"The Peace Corps Act declares the purpose of the Peace Corps to be:

"to promote world peace and friendship through a Peace Corps, which shall make available to interested countries and areas men and women of the United States qualified for service abroad and willing to serve, under conditions of hardship if necessary, to help the peoples of such countries and areas in meeting their needs for trained manpower."

"Since 1960, more than 190,000 people have served as Peace Corps volunteers in 139 countries"

As with all Democratic administrations' successful programs, the Republican  Bush adminstration wants to put the final nail into the coffin it has fashioned for the Peace Corps.

William Fisher at IPS News writes: "As the U.S. government continues its planning for a 700-billion-dollar bailout of the financial sector, the Peace Corps -- one of the United States' most successful foreign policy programmes -- is being cut back due to a budget shortfall of 18 million dollars. 

"In 2001, President George W. Bush announced he would double the size of the Peace Corps by fiscal 2007, to 14,000 volunteers. But the popular programme is currently some 6,000 volunteers short of that goal, and budgetary problems are forcing it to eliminate 400 new volunteers as well as postponing -- in some cases, indefinitely -- the deployment of volunteers already approved. 

"The Corps is also seeking to cut costs by consolidating some of its recruiting offices in the U.S. and deferring the hiring of some new personnel overseas. It has asked its managers in Washington and its 11 regional offices to reduce their budgets by 15.5 percent. Overseas, many of the Corps' foreign posts are reducing spending by consolidating two or more employee positions into one and reducing time devoted to volunteer training.

"Foreign policy experts have expressed dismay at the programme's current dilemma. Among them is Patricia Kushlis, a retired veteran of more than 20 years with the U.S. Foreign Service.

"She told IPS, 'I think the budget shortfall is ridiculous particularly compared to the amount the military has for recruiting. It's an underreported story because the Peace Corps appears to be intentionally keeping it quiet. It's not an administration priority and besides it makes the administration look bad.'

"These volunteers carry out a vast array of person-to-person tasks ranging from building wells and irrigation systems, to teaching school children, providing advice to subsistence farmers on increasing crop yields, counseling expectant mothers on pre- and post-natal child care, and assisting would-be micro-entrepreneurs. 

"The Corps currently has 8,079 volunteers working in 74 less-developed countries. Recruiting reached a peak of about 15,000 in 1966.

"The Peace Corps budget shortfall has been caused primarily by the declining value of the dollar and the consequent increases in the cost of overseas leases, living costs for volunteers, energy outlays, and foreign staff salaries. The agency, which has a budget of 330.8 million dollars, estimates its foreign currency losses from 2008 alone to be 9.2 million dollars.

Bush regime: Cut the Peace Corps budget, privatize Social Security, ignore the common good, expand illegal pre-emptive invasions, shred the Constitution, but maintain government of, by, and for the rich and corporation.