative Director ben.barasky@mail.house.gov House of Representatives (WA) 202-225-6311 delbene.house.gov 318 Cannon House Office Building
Scott Peters Chief of Staff Michelle.Dorothy@mail.house.gov House of Representatives Ca 202-225-0508 1122 Longworth House Office Building
Charles Rangel Pearson Fellow benjamin.garcia@mail.house.gov House of Representatives NY 202-225-4365 2354 Rayburn House Office Building
Adam Smith Legislative Assistant christy.hayek@mail.house.gov House of Representatives WA 202-225-8901 http://www.electadamsmith.com/Contact 2264 Rayburn HOB,
Jared Huffman Legislative Assistant Nicholas.Hromalik@mail.house.gov House of Representatives, CA 202-225-5161 1630 Longworth House Office Building
Chellie Pingree Legislative Assistant joe.marro@mail.house.gov House of Representatives, ME (202) 225-6116 www.pingree.house.gov 2162 Rayburn
Morgan Griffith Legislative Counsel kristin.seum@mail.house.gov House of Representatives, VA 202-225-3861 1108 Longworth House Office Building
Mike Thompson Leg Director Stephanie.Newman@mail.house.gov House of Represetnatives Leg Dir 202-225-3311 http://mikethompson.house.gov/Biography/index.asp 231 Cannon Office Building
Tulsi Gabbard Manager Front Desk Katherina.Deery@mail.house.gov House Representative Vt (202)225-4906 1609 Longworth Building
Bernie Sanders Leg Aide ian.rockwell@@sanders.senate.gov US Senate – Scheduler 202-224-5141 2233 Rayburn
Barbara Boxer Foreign Relations Senator US Senate Leg  Aide Boxer 202-224-3553 www.Boxer.senate.gov 112 Hart Building
Alan Lowenthal Legislative Assistant anne.nguyen@mail.house.gov Washington, DC Office 202-225-7924 www.lowenthal.house.gov 108 Cannon House Office Bldg
Tulsi Gabbard Manager Front Desk Daniel.Snedden@mail.house.gov House Representative Vt (202)225-4906 1609 Longworth Building

 

The American World Service Corps National Service  (AWSCNS) Congressional Proposal  opens up filled jobs, provides new jobs, trains and educates for the environmentally beneficial jobs and needs of the future, makes stronger friends and neighbors with enhanced civic IQs.

Over ten years ago, People’s Lobby started working on the AWSCNS Congressional Proposal with a unanimous endorsement from the 2006 California State Democratic Convention.

This Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) did not think that a decade later I’d still be pushing to enact this needed, overwhelmingly good, and cost effective piece of legislation.

The AWSCNS would ramp up over seven years by adding about 150,000 paid volunteers per year.  In the seventh year, one million volunteers would serve annually through already effective do-good organizations, such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat, Doctors Without Borders, Head Start, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, Americans Friends Service Committee, TechnoServe, Heifer, Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, State Conservation Corps, In-Need Schools, Hospitals Therapy Wards, Homes for the Elderly, etc.  After 20 years of one million serving annually, directly addressing needs, and building sustainability, Congress would consider the AWSCNS for sun-setting after its 27th year.

In 2009 Congress implemented the Ted Kennedy Serve America Act.  Nonetheless, even at its proposed unmet largest, the Kennedy Serve America Act is 1/4th the size of what is called for in the AWSCNS Proposal,  and, as we warned, its budget was whittled on soon after memories of Senator Ted Kennedy faded.

Could you set up a time to meet with the Senato/Congressman, Chief of Staff, Legislative Director, or appropriate senior staffer during the week of September 18th-24th in hopes of building additional support for the AWSCNS Proposal?

The AWSC National Service Proposal would stimulate and strengthen America’s ability to peacefully and economically solve problems.  With its proposed coming-of-age non-traditional funding mechanisms moved further along by Gates and Buffet pushing their Giving Pledge, enacting teh proposed AWSCNS  could cost effectively involve the richest .1% in voluntarily building worldwide sustainability.  A summary of some of these benefits is here.

For a PowerPoint overview of the essence of the AWSCNS Proposal, view the first 12 slides at this link.

When I discuss the details of the AWSCNS Proposal to large audiences, they overwhelmingly support it.  It would do the same among the constituent audiences of those visionary congresspersons who push, introduce, and support it.

