Responding to the almost monolithically positive coverage of the Obama administration by the national press, Phil Bronstein, editor-at-large for the Hearst Newspapers, observed recently that the Administration and the reporters covering it should “get a room.” And while USA Today’s account of Barack and Michelle Obama’s “United We Serve” initiative appeared after Bronstein’s quip, its coverage of same serves as yet another example of a media apparently unwilling to show even the remotest amount of skepticism about an Administration and program that deserve a great deal of it.
As USA Today’s Andrea Stone wrote, “First Lady Michelle Obama will launch a summer of service” that the “White House hopes will help the economy recover through the work of individuals.” This is not a joke, and this is also not a parody of slavish White House reportage from the Onion. Stone was serious.
But back to reality, and taking nothing away from either charitable work or volunteerism, neither has anything to do with economic growth. If anything, for drawing potential workers away from the wage economy, volunteerism detracts from economic activity.
Nothing Stimulative About Obama’s Volunteerism – John Tamny, RCM
