PEORIA -- On Feb. 23, Bradley University hosted a meeting on the Peace Corps. Here is an article by Peorian Bert Raabe about the event, which included Cong. Aaron Schock who recently voted against its appropriation.
On Tuesday afternoon, February 23, the Director of the Peace Corps came to Bradley University to talk about opportunities in the Peace Corps. As a former Peace corps volunteer, I was informed of the event. Along with the director, Aaron Williams, there were three other panel members; Congressman Aaron Schock, William Lane from Caterpillar, Inc., and Brad McMillan from Bradley who served as moderator.
Director Williams gave his story of being in the Peace Corps and how it changed and enriched his life. He talked about different projects and volunteers that are doing important work around the world. He stressed how important it is to have Americans at the level of the people in these countries for both the volunteer and the people.
William Lane from Caterpillar talked about the importance of international development and good relations between the U.S. and countries needing CAT products. Peaceful relations with developing countries are critical to CAT’s growth. He stated that the Peace Corps prepares these countries for the “common goal” of CAT and the Peace Corps. Mr. Lane talked at more length than any other panelist.
Aaron Schock said he was a friend of the Peace Corps and admired the work it does. However, he has recently voted for budget cuts for Peace Corps funding. He did not mention that in his address.
Cards were passed around for questions for the panel. McMillan edited the questions so they were mostly softballs. Another returned volunteer submitted one to Schock about how he voted but that one never got past McMillan. I am sure several others were cast aside as well. There was one direct question that got through asking if the Peace Corps budget was in danger of cuts. This one did not ask about how Schock voted so I guess that was the best way to get to that issue. Williams answered that one by stating that “we have friends in Congress.” Schock did not comment on that question even though he is a member of Congress.
William Lane commented on several questions, many of the “What should I major in?” variety. He did advocate for ending the sanctions against Cuba. He told an interesting story about a trip to Honduras he made where he met women who grew cucumbers for the American market. He made it sound like a good partnership could be formed between Peace Corps and CAT in facilitating exports from developing countries. As a former volunteer myself, I felt that the job of the Peace Corps volunteer was to work in the best interest of the people. All Peace Corps groups have a mission, but we were also instructed to pay attention to “felt needs” in the host country. If CAT wants to get into the development game, they could form their own corps and pay a great deal more than Peace Corps does.
Congressman Schock has developed a habit of coming to the district and taking credit for programs he has voted against. He has been called on this on national news but he continues to do it to the point that it has become accepted. He will keep doing it. He is in a position now that if he does not vote to totally kill a program, he is a “friend” of the program. The Tea Party congresspeople would defund programs like the Peace Corps.
The latest news is that Congress has decided to cut Peace Corps funding by $69 million to a figure of $331 million. Compared to other spending, this is small change. Under Bush, we lost $6 billion in cash in Iraq. Lost it and the government felt no need to explain. Contrary to popular belief, young people in this generation are eager to volunteer to do meaningful work in the country and the world. It is something we should facilitate. -30-
Comments