“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.
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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: