AmeriCorps' funding woes

A little history lesson before we start; we've all heard of AmeriCorps, haven't we? Its the nonprofit organization that (among other things) recruits recent college grads to teach in severely underfunded public schools, typically in urban areas. And the compensation for these new teachers teaching in the toughest schools with the least money? Minimum wage. Yup, minimum wage - less than the going rate for burger flipping at In N' Out. A noble cause if ever there was one.

But rubbing up against that column of nobility in hopes of sloughing some off onto himself, President Bush has gotten much publicity for "supporting" AmeriCorps; he's posed in multiple photo ops with AmeriCorps teachers, promised an increase in federal funding for AmeriCorps (because W is just such a great guy) and issued a grand statement calling for a 50% increase in AmeriCorps volunteers (though paid mini-wage, they're offically called volunteers), which many young graduates heeded. Now, on to the current events:

Bush is now going to cut funding to AmeriCorps, and those new volunteers he called for will be assed out. His Republican House of Rep flunkies who supposedly represent the people, yes, the people of the United States, are poised today to vote down an emergency $100 million infusion which could prevent those reductions in AmeriCorps programs nationwide.

To put that into perspective, the war in Iraq has cost approximately $70 billion dollars thus far (that's $70,000,000,000 -whoa, lots of zeros). That's 700 times the proposed AmeriCorps relief package. Check this uber-cool website for updates on the cost of the war and what else we could do with that money.

But its not that we don't have the dough, its that Bush won't keep his promise unless fundamental changes are made to the AmeriCorps program, namely unless AmeriCorps becomes a faith based organization with the right to hire based on religious affiliation:

"Last April, Bush sent lawmakers his proposal for overhauling the 10-year-old Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees AmeriCorps. Among reforms he proposed were shifting more resources to the state, local and community service groups and using the program to help more faith-based organizations....

Conservative Republicans are insistent that the provision allowing faith-based groups to hire on the basis of religion be part of the national service program."


Just to restate, the Repubs, headed by Bushie (or Dubya, or Shrub, or my personal fave, Shrubya) last year promised a bunch of cash to AmeriCorps, basked in the positive publicity, and now they're turning around and saying they won't keep their promise unless AmeriCorps agrees to be hijacked by the Christian church. Its funny, last time I read the constitution, I remember a little something about separation of church and state. Dunno, maybe its just me...

What REALLY gets my goat, though, is our current political climate in which assholes like this guy, Mike Pence, can say dumb stuff like this without fear of repercussions:

"For many conservatives in the House, we're just not convinced that paid volunteerism is the solution for America," said Rep. Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican. "We're really faced with the decision of whether to improve the bridge or just blow it up. I'd rather blow it up."


Again, maybe its just me, but isn't there some accepted wisdom about brigdes and not burning them? And this guy is talking about blowing up bridges - about blowing up an established non-profit educational program? Oh, those wacky wartime metaphors...

-tn

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