Corporate Welfare Should Be Spread Around

As long as Bush and Cheney are handing out corporate welfare to their petroleum, steel and textile industry buddies, they should broaden their sites. I understand that at some level the GOP really believes that the U.S. is better off paying to keep jobs in corporations that are either struggling against foreign competition or trying to keep their retail prices at 25% the rest of the world’s, but an investment in education is just as vital to the economy — short term and long term.

Layoffs were approved at a vote of 4 to 3 at Tuesday night’s school board meeting in Iowa. Cutting Mondays from the school calendar is an idea being used in Kentucky. Eliminating 12th grade is being considered in Colorado. All of these articles mention one signicant item: reduced hours for temporary workers will contribute to budget savings. This means fewer substitute and part-time teachers, mainly. Several of them also mention that they’ll have to wait to see how it affects the children’s education.

These news items should be alarming, but I guess it depends on what “no child left behind” means.

Posted by etrigan at November 19, 2003 2:57 PM