One of America’s two predominant political parties has recently been cherishing the big government activism that carried President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal from the depression era 1930’s into the war years of the 1940’s.
This period of time encompassed two mass involvements of American citizenry worthy of proud retrospect. One was volunteer service in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The other was mandatory military service, which led America to decisive victory over two global enemies in World War II.
Is the COVID pandemic a similar kind of global enemy that requires unity, self-sacrifice, and mandatory commitment? Hardly. Any two Americans seem rarely to agree on when to wear a mask (Always? Never?), if or when to self-isolate, or upon the relative glory or hell of getting stuck with a needle.
As for voluntary service, there was a carrot dangled by the CCC — a small salary, 80% of which was sent home to family. In a time of unemployment, ultimately three million young men signed up. That’s a hefty volunteer turnout . . . so popular it had to be limited to 300,000 people at any time.
Which brings us to an intriguing proposal that attempts to weave both volunteerism AND mandatory commitment together to do nothing less than save Democracy in America.
Evidence that American Democracy is under threat? That’s the current rash of national divisiveness that can be defined by political colours, red and blue, along with oil and water opinions on everything from guns to booster shots.
Would the opportunity for young adults to volunteer and serve alongside each other in public-interest national projects allow red and blue to meld together in a purple crush of mutual respect, thus rebuilding a foundation for America’s political system? The following article from FP calls for a voluntary/mandatory twenty-first century CCC, with a mandate to build all sorts of public works, including public housing.
Read more about this possibility in FP: To Save Democracy, America Needs a Mandatory Public Service Program
