Dear Kossaks,
I thought we could have a little fun with this. There's a little reading to wade through, but it is a nice ride through another Republican attempt as spreading disinformation to America - and it has a punchline.
So, I write for a small town newspaper in North Carolina, and we've been getting these nice press releases from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) supporting Bush's education agenda. This comes as no surprise as ALEC has been described my Mother Jones as "a year-round clearinghouse for business-friendly legislation." ALEC's nine task forces, each composed of legislators and representatives from private industry, sit down together to draft model bills on issues ranging from agriculture to school vouchers, which are then introduced in state legislatures across the country. Nice huh?
Anyway, here is the press release (the last press release has ALEC pretending to be some group of educations experts, but this one just kisses Bush's ass for cutting education spending.)
"American Legislative Exchange Council
For Immediate Release
February 8, 05
Contact: Stella Harrison Melley
202-431-6461
State Legislators Group Commends Bush Administration for Focusing Education Resources on Students' Needs
Budget Plan Increases State Flexibility
(Washington, DC) The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) commends the US Department of Education's proposed 2006 budget, unveiled yesterday by President Bush. The plan will expand flexibility by allowing local school districts to utilize their federal funds in programs that students need most-not what Beltway insiders deem best.
"The President is to be commended for apportioning federal education funds to flexible programs that have a proven track record for effectiveness, a concept that is long overdue in public education," said Duane Parde, Executive Director of ALEC. "For the first time in recent history, the federal education budget discontinues programs that tie education dollars to pet projects. Instead, the President took a bold step in maximizing flexibility for the states."
Since President Bush took office, federal education spending has risen dramatically. Title 1 funds have increased by 52 percent, while IDEA spending has increased by 75 percent. In the proposed 2006 federal education budget, the President has maintained his commitment to primary, secondary and higher education by bolstering the funding of effective, research-based programs and eliminating programs that have no discernable effect on students' learning or safety.
Lori Drummer, Director of ALEC's Education Task Force said, "President Bush's proposed changes will empower state and school officials to distribute federal funds to those students who need them most. With the changes made in 2002 to the education funding system, due in great part to Congress' enactment of No Child Left Behind, the new funding streams appropriately streamline education spending by eliminating antiquated federal programs. This plan also appropriately ties education priorities to economic growth by increasing investments in Pell grants and community colleges."
But we know the president's budget has been cutting non-military spending all over the place, as even the Washington Post editorial page (those fascist warmongers) shredded the budget, and its stingy-ness to education, farm subsidies, etc....
So here are the facts:
From the desk of Keith Pruitt, posted on Epinions.com
"The President has asked to eliminate federal spending for the following education programs:
Alcohol Abuse Reduction, Arts in Education, Community Technology Centers,
CSR, FIE, CSR Title 1, Dropout Prevention, Even Start, National Writing Project,
Regional Education Laboratories, Small Learning Communities, Vocational Ed ...
While the President does propose spending increases in Title 1 and IDEA (special education), one has to wonder why the President, who has tried to position himself as an education President, would choose to cut spending on the above programs." For further information, go to http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget05/summary/edlite-section3.html The site has even more cuts.
Of course Bush love to fund Title 1 programs because that is his Trojan horse to bring in a school voucher system.
From Jeff Becker, of the Washington Post:
Bush said the $7.7 billion in federal Title 1 funds, which are earmarked for disadvantaged schools, would no longer automatically go to those schools, but would have to be earned. He said each school would test its students -- using a state exam, not a federal one. Schools that failed to reach state standards would first be warned, and after three years would lose Title 1 funds.
Those funds, with other federal moneys, equaling about $1,500 per pupil, then would be "directly available to parents," Bush said. "This money can then be used by students for tutoring, for a charter school, for a working public school in a different district, or for a private school.
Now we can see why ALEC is pretending to be some education expert, because they like school vouchers, the privatizing of schools, and kicking out another great social program from under the control of the U.S. Government.
Anyway, there is a punch line to ALEC trying to influence America through peddling miss-information to small town papers. Here is how the morons finished their press release:
To schedule an interview with Lori Drummer on the budget cuts to education programs, please call Stella Melley at 202-431-6461 or email/sharrison@alec.org.
Yep, ALEC praises Bush's educational policies, and then as if they are a runner finishing a race, they trip just before they cross the finish line, admitting that Bush is really offering BUDGET CUTS to the program.
So, these num-nuts were stupid enough to leave their numbers and emails on the press release, and I am just sharing them with you. You know, just sharing information. That's what we do at Daily Kos. We don't ever write emails, or make phone calls, or call Wingnuts on being fascists.