Obama to Call for Service to Country
It is easy to see why so many young people were willing to work for and to cast ballots on behalf of the man about to become our 44th president.
There is soon to be a very different direction for the country as president-elect Barack Obama has already begun the process of conveying a new message to the American public. 
Bogged down in two wars and with an economy in peril, the man who began his career by serving the poor in Chicago has already begun establishing a call to service from the people of the richest country on earth.
And many of his options will focus on a direct call to the youth of America.
Victory Speech Lays a Foundation
Obama formally set forth the call to service in his victory speech:
“Above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.”
“What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.”
“It cannot happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.”
No Shopping or Disney World Messages Likely
The Obama message contrasted sharply with that of the current administration. 
One of the more striking moments in the Bush presidency occurred just two weeks after 9/11 when the Republican urged Americans to go “down to Disney World in Florida.”
And if that were not bizarre enough, in his address to the country in 2006, as our economy was struggling, our president noted “a strong beginning to the holiday shopping season across the country.”
He followed that up with his recipe for offsetting further potential economic doldrums.
“And I encourage you all to go shopping more.”
A Constant Message
Contrary to the words of our current president, the man set to take office in January actually had already begun setting a different tone back in September. At that time, Obama laid out some of his ideas regarding how young people will be able to offer their services.
“This moment is too important for America’s greatest resource–our people–to sit on the sidelines. So as President, I will ask for the active citizenship of Americans of all ages and walks of life.
First, we need to create opportunities to serve. I’ll ask more young people to serve in uniform and expand the size of our military. And I’ll increase AmeriCorps–our network of local, state and national service programs–from 75,000 slots to 250,000.”
College Funds for Service
Obama insists he will seek to have such service performed in those areas of greatest need: a greater number of talented Americans willing to teach; others to work on the development of renewable and efficient energy; and another group still to grow the nation’s Foreign Service and Peace Corps.
In return, the president-elect has put forth some very noteworthy ideas to provide a meaningful return for that service. For all college students, the prospect of financial support for school looms large.
“We need to integrate service into education. We should help schools develop service programs outside the classroom. And I’ve proposed an annual college-tuition tax credit of $4,000 in exchange for 100 hours of public service.
“You invest in America, and America invests in you–that’s how we’ll make college affordable for every American.”
It’s a new message for sure, one that is all about a spirit of community.
It is also one that will invoke comparisons to John F. Kennedy’s inauguration call, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
Flickr photos courtesy of Mr. Wright, PingNews.com, and jmtimages.
What BS – bush’s call to go to disney world was to not let the terrorists stop our normal routines, to not be afraid to fly and to not be afraid of large crowds – which at the time were suspected to be main targets. and if you at the causes of our econmic slowdown it is lack of capital in the system… 9/11 could have led to a huge recession that crippled this country sooner than the dems did with fannie and freddie. Bush’s call to shop were asking folks to go back to normal routines, not be afraid and not lett the terrorist cripple our economy – one of the reasons they hit the twin towers a true symbol of the USA’s economic strength. look out cause BO is gonna force you kids to work – kinda like the draft but instead of Iraq its gonna be downtown Detroit… personally i’d taek my chances in Iraq….
Barack Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope,” provides a appealing title. It has an idea of bravery mixed confidently. There’s nothing Pollyanna regarding it. I might not support every little thing he says, but he’s our president, as well as for me, he creates trust. Which can do more for any nation than any amount of backroom deals. Hope gives us energy, and energy sustains us through trying times. Boy, we’ve had them. I’m from West Texas, and I did not vote for Bush. When McCain ran against Obama, I used to be a citizen of Arizona, but I gave audacious hope a chance. The fight for progress and laying the foundations of prosperity is not over. I’ve come across the quips of those who don’t believe Obama can do it. But step back a second. Would anyone have most of us fail simply to tarnish the star of an incumbent for whom they did not vote? Keeping our priorities straight, let’s work together with our president and build our future.
Yeah, right. The calloused hands are from opening all the entitlement checks. Redistributing wealth. Yup, that’s how America did it all these 221 years. It was the free market and small businesses that built this country – not the community organizers or those who believe the Christians who founded this nation were bitter or clinged to their guns. Whoever wrote this drank from the same Kool-Aid as did the rest of the now-disillusioned electorate. How’s that hope and change working out for you there?