De Republica para Fascismo

Time magazine's Richard Stengel is worried that the increase in volunteerism shows people are turning their back on the welfare state in favor of the "little platoons" of Church, family, and local community. His solution? A federal "national service" program. :

[Nota: Repare-se na linguagem, já tinhamos o "Patrioct Act"... ]

"McCain wrote in a 2001 Washington Monthly essay. "That is unfortunate, because duty, honor and country are values that transcend ideology...National service is a crucial means of making our patriotism real, to the benefit of both ourselves and our country."

(...) Young men and women have made their patriotism all too real by volunteering to fight two wars on foreign soil. But we have battlefields in America, too — particularly in education and health care — and the commitment of soldiers abroad has left others yearning to make a parallel commitment here at home.

The Plan:
1. Create a National-Service Baby Bond
2. Make National Service a Cabinet-Level Department
3. Expand Existing National-Service Programs Like AmeriCorps and the National Senior Volunteer Corps
4. Create an Education Corps
5. Institute a Summer of Service
6. Build a Health Corps
7. Launch a Green Corps
8. Recruit a Rapid-Response Reserve Corps
9. Start a National-Service Academy
10. Create a Baby-Boomer Education Bond"

Para cúmulo o autor evoca que tudo isto é para "preservar a República". Faz lembrar Roma e Octávio ... e mais tarde Mussolini e sei lá que mais. A história é uma coisa com piada.