Think ACORN Dot Gov ... with steel-toed boots

Last summer in Colorado Candidate Obama campaigned for a "national civilian security force."

Less than a year later it's a reality -- but like Global Warming (Climate Crisis, Climate Change) the name has been watered down as needed.  It's now called the NCCC, National Civilian Community Corps. It's part of AmeriCorps. 

“In this time of economic crisis, we need service and volunteering more than ever,” said Nicola Goren, Acting CEO of the Corporation, which administers AmeriCorps. “These AmeriCorps members will serve in some of America's most distressed communities, providing hope and help to people facing tough times.”

AmeriCorps, you may or may not recall, got somewhere between $85 million and $200 million (depending on which press release you read)  - or $85 million plus $200 million, for all I know.  It's your tax dollars, and that's why I'm bothering telling you so.

Check this out:

http://www.americorps.gov/for_individuals/faq/index.asp#getcash:

What are the benefits of serving with AmeriCorps NCCC?

AmeriCorps NCCC members receive a living allowance of approximately $4,000 for the 10 months of service (about $200 every two weeks before taxes), housing, meals, limited medical benefits, up to $400 a month for childcare, if necessary, member uniforms, and an education award of $4,725 upon successful completion of the program.

Did you get all that? Not a bad deal for a "volunteer" who wants to "getcash."

• $4,000
• plus living allowance
• plus housing
• plus meals
• plus "limited" medical benefits
• plus up to $400 a month for childcare, if necessary
• plus an education award of $4,725
• plus member uniforms

Now about those uniforms. This is where it gets creepy, as far as I'm concerned.

Do AmeriCorps NCCC members wear uniforms?

Yes. You are required to wear a uniform. Uniforms are issued to members when they report to the campus. The uniform colors are gray, black and khaki.  At a minimum, all members will receive the following items:

1. BDU (battle dress uniform) pants--black & khaki
2. Khaki shorts
3. T-shirts (short and long-sleeve)
4. Polo shirts (short and long-sleeve)
5. Hooded sweatshirt
6. Winter parka
7. Steel-toed work boots
8. Baseball cap
9. Fleece vest
10. Coveralls

Other uniform items may also be provided depending on the campus where you are assigned.

When do members wear uniforms?

Uniforms must be worn at all times when on duty. Duty times include all service days, training days, team, unit and community meetings, and while on desk or driver duty or any other time when representing AmeriCorps NCCC.

The question arises...What the hell do these people need steel-toed boots for?

 

We can't "provide help and hope" wearing sneakers?

Let's see what they say "members" will do.

http://www.americorps.gov/about/newsroom/releases_detail.asp?tbl_pr_id=1341 :

.... The funding will go to existing AmeriCorps grantees to engage members in providing employment training, financial planning, and housing assistance; prevent home foreclosures, support tutoring and literacy programs, weatherize homes, strengthen food banks, expand nonprofit capacity, recruit and manage volunteers and provide other services to economically distressed communities.

 

Our tax dollars are going to steel-toed boots for people who are going to "prevent home foreclosures" ?  "strengthen food banks" ? "expand nonprofit capacity" ?

How will they do these things? and where? In your town? 

http://www.americorps.gov/about/programs/nccc.asp :

AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) is a full-time, team-based residential program for men and women age 18–24. Members live on one of five campuses, located in Denver, Colorado; Sacramento, California; Perry Point, Maryland; Vicksburg, MS; and Vinton, Iowa.

The mission of AmeriCorps NCCC is to strengthen communities and develop leaders through direct, team-based national and community service. In partnership with nonprofit organizations, state and local agencies, and faith-based and other community organizations, members complete service projects throughout the region they are assigned.

Drawn from the successful models of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s and the U.S. military, AmeriCorps NCCC is built on the belief that civic responsibility is an inherent duty of all citizens and that national service programs work effectively with local communities to address pressing needs.

How AmeriCorps NCCC Works

AmeriCorps NCCC requires an intensive, 10-month commitment. Members serve in teams of ten to twelve and are assigned to projects throughout the region served by their campus. They are trained in CPR, first aid, public safety, and other skills before beginning their first service project.

