Government Budget Cuts: Time to Think Alternatively for Education

Jamie Ervin — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:52:57 +0000

With the budget shortfalls directly affecting our schools (Oregon is experiencing HUGE education cuts), I’m looking at alternative education options for my five children.

I’m opting for traditional home education, but for those who feel that route isn’t for them, other options are out there!

Connections Academy… a FREE (public) online/charter school. Elementary students are provided with a computer (one per family) and all students are supplied with books and materials free of charge. There is a great deal of online work and a full staff support. This program (and others like it) take most of the work out of (home) schooling for parents. We used this program for a while for our 16 year old, but she wasn’t able to focus with so many hours spent on the computer.

The Politics of Fire Suppression: Did Bush Administration Budget Cuts Cause Bigger Wildfires?

Jennifer Lance — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:17:36 +0000

In 2007, the United States Forest Service (USFS) spent $1.37 billion fighting wildfires, up from $307 million ten years ago. This year, that number will be much greater due to the 2008 California Firestorm. For example, the Lime Complex in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, which is not contained, has a current cost (7/28/08) of $38,627,355! How will financially strapped California and the USFS pay for these fires and did these fires grow larger because of Bush administration budget cuts?

Year after year, Bush has cut funding from the USFS, yet within this budget, more money is allocated for fire management and less for fire prevention. In February, 2008, Bush proposed decreasing fire preparedness monies by 11 percent. Although the budget calls for a $150 million increase for extinguishing blazes, prevention funding is slashed by $77 million, including a $13 million reduction in small fuels removal. Similar cuts were proposed in 2007. Casey Judd, business manager for the Federal Wildland Fire Service Association, a firefighter employee group explains, “The administration still has it backward. Preparedness should be the focus, not suppression.” Norm Dicks, D-Wash., adds, “Common sense would be that if you put more money into fuel reduction, it’s going to have an effect on having less severe fires.” The White House response was that money could be shifted between the agency’s firefighting and fire suppression accounts, as needed. This is exactly what concerns USFS employees with the current California wildfires.

Green Options » budget cuts

Government Budget Cuts: Time to Think Alternatively for Education

With the budget shortfalls directly affecting our schools (Oregon is experiencing HUGE education cuts), I’m looking at alternative education options for my five children.

The Politics of Fire Suppression: Did Bush Administration Budget Cuts Cause Bigger Wildfires?