In April of this year, President Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. This act provides for funding of existing volunteer programs and the establishment of new government volunteer programs to encourage and expand voluntarism within our nation. See related links at the bottom of this article to learn more about the Serve America Act.

The act includes the Silver Scholars volunteer programs for seniors, aged 55 and over, in the hopes they will enlist their skills and abilities to the benefit of many non-profit organizations. This could be a good match for both seniors and these organizations and could lead to many other types of involvement in the restructuring and expansion of these organizations, as anticipated through the provision of this act.

Volunteer organizations such as the Red Cross, AmeriCorps and Keep America Beautiful, among others, are embracing this act in the hopes that it provides a fresh wave of volunteer recruits to meet the many needs of people who rely on the services these organizations provide. Each have a high degree of respect for the quality and value of their well-documented volunteer services, and it is no doubt a tremendous victory for and acknowledgment of the work of these volunteer organizations.

Though the initial response to the Serve America Act is generally positive, one can't help but be taken aback by the projected cost to the taxpayers of at least six billion dollars for the next six to eight years. Egads! While most agree that voluntarism is a worthy calling and should be highly esteemed, encouraged and recognized, spending six billion dollars to "volunteer" somehow seems to change the meaning and intention of the word.

There is no doubt that we should become a nation of volunteers on every level in our society. There is a special and unique patriotism that voluntarism inspires in our nation -- and is one of the very things that sets our nation apart in the world. Voluntarism is as wholesomely symbolic to the American people as is apple pie. However, if we are to become a nation of volunteers, then let's truly volunteer and not allow voluntarism to become a burden where it was originally intended to relieve burdens.

The message behind Serve America should be applauded. The people in our nation should become inspired to volunteer on an on-going basis, beginning in our schools. The educational credits for those who choose to volunteer are a benefit to many, not to mention the personal satisfaction and growth that is achieved by those who volunteer and by those who are recipients of these programs. What doesn't make sense is why such a noble cause -- a free and generous gift provided from one human being to another -- should come at such a high cost to taxpayers. It's a sad state of affairs when our government feels the need to entice "non-profit" voluntarism through such an enormous expenditure of taxpayer money at a time when our economic struggles are overwhelming for many.

It's hard to say "no" to something that we regard as virtuous and honorable, such as volunteering is. It's hard to say "no" to a man Senator Edward M. Kennedy who has spent his entire life as a public servant. It's hard to say "no" to the many worthy volunteer organizations that have stood up for this legislation. This act was prepared with all the right ingredients, served on a pretty dish and given a respected moniker so that we, as taxpayers, could not possibly say "no."

This is going to be one expensive slice of American pie.