For $184M Tom Harkin Will Walk Your Children to School
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) proposed updating his landmark 2005 Safe Routes to School program yesterday. The reauthorization legislation "expands upon its successes," by among other changes, allowing high schools to participate in the program.
Clearly, the need for Federal assistance is high as the Senator explains:
Across the country, budgets are causing school districts to cut bus service, forcing kids to walk further and in many cases, along busy streets. Parents shouldn’t have to worry if their child will make it to school safely and students should be able to get to their classrooms to learn without putting themselves in danger. That is why this bill is so important. Making these small investments and changes can have a big impact on a kid’s well-being. And, as an added bonus, by providing safe routes to walk and bike to school, we encourage kids to be more active and help them to lead happier, healthier lives.
All for the bargain basement price of $184 million per annum.
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Comments :
May '10
Re: For $184M Tom Harkin Will Walk Your Children to School
You've got to hand it to Senator Harkin for showing creativity on how to expand the Federal Government's reach. Because, you know, the Feds know much more than do mere municipalities on the best routes for kids to walk to school.
Jun '10
Re: For $184M Tom Harkin Will Walk Your Children to School
Well, it ties right in with voucher programs. We already know that some municipalities don't have a clue about how to educate their children or run a school system. This is just adding one more role to the ever-growing Fed bureaucracy. "The Feds have to run things" is a dangerous mindset.
Kids, DO have to get to school. We've infanticized so many low income families that it would never occur to them that they can walk their kids to school. Or make arrangements with friends or neighbors to work out the transportation. They will sit back and wait for a government supplied solution because we've trained them for generations to expect that.
If the concensus is that because of disparity in educational opportunities we must push for federally or state supplied vouchers, we must feed the kids at school (sometimes several meals a day) and we must give them lavish afterschool programs and athletic facilities because wealthy kids sometimes, somewhere get them (see NJ Abbott decision) -- then the natural progression is to give them transportation, too.
May '10
Re: For $184M Tom Harkin Will Walk Your Children to School
What's Harkin's proposal, anyway? I'm imagining miles of those blow-up tunnels used to facilitate the entrance of a pro football team, snaking along the Approved Routes. It's like a sidewalk version of the movie Brazil.
Jan '11
Re: For $184M Tom Harkin Will Walk Your Children to School
$184 million investment in making it to school safely?
Jun '10
Re: For $184M Tom Harkin Will Walk Your Children to School
When I was in sales we always called any thing the client had to spend money on an investment. Ha ha!
Dec '10
Re: For $184M Tom Harkin Will Walk Your Children to School
Is he also going to melt the ice in the winter?
Jan '11
Re: For $184M Tom Harkin Will Walk Your Children to School
Notice that Harkin throws in danger, learning, investment, safety, and health -- it's like his staff collected every education buzz topic, shook it in a bag and dumped it out on the press release.
Jul '10
Re: For $184M Tom Harkin Will Walk Your Children to School
For that amount of money, surely Harkin would carry Their backpacks.
Edited on Apr 13, 2011 at 6:17pm