Obama Proposes Forced Labor for High School and College Students

It's one thing to ask for students to volunteer in their communities, but it's a whole different thing to require it. From Change.gov, the official transition site:

"When you choose to serve -- whether it's your nation, your community or simply your neighborhood -- you are connected to that fundamental American ideal that we want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness not just for ourselves, but for all Americans. That's why it's called the American dream."

The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation’s challenges. President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps. Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year.

You'll notice that the quote says "When you choose to serve", but according to this statement high schoolers and college kids will not get to "choose", they'll be required to serve whether they want to or not. Requiring people to serve may be a noble liberal goal, but it's not freedom.

Perhaps this line should be in the inaugural address:

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what your country will require you to do."