Volunteerism isn’t an excuse for government to be completely rolled back. But the public sector can’t do it all–the old view was that if a federal program didn’t work, double the spending and see if it will work then. That’s not the way to do things. When I was in the White House, some critics used to charge that our emphasis on “a thousand points of light” was just a dodge, a way of saying that encouraging volunteerism could justify spending cuts. That wasn’t the case at all: our thinking then, and the philosophy behind the Philadelphia Summit, is that fixing the country requires our time, not just our tax dollars. It takes both. Somewhere in the country at this very minute the problems that plague us nationally are being solved at a local level through volunteers.
People sometimes say, “Well, George Bush, he’s a man of privilege–what does he know about real-life problems?” It’s true that I was blessed. During the Depression, if we’d gotten sick, my dad could have paid the hospital bills. And I was given a good education. But I was more blessed in a different way: that my mother and dad taught us that no life is complete unless you serve others. Following their example, I became what you might call a tiny point of light: headed up the United Negro College Fund drive at Yale, pitched in to start a YMCA in Midland, Texas. Barbara’s passion is family literacy.
So many Americans share this commitment to help out. It transcends politics–people are tired of the bickering, and there’s a crying need for less partisanship. But no matter what the media (they sometimes seem to live for conflict) tells you, don’t be cynical about the gathering in Philadelphia. It’s not about sweeping promises and no follow-through: it’s about going to work in our hometowns.
I hope that the fact that presidents of very different political views and experiences–me, President Clinton, and former Presidents Reagan, Carter and Ford–are coming together to back this wonderful movement will send a signal that this is more than politics. This is serious stuff. It’s about service, the future, and our children’s well-being. Nothing could be more serious. Or more important.
