Our Orwellian Administration

I am amazed at how Orwellian our governmental administration has become, and how quickly! Just as an example, the House of Democrats last week passed, and sent to the Senate, President Obama's GIVE Act. That's the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act. (Boy, did they have to reach for that acronym!) Far from its name, however, this act includes language “indicating young people will be forced to participate in mandatory national service programs. The bill also states that "service learning" will be a mandatory part of the youth curriculum.” (emphasis in the original) This includes a "mandatory service requirement for all able young people" — a youth corps.

This is simply incredible! It is profoundly Orwellian. It does major violence to the language we speak and write. Volunteerism is voluntary; "mandatory volunteerism" is involuntary servitude. Silly me, I thought that was banned in this country 145 years ago.

There's another disturbing aspect to this as well — profoundly disturbing: The only places I recall seeing such youth corps in history is in socialist countries. It is a characteristically socialist program. If it is instituted here, we are a socialist country — and it won't matter whether it is national or international socialism.