Nope. They need volunteers…

According to Voices for National Service, there’s a proposal to create a new branch of the Corporation for National Community Service:

On June 30, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) introduced H.R. 5654, the Gulf Coast Restoration Act, which will create new “wage-earning jobs and national service positions to clean and restore the Gulf Coast waters, beaches, and habitats as well as rebuild local communities and economies.” In creating a Gulf Coast Community Conservation Corps (CCC), the bill recognizes the expertise of the Corporation for National and Community Service and the agency’s grantees in responding to past disasters – such as Hurricane Katrina and 2008′s severe flooding in Iowa.

The original co-sponsors of the Gulf Coast Restoration Act include Reps. Steve Israel (D-NY), Jim Himes (D-CT), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Jim Langevin (D-RI), Betty Sutton (D-OH), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), John Lewis (D-GA), and Maurice Hinchey (D-NY). The Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition in the House has endorsed the bill as well.

Download the press release here.

Never let a crisis go to waste, and why waste this opportunity to expand the funding and power of the federal governments’ bastion of socialism–the Corporation for National and Community Service?

While the Gulf Coast does need help to clean up and restore, it can be done with…volunteers. They don’t need paid volunteers. They don’t need expensive government programs with layers and layers of bureaucracy. There are thousands upon thousands of environmental NGOs. Why aren’t these groups empowered to clean up the Gulf? Why do we have to spend additional money in creating another government program from an agency that has extensive corruption and ethics violations that are consistently overlooked? (Honestly, CNCS should be investigated as the next ACORN. It’s just as bad.)

If we are going to spend federal money in the clean-up project, why don’t we pay private companies employing local people who are already trained in how to deal with this disaster? Creating a new government program is immensely expensive. Once legislation passes, it can take months until policies are drafted to implement them. Then there’s marketing, recruitment, hiring, transportation, administration, etc. If this is created, it could be six months to a year before the first oil-covered duck is washed by a GCCC volunteer.

The spin on this bill is that it will create jobs in the economically-devastated Gulf. Perhaps it will create “jobs” but can people actually live on those?

The entire point of Corporation for National Community Service is to fight poverty. Ignore the mission creep of putting the GCCC under the CNCS, but no program under the Corporation actually pays what liberals like to call a “living wage.” Unless you are in management and a full federal employee, you only earn a small stipend or 105% of the poverty level. They are happy to provide you with a $5,000 grant for college or to forgive student loans, but that money doesn’t pay the rent or put food on the table.

105% of the poverty level will definitely fill the gap of high-paying jobs on oil rigs or decent jobs that shrimpers or fisheries provide…

While this program will supposedly be funded by BP,* why not put the money into actual clean up? By creating a new government program, the Democrats sponsoring this legislation are creating an additional pork project that will eventually run out of money and force more Americans to be dependent on government. When the eventual monies run out from BP, they’ll whine and complain about this hurting the children and demand expanded government funding. This is a blatant attempt to create more federal jobs and destroy the private sector.

My biggest problem with liberals is the deep faith that no matter the problem, a government agency should be created to deal with it. It doesn’t matter if the original problem was created by an existing government program. They just create another pork project or add a layer of bureaucracy.

Keep in mind that the Corporation for National and Community Service already saw a massive, and I mean, massive increase in funding with the Obama Administration. Shouldn’t they have an existing reserve fund for disasters? Every time there’s an emergency, they go back to Congress for additional aid. They did it with Katrina and with the Midwest flooding a few years ago.

This would be like going to your boss for a raise every time you get sick, have a car accident or need to replace a kitchen appliance. The American people are broke. It’s time that this entitlement mentality from government programs end. We will never be fiscally sound as long legislation this ridiculous is even allowed to be considered.

*Why is Congress looking at BP as a bottomless cash cow? Their stock has already declined in value. Eventually, they’ll run out of money. What happens when the company goes under because President Obama and Congress are determined to teach them a lesson? Jobs will be lost and even more lives destroyed. Also remember that many retirement funds have stock in BP. While BP’s culture needs to change, and the company should take responsibility for their wrongdoing, a witch hunt will ultimately hurt American taxpayers.

Well, I’m back folks. I had a blast in Orlando. Traveling by yourself is awesome. I absolutely love to fly. This was the first time I’ve flown by myself. Usually, I’m with friends or my family.

I met some fabulous people at the VISTA training. Since we were trained with other people in our states, I have some new friends in K-town and Nashville. Hopefully, I can visit them soon (along with all my K-town buds).

Overall the training was really good. However, the whole premise of VISTA is pretty socialistic. It was created by LBJ in the 60’s to combat poverty in America. If poverty could be solved, wouldn’t it have been done in the last forty years?

Anyway, we had to sit through agonizing discussions as to why poverty exists. Everyone was horrified that 12% of Americans live in poverty. I was shocked that the number was so low. The way that they carried on, I thought it would be 40 or 50%. I know it’s terrible that anyone in the USA should go hungry, be homeless or unemployed, but there are ways for them to get help. I guess this sounds pretty jaded, but there’s really no excuse to be poor when there are so many programs to help you if you want to help yourself.

I’m sure many of you are shocked at my cavalier attitude. However, I kept thinking about my mission trip to Mexico and the tour of Jamaica that I took. Even the poorest of the poor in America are so much richer than people in Mexico and Jamaica. People in Jamaica and Mexico are much richer than people in Africa. One thing that stood out is that poverty is relative.

Many people attacked capitalism as the source of all ills. They were upset that 5% of the people hold 90% of the wealth in our country. Well, those people worked hard for their wealth. Many of them sacrificed to get an education or risked their money with different business opportunities.

I admit that capitalism in its truest form is a harsh system. However, what’s the alternative? By 2004, we should have realized that socialism and communism are simply not viable options. No matter what economic system you have, some people are going to get the short end of the stick. With capitalism, fewer people suffer. However the important thing is, capitalism provides people with opportunities. If they desire it enough and work hard enough, they can reach that 5% of people. With socialism or communism, that isn’t possible.

Some also argued that the rich withhold information from the poor. I hate to break it to them, but everyone in our country is given 12 years of free education. From there, they should be able to at least read and write. If they really want to better themselves, they could at least go to their public library and use the internet or check out books. That in itself is more than enough to better yourself.

I learned a few things this weekend. The main problem is that people don’t want to help themselves. No matter if the government handed out a million dollars to each person, some would just keep trudging by. You have to have an intrinsic motivation to get out of squalid conditions and achieve a better lifestyle. If you don’t have that, you’ll never surpass the poverty line.