In politics, some of the best "new ideas" are actually old
ideas that finally have met their moment. So it is with national service.
The idea originated with the philosopher William James, who in 1910
proposed a system of national service to "inflame the civic temper"
and serve as "the moral equivalent of war" in rallying Americans
around common purposes and service to their country. Like his Gilded Age
contemporary, Teddy Roosevelt, James worried that America' newfound wealth
would make its young soft and selfish, sapping the hardy pioneer spirit
that had built the nation.
This concept kept resurfacing in one form or another for decades, but
it wasn't until the 1980s that a serious attempt was made to give it concrete
expression. The catalyst was the founding of the Democratic Leadership
Council, whose leaders made national service the chief emblem of their
campaign to revitalize and modernize progressive politics.
New Democrats saw national service as a challenge both to the entitlement
mentality of the something-for-nothing Left and the social Darwinism of
the every-man-for-himself Right. By proposing a large-scale national service
plan that linked public benefits (college aid) to public service, New
Democrats sought to strike a new balance of citizen rights and responsibilities.
This plan sparked a wide public debate and inspired President Clinton's
1993 national service proposal, which created the AmeriCorps program.
Now, as America wages war against global terrorism, and as citizens seem
to be yearning for a summons to service and sacrifice in our nation's
cause, there's a new push to expand national service. Last October, Sens.
Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) introduced the Call to Service
Act. It marks a milestone in the evolution of national service in four
crucial respects:
First, the Bayh-McCain bill aims at taking national service to truly
national scale. Having seen AmeriCorps develop and prove its value since
its creation eight years ago, the bill's sponsors propose to quintuple
its annual enrollment, to 250,000. By dramatically expanding opportunities
to serve, the bill moves us closer to the day when national service will
be a common expectation of citizenship, a rite of civic passage for young
Americans seeking to give something back to their country.
It also seeks to tap the nation's growing pool of talented retirees by
expanding eligibility for Senior Service programs and allowing elderly
volunteers to earn "Silver Scholarships" that they can pass
on to their grandchildren. And in another key provision sure to be controversial,
the bill requires colleges to move a quarter of their "work-study"
students into community service.
Second, it would yoke national service firmly to homeland defense, requiring
that half the new funding be dedicated to domestic security or public
safety. In addition to the vital tasks already performed by AmeriCorps
members -- tutor-ing children, helping the frail elderly, building homes,
conserving natural resources and responding to emergencies of all kinds
-- national servers could also help police our borders, guard nuclear power
plants, water supplies and other key facilities, inoculate people against
anthrax or related threats, and generally beef up our public health services.
Third, the bill weaves military and civilian service into a seamless
fabric, by creating a new "citizen soldier" option for college
students who want to serve their country without necessarily choosing
a military career. This short-term enlistment, known as the 18-18-18 plan,
would entail 18 months on active duty and 18 months in the reserves in
return for an $18,000 scholarship or bonus. According to Northwestern
University sociologist Charles Moskos, an explicitly non-career track
would attract students from the nation's best colleges, helping the military
to meet its recruiting goals while also ensuring that more of America's
future leaders will have military experience.
Fourth, the Bayh-McCain bill marks a new stage in the politics of national
service. Throughout the 1990s Congressional Republicans repeatedly tried
to smother Bill Clinton's fledgling AmeriCorps project in its crib. As
national service has grown, however, it has won over many of its erstwhile
detractors. Most GOP governors have embraced AmeriCorps, and President
Bush recently proposed adding 20,000 volunteers to assist in homeland
security. And as leading conservatives like McCain champion national service,
they also bring new ideas and emphases to this evolving and quintessentially
American civic enterprise.
At a time when many Americans are asking what they can do to help make
our nation safer and stronger, the Bayh-McCain plan offers an answer --
and points us toward a higher politics of national purpose.
Blueprint Keywords: Extra National Service