AmeriCorps NCCC members serve communities in every state, but live and train at five regional campuses. Sponsoring organizations request the assistance of AmeriCorps NCCC teams by submitting a project application to the regional campus that covers that organization’s state. The campuses provide assistance in completing the application, developing a work plan, and preparing the project sponsor for the arrival of the AmeriCorps NCCC team.

Do You Want to Serve in AmeriCorps NCCC?

• Click here to start the application process
• Learn about becoming an AmeriCorps NCCC Team Leader
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who Can Apply to Host an AmeriCorps NCCC Team?

• Community-based organizations—both faith-based and secular
• National nonprofits
• Schools
• Cities and towns
• National and state parks
• Indian tribes

Each year, AmeriCorps NCCC engages teams of members in meaningful projects in communities across the United States. Service projects, which typically last from six to eight weeks, address critical needs in education, public safety, the environment, and other unmet needs.

Members tutor students, construct and rehabilitate low-income housing, respond to natural disasters, clean up streams, help communities develop emergency plans, and address countless other local needs. What would it be like if your organization had the resources of 10 to 12 enthusiastic, talented, and dedicated young adults working on a short-term, intensive project? Think of the impact!

• Learn more about becoming an AmeriCorps NCCC project sponsor

NCCC Summer of Service

Like the year-round AmeriCorps NCCC experience, which is geared to young adults ages 18 to 24, the NCCC Summer of Service combines the best practices of structured team-based activities and service-learning programming. In 2009, this residential NCCC Summer of Service program is available to 100 youth ages 14 to 17 living in Denver, CO. Youth from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. AmeriCorps NCCC members will also engage 100 youth in a non-residential community service experience on various service projects in Washington, DC through a partnership with Serve DC and the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program. In both models, program participants will serve alongside and under the supervision of year-round AmeriCorps NCCC members.

Other AmeriCorps Programs

• AmeriCorps State and National
• AmeriCorps VISTA

Contact Us for More Information

 

You know what? I think this is basically ACORN Dot Gov. And I think the steel-toed boots are for kicking in the heads of "Climate Change Deniers," Radical Right Wing Extremists, and other citizens who don't support Obama's radical takeover. 

I think these are the guys who will drag us - not the terrorists, but us, "tea-baggers" and such - off to "preventive detention."

But that's just me.

 

Comments

[Lynne Arons]

My son just completed a year of Americoprs NCCC. He needed steel toed boots for rebuilding homes in Louisiana and Mississippi, he needed steel toed boots when manning an evacuation shelter during Hurricanes Ike and Gustave. The NCCC kids get trained in every Red Cross emergency area, first aid, shelter management and others. Some of them get special fire fighter training and help each year with California Wildfires. They become the supervisors for the short term volunteers that come for a weekend or spring break. My son set up and ran the school library at a school that had been flooded in New Orleans. He could wear his gym shoes for that.

[tom]

hey do you know how many of our TAX DOLLARS went to fighting a stupid war in Iraq? Where hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis were murdered, and over 3,000 American troops lost their lives? you are a pig.

[Brittni]

You make it sound like NCCC is a new program. It's been around for years. And most of the projects are manual labor-- building houses and clearing trails of fallen trees and stuff. You need steel toed boots for that. You don't seem to have done very much research before posting your rant. And I don't know why you're so against our tax dollars going to a program that's meant to help Americans. Why not concentrate your unfounded, ill-researched hatred on programs that send all OUR money to people in other countries?

[Amy]

As a current member of the program I can tell you that those boots have saved my feet from being smashed so many times. O_o I love my boots. The descriptions are quite vague, but really there is so much work going on. I basically have 10-hour days, 5 days a week. The project I am currently on is a rebuilding project for New Orleans (which everyone seems to think should be finished by now, but everywhere I look there are houses that are still falling apart from hurricane damage...) I can tell you, the work is exhausting, but so much good comes from it! The National Civilian Community Corps is actually a spin-off of the old Civilian Conservation Corps (FDR's idea). So it's not exactly a new thing. Anyway, I hope you end up doing a little more research...NCCC is such a worthwhile program. It's just that we're a quiet bunch which makes it hard to know exactly what we do...

[New Balance 574]

When you need triumph as badly as you needed the air, then you'll get it. That's the secret to triumph. Do you assume so?

[shox shoes]

Business? which is rather simple---- it can be other people's money. (Alexandre Dumas, this particular language novelist)

[jordan 9]

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