Soldier For Liberty

$1.4Billion To Americorps in Proposed Budget

Posted on February 15, 2010. Filed under: General Info | Tags: Americorps, Civilian Brigades, NCCC, Public Allies |

From THE WASHINGTON TIMES  last week came this editorial.

Among the most wasteful of the spending increases hidden in President Obama’s 2011 budget proposal is his plan to create an army of government-funded community organizers at the shocking price of $1.4 billion. While the economy reels and many taxpayers are looking for ways to trim their personal spending, the president is demanding a whopping 59 percent boost for the Corporation for National and Community Service and its best-known program, AmeriCorps. It’s time to pull the plug on both.

The spirit of volunteerism has never been in short supply in America, and there is no need for a federal community service agency to steer efforts better handled in the private sector. Youth who enlist in AmeriCorps receive education grants, living allowances, student-loan repayment, child care and other financial benefits. The average annual cost to taxpayers is $10,752 for each of these so-called volunteers. Doling out more than a billion dollars in taxpayer funds to pay “volunteers” is contrary to the very meaning of the word.

The long list of benefits succeeded in attracting 20,000 recruits after President Clinton created AmeriCorps in 1993. Mr. Obama’s stated goal is to raise that number to a quarter-million by 2017. It’s clear why the president wants to give a boost to this outfit, and the reasons are political – not charitable.

Rep. Virginia Foxx, North Carolina Republican, attempted last year to prohibit groups “engaged in political or legislative advocacy” from receiving taxpayer dollars through AmeriCorps. The left saw this as a direct attack on what has become a prime source of income and blocked the effort. As a result, the state of Oregon hosts on its official Web site a job listing for an AmeriCorps “volunteer” to accept an $11,100 living allowance and a $4,725 education award to work full time for a local Planned Parenthood office. The position requires a “commitment to the mission of Planned Parenthood,” which – among other things – is to maximize the number of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood….”

We have covered other stories about Americorps and of the firing of their Inspector General, Gerald Walpin after he found cronyism involving a friend of the President and taxpayer funding of personal items for the friend. We have shown the mannerisms and details of the indoctrination of our youth. One of divisions, “City Year”, has this for a slogan: “Together we’re building a citizen service movement that is larger than our organization, our lifetime, and ourselves.” The organization partners with corporate America in order to facilitate their agenda.

Americorps released this statement: 

“On February 1, President Obama released his Fiscal Year 2011 budget request for the Corporation for National and Community Service. The request will strengthen our nation’s volunteer sector, foster innovation and civic engagement, and mobilize more than six million Americans to solve critical problems through national service. The budget proposes to expand AmeriCorps to a record-level 105,000 members, who in turn will leverage an additional three million community volunteers for the organizations they serve.”

Listed on their site, I also found the following information:

 Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request

On February 1, 2010, President Barack Obama released his Fiscal Year 2011 budget request, including proposed funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service and its programs.   The Corporation’s FY  2011 budget request of $1.416 billion will strengthen our nation’s volunteer sector, foster innovation and civic engagement, and mobilize more than six million Americans to solve critical problems through national service.

• Corporation Budget Chart for FY 2011 (2/1/2010, PDF)
       
• CEO Message on the President’s FY 2011 Budget Request (2/1/2010)
      
• FY 2011 Congressional Budget Justification (3.94 MB PDF)

Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010 

On December 16, 2009, the House of Representatives passed the Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010, which includes $200 million for the Corporation for National and Community Service to support up to 25,000 AmeriCorps member positions and corresponding Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards. 

• National Service Budget Update (12/17/2009) 
      
• Bill Text: Jobs For Main Street Act Of 2010, Excerpt of National Service Provisions (12/16/2009, PDF)
       
• Managers Statement: Jobs For Main Street Act Of 2010, Excerpt of National Service Provisions (12/16/2009, PDF)

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

For information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and how the Corporation for National and Community Service is implementing this legislation, please visit our Recovery page at www.nationalservice.gov/recovery.

Additional Information

• FY 2010 Budget
• FY 2009 Budget
• FY 2008 Budget
• FY 2007 Budget

Opportunities to Enrich Lives, Improve Communities, and Build a Stronger America: Pick a Way That Will Work for You.

The Corporation for National and Community Service was formed to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to meet community needs. Each year, more than 1.5 million individuals of all ages and backgrounds help meet local needs through a wide array of service opportunities. These include projects in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security and other critical areas through the Corporation’s three major programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America.

“It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.”

—Tom Brokaw

Learn more about the programs:

Senior Corps: Senior Corps offers a network of programs that tap the rich experience, skills and talents of older citizens to meet community challenges.

AmeriCorps: Through its programs, AmeriCorps provides opportunities for Americans to make an ongoing, intensive commitment to service.

• AmeriCorps State and National: AmeriCorps*State and National offers grants that support a broad range of local service programs that engage thousands of Americans in intensive service to meet critical community needs. AmeriCorps*State and National also administers grants for Indian tribes and U.S. territories, who are eligible for funding that is set aside to address critical needs within their communities.

• AmeriCorps VISTA: AmeriCorps*VISTA provides full-time members to community organizations and public agencies to create and expand programs that build capacity and ultimately bring low-income individuals and communities out of poverty.

• AmeriCorps NCCC: The AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corps is a full-time residential program for men and women aged 18-24 that strengthens communities while developing leaders through direct, team-based national and community service.

Learn and Serve America: Learn and Serve America provides grants to schools, higher education institutions and community-based organizations that engage students, their teachers and others in service to meet community needs.