Included in the AWSCNS Proposal is a call for other nations to deploy their own similar armies peacefully on the battlefields of need.  In 1989 People’s Lobby was instrumental in moving visionary Congresswoman Boxer to introduce HR 1807, calling for the creation of a US-USSR Peace Corps.  Recently, we have asked her to do it again before she retires, but her ride into the sunset may be too close.

Therefore, we’d like to see whether you would be interested in resurrecting this visionary piece of HR1807 legislation.  Imagine how much more beneficial Bear and Eagle relations would be today if 20,000+ Americans, Soviet Unioners, and Russians had served together by 2016. View 8 slides on the US-Russian Peace Corps here.

It is never too late to start something that could do a lot of good. Investing in volunteers in do-good groups in turbulent political and climate challenged environments often returns the most good, especially in communities with needs.

We look forward to meeting with you or appropriate DC staff in September.  Thanks.

Dwayne Hunn Ph.D.

People’s Lobby Executive Director

415-383-7880

Represented by Congressman Huffman, California’s 2nd

Canal Alliance Wilson

CanalAllianceLetterHead

 

May 5, 2016

To whom it may concern:

I am writing to support People’s Lobby’s American World Service Corps (AWSC) National Service Proposal.

By implementing a national service program, communities can engage their residents in community service through nonprofit organizations and receive a stipend for their work.

National service would be a wonderful way for young people to acquire skills and insights as full-time national service volunteers while becoming part of the service fabric that helps knit our nation together.

As a nation we seem to be losing the cohesiveness that grew out of the Greatest Generation. That cohesiveness grew in no small part from the tremendous number of Americans who did a variety of National Service projects at home and abroad.

I hope you will support bringing character-enriching national service back to America.

Thanks for your consideration.

Tom Wilson, Executive Director

Canal Alliance

(415) 306-0426

91 Larkspur Street, San Rafael, CA 94901

Greg Brockbank

I have known and admired Dwayne Hunn for many years as an activist, and was an early supporter of his World Service Corps proposal. It seems clear to me a national service proposal such as this, with military service as one of the options,would provide invaluable experience to our own citizens in making them better citizens of the world, and also to help so many other countries in so many other ways. In fact, it may not only be the best way, but perhaps the only way, to help undo the damage done to our national reputation in recent years.

 Greg Brockbank, President of the: College of Marin Board of Trustees, Social Justice Center of Marin, Marin Democrat Club, Marin Coalition, and candidate for Chair of Democratic Central Committee of Marin. (* Titles are for identification purposes; does not imply organizational endorsement.) 10-05

AWSC summary

“This country runs on laws.  If you want to change the country, write its laws.”

Ed & Joyce Koupal, founders of People’s Lobby

(Draft page… rebuilding site.)

Early in 2005 People’s Lobby (PLI )initiated the American World Service Corps National Service Congressional Proposal (AWSCNS) .  It is neither a direct nor indirect initiative with which People’s Lobby has had past successes.

It is a congressional proposal that benefits America and the world and raises the public policy IQ for both and requires introduction through visionary legislators.  Enacting the AWSC Congressional Proposals would:

  • Remind citizens that they are the ultimate source of laws;
  •  Involve citizens in healthy civic affairs;
  • Strengthen the thinning character and patriotic fabric of the nation;
  • Address the root causes of terror, refugee  tragedies, climate devastation, etc.;
  • Press red and blue-staters, red-necks and blue-noses and humans of all pigments into working on and learning from pressing domestic and international problems;  
  • Build a one million strong all volunteer peaceful national service corps by inspiring  more to serve in already existing do-good organizations such as Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat, Doctors Without Borders, Head Start, Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, Mercy Corps, State Conservation Corps, FINCA, TechnoServe, Fuller Center for Housing, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, U.N. Refugee Agency, American Friends Service Committee,  as well as in local non-profits, schools, homes for aged, physical therapy wards, penal institutions, etc.
  • Involve rich and poor, young and old , red necks and blue noses in service to the nation and world that will dramatically raise national and international civic actions and IQs.   

***

The American World Service Corps Congressional Proposal neither establishes a big new bureaucracy nor is expensive.

It is not merely shorthand for a bigger Peace Corps, although it will make the Peace Corp much bigger than it has ever been.

