The peace option

What if our country valued peace as much as war? Not such an easy question. But here’s an idea: what if the U.S. made the Peace Corps (or Americorps) the same, in terms of benefits and options, as the military?

So, should you choose to join the Peace Corps, your college tuition would be paid. You would get a fat signing bonus, and you would have housing and medical care available for you and your family.

The responsibilities would be similar – you would sign up for a certain period of time, and you would be obligated to serve for the full term. You would be “deployed” wherever you were needed most. You could choose to spend more time in the Peace Corps, and even become a “lifer.” Your pay, rank, and retirement benefits would be equal to that of the military.

What would the Peace Corps (or Americorps) do that would be so valuable to the U.S.? Instead of only going overseas to help build schools and so forth, it would operate much like the old CCC in the ’30s. Peace Corps volunteers would work on repairing damaged infrastructure like schools, community centers, parks, etc. With the right training, they could volunteer at free clinics, youth centers, and become tutors for struggling schoolchildren. The list goes on.

This type of program could really solve so many problems. Now, if only someone in charge was listening…