Obama prevents budget cuts to favorite programs

[BzaDem]

"A close look at the government shutdown-dodging agreement to cut federal spending by $38 billion reveals that lawmakers significantly eased the fiscal pain by pruning money left over from previous years, using accounting sleight of hand and going after programs President Barack Obama had targeted anyway.

Such moves permitted Obama to save favorite programs — Pell grants for poor college students, health research and "Race to the Top" aid for public schools, among others — from Republican knives.

And big holes in foreign aid and Environmental Protection Agency accounts were patched in large part. Republicans also gave up politically treacherous cuts to the Agriculture Department's food inspection program.

The full details of Friday's agreement weren't being released until overnight as it was officially submitted to the House. But the picture already emerging is of legislation financed with a lot of one-time savings and cuts that officially "score" as savings to pay for spending elsewhere, but that often have little to no actual impact on the deficit."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/04/11/national/w144551D77.DTL

Perhaps Obama got more from Republicans (i.e. less real cuts) than some think.

[Hannah Bell]

1. race to the top *should* be cut. it's not aid at all, it's spending to implement the destruction of

public education & the immiseration of public workers.

[liberal N proud]

2. Enlighten us

Please provide us with details to support your position. If this is true, I want to know more.

:hi:

[Hannah Bell]

7. rttt money can't be used for anything the schools that win it want to use it for.

it must be used for the specified purposes, which mainly involve implementing testing, evaluation & other systems favored by ed deformers.

plus, just to be eligible to apply, you have to have systems/laws in place that allow:

1. making teachers pay contingent on student test results
2. state intervention in "failing" schools (shutdown, takeover, charterization for bottom 5%)
3. state membership in common standards consortium
4. special student data system
5. alternative paths to teacher certification

A number of states changed their laws to apply for rttt funds. They didn't get the money, but they still have the laws. Which makes them vulnerable to the ed deformers. RTTT = trojan horse.

[BzaDem]

3. Oh so now the criticism is that Obama didn't cut ENOUGH.

:crazy:

[Hannah Bell]

4. sorry you are so confused; if you think the fact that rttt should be cut =

obama didn't cut enough, i can't help you.

[BzaDem]

6. If you can't read a dictionary, I can't help you. n/t

[Hannah Bell]

8. if you don't know what a non-seq is i can't help you

[dennis4868]

5. If Obsme came up with the cure to ALL cancers....

DUers would have a complaint or 2...

[bvar22]

11. ...only IF he GAVE it to the Health Insurance Corporations...

...to SELL back to us for a BIG, Guaranteed PROFIT....
like he did with the "historic" Health Insurance reform.



Who will STAND and FIGHT for THIS American Majority?
Lofty Rhetoric, Broken Promises, and Whiny Excuses mean NOTHING now.
"By their WORKS you will know them,"
and by their WORKS they will be judged.

[walldude]

12. Yeah and if he killed Unicorns on the White House lawn

DU'ers would say there was a serious Unicorn revolution brewing and Obama saved us.


:shrug:

[lamp_shade]

9. Great read, BzaDem. Thanks for the link. K&R

[deacon]

10. The tea baggers will be furious. n/t