It is envisioned as a small administrative office that does some marketing, disseminates paychecks to its full time volunteers, and takes care of their tuition and other post service grants and gratuities. It is a moniker, a name tag that allows us to model what should be the new 21st century army that  we and other nations should be sending out into the world. If one makes such service meaningful, it  can be as or more valuable than most college educations.

Its primary raison d’etre is to send many more volunteers to rub shoulders and do good through the already existing and effective do-good organizations such as  those mentioned above.

These organizations know what to do with additional full time human resources.

This AWSC Umbrella heightens the effectiveness of these groups by enlarging them at a time when complexities and needs are growing.  As the Greatest Generation passes, we need to involve the push-button, play-game generation as well as the more mature in active service, which builds the nation’s character and prepares us to better handle the real world.

 Summary

The American World Service Corps National Service  (AWSCNS) Congressional Proposal would field a robust, peaceful, productive, paid volunteer army of American do-gooders who would choose to serve at home or abroad.  It would reduce conflicts, address needs, and make life easier for our military and healthier for our citizens.  It is NOT another program or large bureaucracy.  It is merely an umbrella, a moniker that feeds more volunteers into proven existing do-good organizations and non-profits.

How Fund?

In addition to the traditional revenue streams listed in the AWSCNS proposal that would fund this investment in our people and world, we have added nontraditional, voluntary, revenue streams that could fund this entire generation-long National Service Program without taxing Americans.

The Gates & Buffett Giving Pledge has helped PLI’s long effort to establish a  publically displayed Socially Conscious Giving Spreadsheet whose fund are escrowed to only be spent on AWSC volunteers who serve.  Click though to view the Forbes .0006% Powerpoint.

Undersized yesterday –>today’s growing problems

John Kennedy told former Senator Harris Wofford that he wanted the Peace Corps to reach 100,000 a year because, “It would then be considered serious.  In one decade, it would reach 1 million volunteers.”  In the last 54+ years, only about 220,000 PCVs have trained and served, meaning perhaps 180,000+ have completed service.  For more than a generation, we have failed to come close to implementing a vision that would cost effectively and dramatically reduce poverty, ignorance, hatred, and terrorist recruitment.  We missed the opportunity to dramatically increase our public policy IQ, understand the dynamics of the Global Village and its economies, and reduce the hatred fired at our troops, and care for and understand environmental needs.

We are leaving big problems to the next generation.  We owe them a big, but cost effective, AWSCNS solution.

Think of your favorite local non-profits. Could they accomplish more good if they had one or a few full time volunteers aged from a fresh 18 to an experienced 70+?  Could they enrich your community and raise its public policy IQ?

Joint Peace Corps

PLI’s AWSCNS Proposal urges that other nations emulate similar national service programs.  Imagine what could happen if the nations of the world built robust national service programs that rivaled the size of it militaries.

Imagine if People’s Lobby’s successful efforts in 1989 to have Congresswoman Boxer introduce HR1807, the US-Soviet Peace Corps, had grown over the years.  Imagine how much safer and saner today’s world would be.

In July of 2016,  PLI discussed with Senator Boxer’s staff  the possibility of reintroducing an updated HR 1807 .  Give her a call and express your support before she leaves office .

If you would like to read 60+OpEds detailing benefits of an AWSC, click OEN OpEds.  For some videos, click videos.  For one of several 30 minute overviews at the videos link, try this Mel Presents.

If able and willing, press your candidates or respected celebrities to help move this AWSC solution.  Thanks.

  Power Point  Summary

Today we have tooo many who pontificate about what should be done to address foreign and domestic needs who have little or no grassroots experience with those problems.  A robust AWSC National Service program smartens our and other nations in how to more cost effectively and peacefully address domestic and world problems.

Click  Why Need AWSC Umbrella

to view Power Point overview of why AWSC National Service umbrella is needed, including reference to non-traditional funding mechanisms that piggy-back on the Gates Buffet Giving Pledge –>

Uber-rich <2% solution for world peace  Will super-rich step up?

Embeded chart reflecting how the Forbes 400 alone, using one of the AWSC Congressional Proposal’s non-traditional funding mechanisms could easily fund this wise AWSCNS investment.

How to fund without taxing:

forbes006funds