The Need Is Clear

America’s Army in Waiting offers useful volunteers the possibility to take care of personal obligations by saving through service.

When we enter higher education, we’re offered student loans to support our efforts, but when we graduate, we can struggle to pay them off, particularly in the current economy. When we face what seems to be an endless struggle, one that often leads to escalating interest rates, we can’t enjoy the satisfaction of our own hard work.

We need a solution that isn’t a government handout. The Army in Waiting is the solution we propose for the United States.

What an Army in Waiting would mean for us

The Army in Waiting could help relieve much of our current health care delivery crisis. This is why we propose that the U.S. government establish an official Army in Waiting that allows professionals to volunteer their valuable services to Americans in need. In exchange for a defined number of service hours a month, these professionals can work off a portion of their student loan debt.

This offers professionals an opportunity to provide the services they were trained in, and to serve the people who need their skills. A doctor would perform medical services, a therapist would offer therapy, and so on. But there’s also a place in this plan for nurses, lawyers, teachers, accountants, and anyone who has professional skills to meet the real needs of members of our communities.

An Army in Waiting would expand the delivery of professional care to Americans. And it would give professionals the opportunity to work off student loan debt that has become debilitating.

Where can Army in Waiting members serve?

The resources are already in place around the country. There are hospitals and emergency centers across the United States. There are libraries and schools—therapists and teachers and lawyers can work there. There are currently adequate offices and storefronts sitting empty in many communities.

We can launch this program as soon as we establish a system for effectively delivering these services. To do this, we need the federal government and the banks to get on board. The government can support productive improvement in the national economy by establishing and managing a service delivery system. Banks will get money because volunteers won’t have to default on their student loans.

What happens to a young professional who works hard and wants a family but struggles to be able to support them because of student loans? The purpose of student loans is to provide students with support so that when they graduate, they can provide useful services. The Army in Waiting could stimulate struggling professionals to keep fulfilling their greatest aspirations.

This won’t just be a means for alleviating loan burdens. It can meet a growing national challenge by fulfilling opportunities. This service could be a great plus on anyone’s resume. It would show employers that you know how to contribute to the greater need, that your profession isn’t just about making money, it’s about contributing to your community. It fulfills the national mandate of “United We Stand.” It unites your commitment to your profession, your family, and your community.

Committing to an Army in Waiting

The solution to the national student loan repayment challenge is in sharing.

It doesn’t make sense that, in America, a family may not be able to get the medical care they need. And it doesn’t make sense that medical personnel can work for years on their student loan obligations before they begin to find relief. Needs in education can be addressed the same way. If we provide this opportunity for teachers to practice saving through service, isn’t it likely that many children will benefit from the teachers’ additional availability too?

Many citizens are tired of banks getting government help that the average citizen can’t—particularly while we repay loans at increasing interest rates. If the banks that hold title to these loans work with the American public, they can rehabilitate their reputations. And they need that.

How do we get employers to work around people’s schedules to accommodate members of the Army in Waiting? It would be patriotic in the best American tradition for employers to let members of the Army in Waiting rebalance their schedules, within reason, to accommodate their service to meet local needs. It’s about sharing commitment, a strategy that has always strengthened us as a country.

When we share this idea with others, people consistently ask, “Where can I sign up?” That tells us this country wants more change in a positive direction for this issue. No one’s asking for a handout, a bailout. They just want to solve a real problem with real work. Many Americans want to help their neighbors.

Saving through Service 2

Many professionals today don’t make what their counterparts made ten years ago, but the cost of their education is greater than ever. We’ve spoken to many people with large student loan debts and have found them hungry for the chance to save through serving by joining the Army in Waiting.

That’s the beauty of this. Everyone can work together and everyone is better off. It’s great business practice and great American practice. No one has to lose for everyone to win. This isn’t a Democratic or Republican strategy, a liberal or conservative strategy. It’s an American strategy of collaboration that’s always worked in times of national challenge.

If this ends up helping Americans, it’s because this is a humanitarian movement, not a political movement. People from every major political philosophy can work hard to alleviate their own challenges and the needs of those in their community.

Saving through Service 1

America’s Army in Waiting could help resolve personal student loan debts by providing needed services in our communities. It’s not about getting a government handout. It’s giving back what we owe by serving others with the capabilities we worked hard to develop. And it’s offering our professional services to people who normally can’t afford access to them.

There shouldn’t be an American child without dental care or glasses, or an American family unable to afford legal advice. In our country, this doesn’t make sense. This country has people who are capable of providing these services and we want to give them the chance to do this. Our solution is to help fill mutual needs: families need what professionals burdened with student loan debt can offer.

It’s a systemic idea. We’re talking about community building, community strengthening. The idea is for people to collaborate for the sake of our neighbors, for the sake of our country, to make people’s lives better. The Army in Waiting can bring communities closer together through collaboration, raising the spirit of the whole community.

If teachers could tutor once or twice a week in exchange for a lessening of their loans, how helpful would that be for the community’s children? We talk about improving the American educational system so it can hold its own with those of other countries. The Army in Waiting brings together families, communities, and the country. And it does this through practical, purposeful work.