In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
Muting the Call to Service
Being a McSweeney's fan, It always nice to read Dave Eggers. This editorial is a nice piece about another war Bush is waging, the war against helping the disadvantaged. It is a purposeful war.
AmeriCorps needs an emergency infusion of $100 million just to maintain its current operations. While the Senate voted to appropriate the money, the House of Representatives refused to approve the emergency funds — and then adjourned for the summer. Meanwhile, the administration has been largely silent — and it remains unclear whether it will press Congress to provide the funds in September.
Which is confusing, considering how vocal President Bush has been about the need to maintain and even expand our national service programs. At one time, in fact, the president proposed expanding AmeriCorps to 75,000 members. "We need more talented teachers in troubled schools," the president said in his 2002 State of the Union address, the first after 9/11. "U.S.A. Freedom Corps will expand and improve the good efforts of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps to recruit more than 200,000 new volunteers."
Bush talks like a compasionate conservative, but he's happy to see the programs die. I mean what did programs like that ever do for his family or friends? These programs seem to be for poor people. Blah. Don't poor people have enough advantages, like low taxes. Why do they need to get a decent education too?
- rob 1:49 PM - [PermaLink] -
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