Special Olympics? What’s So Special About Them?

[appleannie1]

Apparently to the GOP, not much:

The House GOP’s budget, which passed last month, takes a hatchet to programs for disabled kids and Special Olympics athletes. The proposed cuts could force the closure of at least one Special Olympics program, which is funded through the Department of Education. Dubbed Project UNIFY, the program serves more than 750,000 students in 43 states and draws from techniques used in Special Olympics training for activities in public schools.
The program includes sports teams that pair disabled athletes with nondisabled athletes; developmental activities for young children with disabilities; and anti-discrimination programs to combat bullying in schools. Special Olympics president and CEO Tim Shriver has said the program is at the forefront of a national movement to fight bias against the disabled and, in a recent interview on MSNBC, he denounced the GOP cuts: “It wasn’t a haircut—it was a guillotine job for the programs for health and education for children with special needs.”

Apparently to the GOP, not much:

http://www.balloon-juice.com/2011/03/10/special-olympics-whats-so-special-about-them/

GOP Cuts: A "Guillotine Job" on the Special Olympics

Food safety, family planning, cancer research, and low-income housing—now add the Special Olympics to the long list of organizations and federal programs targeted for major funding cuts by congressional Republicans.

The House GOP's budget, which passed last month, takes a hatchet to programs for disabled kids and Special Olympics athletes. The proposed cuts could force the closure of at least one Special Olympics program, which is funded through the Department of Education. Dubbed Project UNIFY, the program serves more than 750,000 students in 43 states and draws from techniques used in Special Olympics training for activities in public schools.

The program includes sports teams that pair disabled athletes with nondisabled athletes; developmental activities for young children with disabilities; and anti-discrimination programs to combat bullying in schools. Special Olympics president and CEO Tim Shriver has said the program is at the forefront of a national movement to fight bias against the disabled and, in a recent interview on MSNBC, he denounced the GOP cuts: "It wasn't a haircut—it was a guillotine job for the programs for health and education for children with special needs."

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/budget-cuts-special-olympics

[truebrit71]

1. "If they were that fucking special they wouldn't need their own olympics"...

:sarcasm:

...Oh how I despise those heartless fucking bastards...

[appleannie1]

2. They are against anything that brings joy to those they feel are 'beneath' them.

[joeybee12]

3. My loathing for the GOP knows no bounds...knr

[PA Democrat]

4. Of course the bully boys will go after those least able to advocate

for themselves. Becoming a Republican is a moral failing.