One full day of community of service for every citizen.
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One full day of community of service for every citizen.I think every single citizen between the ages of 16 and 65 should be required and encouraged by a law or mandate to contribute 24 hours service to their perspective community every year. It should not matter what tax bracket they are in or what benefits they receive. Exemptions should only be given in the most extreme cases. In other words, I don’t care how important or disabled you think you are, everyone is capable of contributing in some way.
The program would be managed much in the way that community service for judicial sentences are. The only difference is that this program should focus on the pride of contributing something to your community instead of penance for misdeeds. One way I could think of to implement such a policy would be to introduce a tax or fine on people who fail to log the required hours.
Another possibility would be to only allow citizens to register to vote if they have documentation proving they have completed their service. I fully realize that this would lead to many just opting not to vote. I also realize that many would argue that this would alienate a wide range of demographic voters. My counter argument would be that someone who can’t be arsed to contribute one small day to the community in which they live does not deserve a vote.
One obvious benefit to such a plan would be the direct impact to the community. More importantly though, would be the perspective it would give to people living on both ends of the social scale. The wealthy CEO, or banker may just learn something while they are serving food at a shelter or picking up trash. Likewise, the person on benefits or occasional chav may just find that they can take a little pride in contributing to their society instead of only taking from it.
Before everyone unleashes the fury on me, just realize that the 24 hours is symbolic. I’m only suggesting that every person should be able to give one small day back to their community out of pride, gratitude or both. One day per year is not so much to ask. -
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Re: One full day of community of service for every citizen.Community service is seen as a punishment for crimes, with that in mind, your idea would be seen as a punishment to hard working citizens. How would criminals repay their crimes if community service is compulsary for everyone?
However, to completely contradict myself, I do feel that those that have been on job seekers allowance for OVER a certain amount of time (lets say a year) should be made to take part in community service. Mainly because if you've been on jobs seekers for a year, you can't be THAT serious in finding employment and that scheme may help to give people a push to get back into work. -
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Re: One full day of community of service for every citizen.Sounds like Neo-Feudalism's Big Society to me.I think every single citizen between the ages of 16 and 65 should be required and encouraged by a law or mandate to contribute 24 hours service to their perspective community every year. -
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Re: One full day of community of service for every citizen.Not much. The mechanisms are already in place with the judicial based community service program. It would require extra cost to process the massive additional data though. If the government had to invest an extra 10 mins of administrative time for each citizen it would gain an extra 24 hours in community service. Seems like a good deal in theory. -
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Re: One full day of community of service for every citizen.I want less government. I just like the idea that every person should have to contribute something to their society. I also like the idea that everyone owes the same amount. Because it is not a tax on wealth, it is a tax on time.(Original post by Martyn*)
Sounds like Neo-Feudalism's Big Society to me. -
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Re: One full day of community of service for every citizen.What does one person's opinion have to do with an entire country of over 300m people? Ignoranceeeeeeeeeee, **** yeah!(Original post by ritchie888)
Americaaaaaaaaaaaaa, **** yeah! -
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Re: One full day of community of service for every citizen.The principle is good BUT something that isn't used to punish people should be used. Else good, hard-working citizens will feel as if they're being punished, just for living in this country.
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Re: One full day of community of service for every citizen.Fwahahaha.The government would create an expensive department to oversee this.(Original post by ckingalt)
I want less government. I just like the idea that every person should have to contribute something to their society. I also like the idea that everyone owes the same amount. Because it is not a tax on wealth, it is a tax on time. -
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Re: One full day of community of service for every citizen.People who work and pay taxes already contribute to society. People who don't work may be required to do something for their community since they don't generate money, but I suspect that this may be based on justice, or the lack of justice, to account for those who do contribute to society by generating money.(Original post by ckingalt)
I want less government. I just like the idea that every person should have to contribute something to their society. I also like the idea that everyone owes the same amount. Because it is not a tax on wealth, it is a tax on time. -
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Re: One full day of community of service for every citizen.The bottom line it that I contribute, and I would happily sacrifice a few extra eight hour working days for the "common good", just so there would be a way to force people who have never contributed a thing in their entire lives to contribute some small token.(Original post by Martyn*)
People who work and pay taxes already contribute to society. People who don't work may be required to do something for their community since they don't generate money, but I suspect that this may be based on justice, or the lack of justice, to account for those who do contribute to society by generating money. -
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Re: One full day of community of service for every citizen.Not my point at all, just making a comment of OP's location and linking it with a Team America quote. But well done getting in a hissy fit, you look real big right now.(Original post by MirandaPanda)
What does one person's opinion have to do with an entire country of over 300m people? Ignoranceeeeeeeeeee, **** yeah! -
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Re: One full day of community of service for every citizen.lol. this!(Original post by Aramiss18)
It's a nice idea but would be a ball-ache to implement. Tbh I don't like ball-ache. -
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Re: One full day of community of service for every citizen.That's awfully smart/logical; oh right, its not(Original post by ritchie888)
Not my point at all, just making a comment of OP's location and linking it with a Team America quote.
Well done making a completely useless comment in an otherwise serious thread; you look real big right now.But well done getting in a hissy fit, you look real big right now.
