It’s funded by federal tax dollars to the tune of $1.16 billion this year alone, is authorized up to $2.5 billion under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, its effectiveness in improving kids’ academic performance is dubious, and no one outside the education establishment seems to know anything about it. It’s the 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) grant program, and it’s funded by federal tax dollars funneled through the Idaho Department of Education. This year, $1.6 million dollars from the program went to eight Idaho school districts: Blackfoot, Coeur d’Alene, K
spending
Afterschool program funds are available, but are they worth the cost?
June 09, 2010 | posted by Jay Howell inBudget expert says national debt is $74 trillion, not $13 trillion
May 25, 2010 | posted by Jay Howell inLately, we've been hearing a lot about how the national debt is approaching the $13 trillion dollar mark. But one accountant who’s been studying the federal deficit and national debt for nearly 20 years says $13 trillion is just a fraction of our real national debt, which is closer to $74 trillion.
Congress horses around, spends money
July 24, 2009 | posted by Chuck Malloy inBy Chuck Malloy
Remember those wonderful days when the federal government would spend $500 on toilet seats and $700 on hammers?
Well, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has dramatically increased the ante by approving legislation to provide $700 million for wild horses. Yes, you read it correctly -- $700 million for wild horses. It's an amendment to the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burros Act and the idea is to improve the management and long-term health of wild free-roaming horses and burros. The highlights include:
Funding of arts shows idiocy of Fed stimulus
July 13, 2009 | posted by Wayne Hoffman inThe play is the thing that exposes the idiocy of federal stimulus. There are now 14.7 million Americans out of work. The unemployment rate in the Boise metro area is in double digits. In Canyon County, unemployment has climbed to 12.2 percent - the highest in the state and the highest level since 1983. Ah, but at least out-of-work Idahoans will be able to sleep, perchance dream, knowing that their tax dollars will be used to produce a rousing play at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival - next year. The future is unknown. The mortgage is in doubt. But the arts are safe.
