President Bush Hates America

I served my country for two years. I did not join the military, and I never saw combat; I was part of a domestic program devoted to improving communities one person at a time. I am an AmeriCorps alumnus. Since George W. Bush took office since 2001, he has debilitated the AmeriCorps program, culminating in the slashing of 25 million dollars from AmeriCorps in the 2007 budget.

The AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps is a federal agency that has been in existence since 1993, originally part of the 1000 points of light. It was met with wide bi-partisan support as a program of national service for those that did not follow the military route of service. The program received gushing support during the Clinton administration, and promises of future support from the current president early in his administration, even taking the time for a photo opportunity near Naples Florida.

Since then however, President Bush and his budget department have been waging a smear campaign against AmeriCorps to validate cutting its 25 million dollar budget. There have been 5 operational campuses since the program began thirteen years ago; today there are only three campuses left. The campuses were only developed for two class sizes, 300 or 150 corps-members. These campuses are spread across the country to maximize coverage. There is no part of the United States or its territories they do not go. This is, in essence, domestic Peace Corps.

Although the value of the AmeriCorps NCCC program can be proven in a quantifiable manner it is the direct and personal connections that make this agency such a unique and powerful force. An overview is necessary.

Applicants face a rigorous interview process where only one in seven is accepted to the program. Once accepted a person commits to 1,700 hours of national service, plus an additional 100 hours spent volunteering on personal time. This roughly equates to a 50 hour work week, six days a week. An NCCC Corps Member has signed into an organization that was modeled off the U.S. special forces and the World War 2 era Civilian Conservation Corps, and must adhere to a para-military style code. There is a three week “boot camp” where corps-members receive training and begin their regular physical training (that lasts through the entire program). There is a uniform that must be worn and respected; there is a team leader that is final authority on all matters, and a chain of command that they must also respect. For 10 months a corps-member loses all privacy, spending every waking and sleeping hour with their team of 10. There is no escape from these people, or the 15 seat passenger van that one lives out of and travels in. There is a daily food allowance per person that is less than 10 dollars, and only three vacation days allowed for your entire term of service. All of this is done to receive a taxed living wage of about four thousand dollars, which breaks down to roughly $156.23 every two weeks. There is also an education award granted at the end of service of an additional $4,700 that is also taxed, and can only be used for two functions; paying student loans or paying tuition fees directly to a university.

The work is the reward. NCCC members work under extreme conditions with no complaint and often little thanks. They do the work that non-profit agencies cannot get others to do. Such as, fixing broken toilets in homeless shelters, tutoring at risk children that show off gunshot wounds (I worked with a kid whose brother was shot during his 9th birthday), thorough removal of invasive plant species from the worst swamps, and oh yeah, natural disaster relief.

AmeriCorps NCCC’s primary function is to be a second responder to natural disasters, and there has not been a single national level natural disaster that they have not been part of in their 13 year history. When they are not working directly with the catastrophes of natural disasters AmeriCorps will then partner with other non-profit agencies that apply for a team. To qualify for a team an organization must prove 2 things; 1) they have enough work for 10 people during a 4-6 week period 2) they can provide a place for the team to sleep. A place to sleep is defined as loosely as a location to pitch a tent that does not have running water or a bathroom. AmeriCorps NCCC teams do the work assigned without question, and tirelessly help those around them.

But that is coming to an end. President Bush has worked to suck the lifeblood from this organization and render it ineffective. He has specifically removed two of the primary campuses. One in Washington D.C. that spent much of its time servicing the low-income/at risk populations within the surrounding states. And the highly regarded campus in Charleston, South Carolina that worked hard in responding to hurricanes. The Charleston base was the standard for all other campuses. There was no area they failed in. President Bush has removed an agency that’s specific job is damage recovery from hurricanes.

NCCC is not FEMA. They do second responder work. After September 11th, NCCC teams spent days sorting through Red Cross files on missing people and providing support to first responders, such as providing meals and blankets to firemen, construction workers, and police. The NCCC devotes itself unconditionally to communities that suffer the greatest losses and demand the most work in rebuilding. This has created the NCCC commitment to sending half of all active teams from all campuses to gulf coast areas ravaged by hurricane Katrina until 2010. In the middle of the program’s greatest mobilization, the administration claims that NCCC is a wasteful agency and does not make a real impact. With the closing of the Charleston base, the Denver Colorado campus must now send teams to New Orleans, and as far south as the Florida Keys.

This does not make sense, and does more to damage the region than good. NCCC is in dire straits because it is not in a position to even fight for itself. AmeriCorps prides itself on being a non-partisan agency that receives wide bi-partisan support. President Bush founded it, and President Clinton supported it. Senator McCain once called it a valuable supplement to national service. Senator Bayh is a supporter as well. The current President Bush even made promises to continue to support the program but instead placed it under Homeland security, and removed budget allocation control from the Corporation for National Service.

NCCC used to have its own specific budget that was not tampered with and was protected. But placing it within DHS not only kept them from being able to control the finances it also politicized an agency whose purpose was to stay above politics and “just help people”. When the fight over the budget became inevitable the parent organization (the Corporation for National Service) was unable to advocate for the NCCC because that would place it in direct odds with the Republican controlled congress. I know that in writing it sounds like a flimsy reason, but believe me, this is a major hamstring with advocacy for AmeriCorps.

It has fallen on the hands of those directly outside the system to speak for its benefits and impacts. That is what I do here today. I am AmeriCorps NCCC alumni and the work that I did within its system made a direct and tangible impact on the lives of all that I met, and improved the work of all organizations that we worked with. But most importantly AmeriCorps NCCC stays in devastated regions longer than any other agency, and we build trust and respect with those we come in contact with.

We are there after FEMA leaves, and we have a better reputation. When I was a member of Class XI we were still removing damage from hurricane Hugo. The NCCC take its work seriously, and President Bush does a disservice to all Americans to cut this program, and spits in the face of all Alumni. The NCCC has done nothing warrant this budget cut or to suffer the removal of its most prestigious base from the middle of hurricane country.

Mr. President, this was a despicable act, and you should be ashamed. Why do you hate America so?

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I’m Not Sure America Is Ready For A Smart President

Welcome To George Bush’s America