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  • Mar. 4th, 2008 at 12:32 PM
doodle
The bad news: President Bush Eliminates Funding for Reading Is Fundamental’s Historic Book Distribution Program Serving 4.6 Million Children (via [info]silk_noir).

The good news: RIF makes it really easy to email your senators or congresspeople who haven't yet pledged to reinstate RIF's funding. In my case, that meant one of my senators (Diane Feinstein) and my district's representative (Susan A. Davis). Let's hope they see the light and decide poor kids deserve the dignity and empowerment that comes from having books of their very own.

Take books away from kids, we all lose. Give them books, we all win. Duh.

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(Anonymous) wrote:
Mar. 4th, 2008 09:17 pm (UTC)
This makes me really mad because it feels more personal to me than a lot of other issues. Shouldn't literacy be important to our government? I mean, is Bush deliberately trying to do more damage before he goes out of office?
--Becky
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[info]krylyr wrote:
Mar. 4th, 2008 09:30 pm (UTC)
I cannot begin to express how pissed off I am with the state (specifically California) and federal goverment's approach to education in the last 8 years. I mean, it wasn't good 6-8 years ago when No Child Left Behind was the rage and it's so much worse now...

Fuding for RIF cut. School Buses cut. Library hours during school cut. Where is it going to end?
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[info]gregvaneekhout wrote:
Mar. 4th, 2008 09:36 pm (UTC)
It ends with Morlocks and Eloi.

What particularly irks me about cutting funds for RIF is that what RIF does should be so uncontroversial. Studies show that kids with books in their houses do better academically than kids without. RIF gives books to kids who can't afford books. What could be simpler? What could be smarter?
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[info]bogwitch64 wrote:
Mar. 4th, 2008 10:23 pm (UTC)
What do poor kids need books for anyway? They're just going to be waitresses, unwed mothers, janitors, junkies. Just think of how the gov't could otherwise spend that money instead of wasting it on these urchins?

Oh, I know! We could buy GWB that satiny toilet paper he likes so much. Then when he's sitting on the potty with his "Pat the Bunny" book, his little bummy will be happy too.
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(Anonymous) wrote:
Mar. 4th, 2008 10:24 pm (UTC)
Michael van Eekhout
"Leave No Child Behind" my ass! They're leaving them all behind. I was saddened to see that one of "my" senators failed to yet pledge to reinstate RIF's funding ... so, my dear Olympia Snowe of lovely Falmouth, ME was the lucky recipient of an email today.
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[info]joshrountree wrote:
Mar. 4th, 2008 10:35 pm (UTC)
I just put out an e-mail to the three people in my district who haven't yet supported funding for this. Thanks for pointing it out, Greg.
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(Anonymous) wrote:
Mar. 5th, 2008 01:28 am (UTC)
Cousin Ellen
Yeah for Greg for alerting everyone about RIF. My first graders are beneficiaries of RIF. Without this program, most of them would not have any books at all at home (other than the ones I buy for them at garage sales and second hand stores). And don't even get me started about NCLB!
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[info]dustchick wrote:
Mar. 5th, 2008 02:07 am (UTC)
Re: Cousin Ellen
And the Legislative Analysts Office is recommending that community college fees go from $20 back to $26. That might not sound like much, but a 30% increase like that will hurt my particular college a lot.
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[info]jedifreac wrote:
Mar. 5th, 2008 03:05 am (UTC)
Incidentally, Bush's favorite kid's book is my least favorite. The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

"Bush, along with the nation's 49 other governors was asked by the Pizza
Hut -- as part of a nation-wide literacy campaign -- what his favorite books
were as a child. Bush cited "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," and "Sarah's Flag
for Texas" among 7 total as his personal favorites.

However, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" was published in 1969, the same year
Bush graduated from Yale.
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