It was really a disappointment to see Barack Obama endorsing an expansion of “national service” during his so-called values tour of the “heartland. One news story said that although there was nothing new in it — presidents ritually tout national service — it was designed to show how “mainstream” Obama really is.
Balderdash! To be sure, the kind of national service these guys tout is hardly a replication of the Hitler Youth, but it does promote the idea that the only kind of service that really counts is stuff that is done at the behest of the State and organized by the State. That is a remarkably obnoxious and arguably anti-American idea. The genius of this country has been to provide a climate of liberty in which people can pursue their own goals, their own dreams, and their own idea of service to others. Putting those healthy voluntaristic impulses at the service of the State verges on the fascistic. If it ever really becomes mainstream in this country we’ll know we’re on a downward track.
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