2007.04.04: April 4, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Dominican Republic: Politics: Congress: Election2008 - Dodd: Expansion: Laconia Citizen: Dodd says he would like to expand the corps to 100,000 from the 7,000 currently serving
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2007.04.04: April 4, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Dominican Republic: Politics: Congress: Election2008 - Dodd: Expansion: Laconia Citizen: Dodd says he would like to expand the corps to 100,000 from the 7,000 currently serving
Dodd says he would like to expand the corps to 100,000 from the 7,000 currently serving
A former Peace Corps volunteer, Dodd said he would like to expand the corps to 100,000 from the 7,000 currently serving. There are only two Arab-speaking countries — Jordan and Morocco — with Peace Corps volunteer programs. "We haven't been asked to be something larger than ourselves for a long time," he said. Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic in the 1960's.
Dodd says he would like to expand the corps to 100,000 from the 7,000 currently serving
Dodd: 'No Child' a 'disaster'
By GAIL OBER
gober@citizen.com
Presidential candidate Chris Dodd blasted the federal No Child Left Behind education law, saying its implementation has been "a disaster."
Speaking before a standing-room-only crowd at the new Woodside Building at the Taylor Community, the senior senator from Connecticut said children from Laconia, as well as the other 50 million public school children in America, are competing on an international scale in a global economy and will have to be better prepared than ever before.
"If we don't get this issue right, everything else is at great risk, in my opinion," said Dodd. "Our country, our system of governance, our economy depends on having a well-educated population."
Addressing the largely senior-citizen audience in a town-hall meeting format, Dodd fielded questions about everything from federal deficits to health care.
He said one of the first things he would do if elected president would be to support negotiated pricing for the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
"We need to stop the bickering and get something going," he said, telling the crowd he also would try to keep people healthy in addition to encouraging a universal system of benefits and participation.
He said the current health care system is cost-driven, whereas a more effective system would be driven by ways to keep people healthy.
"We are over-drugged and over-operated on," said Dodd, adding that most of the improvements in life expectancy over the past 25 years have not been because of the health care system but because of improvements in the other qualities of American life such as decent wages and improved working conditions.
"We need to think about this in a broader context," said Dodd.
"If I were president, I'd begin deploying tonight," said Dodd, responding to a question about Iraq and the future of American diplomacy.
He said it was a mistake to pass an amendment calling for ending the war. "We didn't get elected to send a message," he said.
During his most recent trip to Iraq, he said, he didn't meet any Iraqi officials who thought the surge was a good idea.
"When 60 percent of Iraqis thinks it's okay to shoot at us, and 80 percent think we're the cause of the problem, then it's time to leave," said Dodd to applause.
Dodd said he would like to see a surge in diplomacy. "Even Richard Nixon found time to meet (former Chinese leader) Mao Tse-tung," he said.
A former Peace Corps volunteer, Dodd said he would like to expand the corps to 100,000 from the 7,000 currently serving. There are only two Arab-speaking countries — Jordan and Morocco — with Peace Corps volunteer programs.
"We haven't been asked to be something larger than ourselves for a long time," he said.
He said the current administration is increasingly isolating the U.S., adding that a recent poll of Chileans revealed they thought President Bush was more dangerous than Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
America need to continue to build new relations, said Dodd, saying the current administration behaves like a "petulant child" in its refusal to talk to enemies.
Finally Dodd said he would like to see the United States free of oil from the Persian Gulf within 10 years of his election, and said he would accomplish this by taking a harder look at biofuels, liquid coal, and nuclear energy.
"We can do a better job of this than we are doing," said Dodd.
He said he would reach out to China and help that country develop better technology to allow it to become more environmentally cautious. "I would make it a national priority," said Dodd.
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Headlines: April, 2007; RPCV Chris Dodd (Dominican Republic); Figures; Peace Corps Dominican Republic; Directory of Dominican Republic RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Dominican Republic RPCVs; Politics; Congress; Expansion; Connecticut
When this story was posted in April 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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| Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments. |
| He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor. |
| Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process. |
| The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace. |
| PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come. |
| History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help. |
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Story Source: Laconia Citizen
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Dominican Republic; Politics; Congress; Election2008 - Dodd; Expansion
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