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AmeriCorps volunteers used for political purposes

                During a campaign heading up to the passing of the Kennedy Serve Act (renamed from the G.I.V.E. Bill), a campaign many Americans knew little or nothing about as it was passed during the beginnings of the economic stimulus push, some were worried about multiple problems with the bill. One of the biggest problems in the bill that I, and many others saw, was the issue of a mandatory service requirements being inserted into our schools and young adults’ lives, but some saw a potential for political corruption as well. Republican representative from Minnesota Michele Bachmann pointed out that because this bill would have young people between the ages of 18 to 24 forced to do service (the exact wording of the bill is “Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds” for young adults and for schools a mandatory service requirement would have to be created and 90% of the students would have to follow said requirement in order for a school district to receive federal education funding), many for AmeriCorps, in camps away from home, the very real opportunity for indoctrination was there, or the Act would at least be used to promote politically whoever was in charge of implementing the plan. Many, including myself, while disagreeing with the involuntary, and therefore unconstitutional, aspect of the Act, could not see indoctrination or political motivations behind participation with this plan. 

(AP Photo/Office of Inspector General Corporation For National and Community Service)

                It seems that the recent firing of the watchdog for AmeriCorps by President Obama has brought this issue to light as a very real problem. Gerald Walpin was in the middle of an investigation of how Sacramento, California mayor Kevin Johnson was using grant money provided to him for his nonprofit group (the bill provided for $6 billion dollars to assist in the forced servitude), St. HOPE Academy, when he was fired for what Walpin believes are political reasons. Obama simply stated that he no longer had full confidence in Mr. Walpin and fired him without the required 30 days notice. The investigation was commenced and Mr. Walpin’s claims were founded that there was misuse in the funding.

                The reason why this is related is that it seems one of the findings in the investigation was that Mr. Johnson, who is a former professional basketball player, was misusing more than funds. AmeriCorps volunteers were being used by Mr. Johnson for reasons that were completely personal and have nothing to do with public improvement. Some AmeriCorps volunteers were forced to wash his car and others were used for campaign purposes in his own election, and as a supporter of Obama during the campaign, it is a possibility they would have been used to further other Democratic elections in the future. 

                I have enjoyed doing volunteer work in the past, but that it needs to be kept just that, voluntary. There is no such thing as “Universal voluntary service” as the very word volunteer means that the act is optional. It is unconstitutional for the government to require service for anything but the military, and this has become wildly unpopular, therefore unlikely to be implemented in the future. All that being said, those “volunteers” should have been to help the community at large and not to push a political agenda. If someone wants to volunteer for a political campaign they should have the right to do that, but need to volunteer for this issue separately. AmeriCorps should be focused on helping the community, and not helping someone’s reelection campaign or teaching political ideology.