Special Initiatives: The Corporation supports a variety of special initiatives and innovation grants.

• United We Serve / Serve.gov
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
• President’s Volunteer Service Award  
• Other Special Initiatives

AmeriCorps NCCC—A Full-time, Team-based Opportunity to Serve

AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) is a full-time, team-based, residential program for men and women ages 18–24. Members live on one of five campuses, located in Denver, ; ColoradoSacramento, ; CaliforniaPerry , PointMaryland; Vicksburg, ; and MississippiVinton, .Iowa

The mission of AmeriCorps NCCC is to strengthen communities and develop leaders through direct team-based national and community service. In partnership with nonprofit organizations, state and local agencies, and faith-based and other community groups, members complete service projects in all 50 states and some U.S. territories.

Modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s and the U.S. military, AmeriCorps NCCC is built on the belief that civic responsibility is an inherent duty of all citizens and that national service programs work effectively with local communities to address pressing needs.

How AmeriCorps NCCC Works

AmeriCorps NCCC requires an intensive, 10-month commitment. Members serve in teams of eight to twelve and are assigned to projects throughout the region served by their campus. They are trained in CPR, first aid, public safety, and other skills before beginning their first service project.

AmeriCorps NCCC serves communities in every state. Members are based at one of five regional campuses and travel to complete service projects throughout those regions. Sponsoring organizations request the assistance of AmeriCorps NCCC teams by submitting a project application to the regional campus that covers that organization’s state. The campuses provide assistance in completing the application, developing a work plan, and preparing the project sponsor for the arrival of the AmeriCorps NCCC team.

Benefits of Serving with AmeriCorps NCCC

AmeriCorps NCCC members receive a living allowance of approximately $4,000 for the 10 months of service (about $200 every two weeks before taxes), housing, meals, limited medical benefits, up to $400 a month for childcare, if necessary, member uniforms, and a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion of the program.

Who Can Apply to Host an AmeriCorps NCCC Team?

• Non-profits—secular and faith based
• Local municipalities
• State governments
• Federal government
• National or state parks
• Indian Tribes
• Schools

Each year, AmeriCorps NCCC engages teams of members in meaningful projects in communities across the United States. Service projects, which typically last from six to eight weeks, address critical needs related to natural and other disasters, infrastructure improvement, environmental stewardship and conservation, energy conservation, and urban and rural development. Members construct and rehabilitate low-income housing, respond to natural disasters, clean up streams, help communities develop emergency plans, and address countless other local needs.

 Public Allies

One of the outfits well funded through Americorps is Public Allies which both the President and First Lady were very involved in, even serving on the board, while in Chicago. The following statement comes from their website:

President-elect Obama was a member of the founding advisory board of Public Allies. Michelle was the founding Executive Director of Public Allies Chicago from Spring, 1993 until Fall, 1996, and served on our national board of directors from 1997 until 2001. President-elect Obama was no longer on the board of Public Allies when Michelle was hired. Before joining Public Allies, she was an attorney at the law firm of Sidley & Austin and Deputy Director of Community Development for the City of Chicago.

·         Under Michelle’s leadership, Public Allies Chicago pioneered many elements of Public Allies’ program model. To identify and develop the next generation of leaders, she recruited young people from housing projects and youth centers as well colleges and universities. Her emphasis on indigenous leadership and belief that all people have potential to lead became a core value of our leadership philosophy. When she left, Public Allies Chicago had a cash reserve, a committed board, a talented young staff, and a network of diverse, talented young leaders in who continue to serve the community today. Michelle was also a pioneer in the social entrepreneur movement – leaders who create new approaches and organizations to provide new solutions to social problems.ChicagoChicago

·         At her subsequent jobs at the of ChicagoUniversity and University of Chicago Medical Center, Michelle hired more than a dozen Public Allies to work with her. In addition, she has continued to advise, coach, donate to, and champion Public Allies. President-elect Obama has also been an active volunteer and supporter. President-elect Obama has trained several classes of Allies in community organizing, spoken at Public Allies Chicago events, and helped Senator Durbin secure an appropriation from the Department of Justice that successfully helped us better recruit and retain young men of color for our Chicago program and learn practices we are applying nationally.

·         Michelle Obama and Public Allies CEO Paul Schmitz were also original faculty members of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute at UniversityNorthwestern, led by John McKnight and Jody Kretzmann. John McKnight worked with Barack Obama as an organizer and wrote his SchoolLawHarvard recommendation (see Audacity of Hope, page 360). The Institute has a strategic alliance with Public Allies’ consulting group, The Leadership Practice, through which we provide training and consulting services on how to better identify and mobilize local community assets and participation to strengthen communities….”

You can view a presentation of the organization here.

Oh, and yes, as you can see by the list below, George Soros (Open Society), Fannie Mae and those receiving TARP money are among those that donate to this organization:

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2 Responses to “$1.4Billion To Americorps in Proposed Budget”

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[…] We have shown you videos, linked you to government sites for details, etc. We have talked about the $1.4Billion dollars in his 2011 budget now before Congress for this purpose. He just can’t shake it loose. As we have discussed […]

More Crap To Shake Your Head About « Soldier For Liberty
March 25, 2010

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[…] who would like to donate – such as the venerable George Soros!  I thought I might go on, but this article really hits the nail on the head of what a despicable organization really is AmeriCorp. What about […]

Ghost in the Machine | Truth in American Education
October 12, 2012

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