devilhawk said:
Well first, I was referencing service as in for the armed forces. I've now read some things where he references community service. I think it is definitely an interesting idea. It, however, doesn't get to the root of the problem of education and is now just a check with a stipulation.
Full 15 page specification on his education policy here:
http://obama.3cdn.net/a8dfc36246b3dcc3cb_iem6bxpgh.pdf
Trust me, this guy has substance. It's not just rhetoric; a lot of thought has been put into how he's going to make his proposals reality.
You can also read his 60 page Blueprint for Change:
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/ObamaBlueprintForChange.pdf
I think it is definitely an interesting idea. It, however, doesn't get to the root of the problem of education and is now just a check with a stipulation.
Yes, that is the first step in Obama assimilation

it's a
very interesting idea that could do a lot of good for the country through charitable and volunteer work. See, you're not seeing the picture here.
Addressing the issue of education is not just a single line item that can be summarized easily. It's a big puzzle of interlocking pieces which includes increased funding for science and research to create the jobs that will demand knowledge, increased focus on early education so that kids get a head start, increased emphasis on teachers and how to make the educational system work at
all levels to foster a desire for learning. It's about offering affordable healthcare so for families and kids so that budgets are not strained. It's a big picture thing where many parts intertwine with other parts.
You can't look at one line item and say "Well, there you go, that's how he's going to fix education." It's a part of the big picture and a part of many pieces of his policy puzzle.
The best that anyone can do is read his Blueprint for Change to get a feel for how all the interconnected pieces come together to help get us out of this rut that we're in.