Expand National Volunteer Service

Cooperation, Community, Participation, Shared Sacrifice, Broad life experience, all strengthen both the individual and the groups to which we belong. Citizens of the United States are part of a group to which we owe allegiance, duties, and responsibilities. Many of us have strengthened ourselves and our country by volunteering for such organizations as the military, the Peace Corps, VISTA, Doctors without Borders, World Vision, the Red Cross, local volunteer fire departments, etc. We would all benefit if such efforts were greatly expanded by offering volunteers appropriate benefits as living allowances, deferral/reduction of student loans, medical coverage, college credits towards professional licenses, social security credits, etc. The value of such benefits should be proportional to length and type of service. Such benefits and opportunities for service might be especially suitable for people near the beginning or end of their normal working career. Organizations for volunteer service need not be federally run, but would exchange federal support for some federal supervision in the same way that tax exempt charities must observe certain regulations.