Sequestration: A Teaching Moment

Warren Beatty / American Thinker

I got an (unsolicited) e-mail the other day from The national PTA (Parent Teacher Association) entitled “Congressional Inaction on Sequestration Harms Students and Families”. The e-mail (here is the web version) says that the “National PTA disappointed with the lack of a bipartisan solution”. The e-mail opens with this statement:

“The National PTA is disappointed with the U.S. Congress’ apparent failure to reach a balanced, responsible deficit reduction plan to replace automatic, across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration.” The e-mail concludes with this statement: “By not achieving bipartisan action to replace sequestration, Congress has failed our nation’s children and their families.”

The e-mail places the sequestration squarely upon the U.S. Congress. But nowhere in the entire e-mail is Dear Leader Barack Hussein Obama, or his role, even mentioned. The PTA said was “disappointed with the lack of a bipartisan solution,” but forgot (on purpose?) to mention that House Republicans offered several plans to alter the cuts, but Democrats would not consider them, preferring instead to raise taxes. I guess bipartisanship means, to the PTA, doing thing the Democrats’ way, while ignoring Republicans.

One result of sequestration specifically mentioned in the PTA e-mail is Impact Aid. From the ed.gov web site, we get the mission statement of the Impact Aid program:

“The mission of the Impact Aid Program is to disburse Impact Aid payments to local educational agencies that are financially burdened by federal activities and to provide technical assistance and support services to staff and other interested parties.” [emphasis mine]

How ironic. There has to be a financial aid program to support federal requirements. And the PTA is decrying a reduction in this program. But, then, the PTA could be correct. If federal requirements are not reduced, but aid to support them is, a problem could arise. I guess it’s easier for the PTA to lament the reduction of Impact Aid than to tell the federal government to “butt out.”

Read more at American Thinker:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/03/sequestration_a_teaching_moment.html#ixzz2Mn8xp3Tv
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