Should Service Be Made Mandatory?
In his speech, McCain supports his idea of making service, whether it is national or community, mandatory for America’s youth. Yet, the idea of mandatory service is a prime example of an oxymoron. Service usually involves individuals volunteering their time to help the greater good; however, making volunteering mandatory nulls the principle of service, thus making it involuntary. While the possibility for something positive to stem from mandatory service does exist, there are also a number of negative outcomes that can take place as a result. Service should not be made mandatory because by doing so, a sense of rebellion is usually instilled in the individual being forced to serve. True sense of service comes from someone who wants to serve voluntarily.
In 2009, the House of Representatives passed a bill with a 321-105 margin called the HR 1388: the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, dubbed the “GIVE” act. It would require the US government to develop a plan to implement a “mandatory service requirement for all able young people (Lance). Mandatory community service is already featured at many high schools throughout the country as requirement to receive a diploma. It is believed that this sense of service promotes a better academic environment for the students. Yet, most students seem to spend more time complaining about having to do community service, than they spend actually completing their required hours. As well as making the students more rebellious to the idea of volunteering, it also takes time away from their schoolwork, which does not condone academic excellence.
If the HR 1388 Bill is passed by Congress, programs that include ultimatums, such as volunteering in order to graduate, will be instilled in high schools and colleges across the country. Although, the bill would accomplish service in the fact that young people will be forced to volunteer, the individual will most likely not gain as much from the experience. In her...
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