- $525,654 to Albany State University (Georgia) “to be shared with two other colleges, for an initiative to increase the success of minority males and nontraditional students in postsecondary education.”
- Another $525,654 to Albany Technical College (Georgia) “to be shared with two other colleges, for an initiative to increase the success of minority males and nontraditional students in postsecondary education.”
- $657,366 to Albany State University (Georgia) “to be shared with Georgia Southern University, to provide assistance on Georgia agriculture water policy.”
These first three bits of tasty pork come courtesy of Rep. Sanford Bishop (D) of Georgia.
What else is on the list? How about:
- $1,033,620 to Arizona State University at Tempe “to be shared with four other universities, for the Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and Policy,” sponsored by Diane Feinstein (D-CA) along with Senators Domenici (R, N.M.), Bingaman (D, N.M.), and Sen. Boxer (D, Calif.).
- $354,501 to Tufts University “for research to help New England farmers better conserve land.” Sponsored by Representatives DeLauro (D, Conn.) and Courtney (D, Conn.).
- $1,600,000 to The University of Massachusetts at Amherst “for the development of enabling chemical technologies for power from green sources.” This one sponsored by Rep. John Olver (D, Mass.).
- $3,097,167 to Texas A&M University at College Station “to be shared with four other colleges, a nonprofit institute, and a state agency, for the U.S. Marine Shrimp Farming Consortium.” Sponsored by four Democrats and a Republican.
These are just a few examples picked at random from a very large list. Moreover, these were from the 2008 list. Just imagine the new and inventive pork our esteemed Senators and Representatives have cooked up since!
Of course, there are those who will say that these expenditures, when they go for higher education, support worthwhile programs. This is true, to a point. Certainly, if I were to have free reign to relieve my neighbor of 40 percent of his property as a sort of tax for the privilege of living in my neighborhood, I would find that beneficial, and would also be able to claim, from my point of view, that the “tax” in question went to something worthwhile -- namely, my bottom line.
But, nonetheless, my taking of 40 percent of my neighbor’s property would still be theft. And theft it is too when, as Bastiat pointed out, a government takes from some, and then gives to others, irrespective of the benefits those others receive as a result of the dubious transaction.
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Feb 23, 2010Posted By
Christian GomezI would like to commend the author of this article for mentioning the waste of our tax-payer money for pet projects.
Also as a college student I know that textbooks are very expensive, but this is because of the government regulations that force professors to use textbooks and because you have very little market compe[censored]ion in the publishing arena.
You have only a few companies such as McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin, HarperCollins, Prentice-Hall, Pearson, etc.. and most of these books have more than one author.
Cheaper Alternatives for history classes would be books such as "The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History" by Thomas E. Woods or "A Patriot's History of the United States" by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen.
Why not allow or use these books published by Regnery Publishing and Sentinel Trade, respectively?
A Patriot's History was recently shown on the Glenn Beck Show, on FOX News, and is a great read in US History.
Other alternatives to the expensive progressive textbooks in classes could be the McGuffey Readers, which were common place in schools throughout the 19th century and early 20th century.
As for Science classes why not introduce books such as "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science" or "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming" into the curriculum?
I understand that Law, Buisness, and Nursing/ Med textbooks are very pricey but in the end the cost will payoff once that student becomes a lawyer, nurse, or doctor.
Students should be thought about the Founding Fathers and the Cons[censored]ution, and most of all the Holy Bible (1611 edition, New American Standard, or New International Version).
Studying other political thoughts, systems, and religions is good to learn but the focus should lie in our Cons[censored]utional Republic (not a "liberal Democracy, as so many of my teachers and professors have said).
Also the Department of Education's national standardized exams add to school cost to administer and deviate classes from learning what they should in order to meet Federal mandates. These exams don't help students learn.
Education should be kept in the local level (home, private, town, city, or State) not the Federal level, besides the Department of Education is uncons[censored]utional--something not mentioned in public schools or Universities!
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