Coburn Report Shows Billions in Education Budget Spent on 'School House Pork'

All these tax dollars spent on pork for education and the teacher's unions still demand more money be spent on education. How many more billions do we throw at an education system that is fatally flawed in some areas of the Country. Teacher's unions in a lot of cases are a large part of the problem as they protect all teachers including some really bad ones.

Two things have to happen for better schools -- more parental involvement and less influence by teacher unions. Until you get parents involved in their children's education, more money is not going to solve the problem.  If parents and taxpayers don't demand good schools what incentive is there?

Obama talked this week about the reasons for not sending his daughters to DC public schools (wouldn't send mine either), but then at the same time Obama stopped allowing vouchers for DC students to attend other schools which smacks of elitism. Guess he doesn't want his children in a private school to have children there that use vouchers? Is that what we are supposed to take away from his recent comments?

He also sent his daughters to a private school in Chicago. Same public school system that Obama and Ayers allocated the millions from the Annenberg project which didn't help the southside Chicago school students. Instead it helped their friends.

Obama picked a horrible choice to be Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, as he came from that same failed Chicago school system Obama refused to send his daughters. Duncan did nothing to improve the Chicago schools except waste a lot of tax dollars along with Annenberg funding. What does he know about good schools since Chicago schools are some of the worst in the Nation?

Now we have discoverd thanks to Dr. Coburn that pork is high on the educators list for funding?  Why are we not shocked?

Oklahomans will be sending Dr. Coburn back to DC on November 2nd to continue to fight for the taxpayers of America against the pork and earmarks of the Senate.

Coburn Report Shows Billions in Education Budget Spent on 'School House Pork'

September 30, 2010

What do mariachi classes, wine studies and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have in common?

They were all funded by federal Department of Education earmarks, according to an extensive new report released Thursday by Sen. Tom Coburn.

The Oklahoma Republican, in a study called "School House Pork," is urging the federal government to suspend these education "slush funds" after finding that lawmakers have secured 5,563 such earmarks, worth $2.3 billion over the past decade. While earmark advocates argue they're a way to ensure taxpayer money is going toward worthy projects, Coburn's report claims the recipients often were not "deserving or needy" of the extra funding.

Click Here to Read the Study

The programs were "created by Congress to improve the American educational system, but have been compromised by political interests and are overrun with education pork," the report says.

Coburn's study focuses on two Education Department funds -- the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education and the Fund for the Improvement of Education. He told Fox News the Congress is not focusing on priorities in allocating the money.

"We're in tough times and we're still doing this kind of stupid stuff," Coburn said Thursday. "Everybody's thinking we have to raise taxes, the first thing we need to do is cut back waste."

The report, claiming money often went to the schools with the best lobbyists, drew attention to dozens of questionable earmarks. Here are some of the highlights:

-- A Las Vegas school district received a $25,000 earmark in 2005 for a mariachi music program.

-- Jackson State University benefited from a $478,941 earmark to look at studying a school of osteopathic medicine. However, a local newspaper reported that the commissioner of higher education in Mississippi had "no intention" of opening one.

-- Central Washington University received $191,593 in 2008 for "curriculum development," which included a curriculum based on local wines.

-- Lawmakers secured more than $181 million in earmarks over the past decade for programs and projects that would bear their name. This included $1.9 million in 2008 for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service; two earmarks over two years worth more than $19 million for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Senate; $2.4 million for the Lott Leadership Institute, named after former Sen. Trent Lott; and two earmarks worth $10 million for the Strom Thurmond Fitness and Wellness Center.

-- Fifteen earmarks worth $2.7 million went to zoos over the past decade. This included four earmarks totaling $1 million for the Philadelphia Zoo.

-- Several education earmarks funded local and national halls of fame. The National Baseball Hall of Fame got $450,000 in 2005, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame got $200,000 in 2002 and the National Aviation Hall of Fame got $400,000 in 2001 -- then another $200,000 earmark in 2005.

-- Lawmakers secured $273,000 for a program in Blue Springs, Mo., aimed at fighting Goth culture.

-- Through seven earmarks, more than $5 million went to the Andre Agassi College Prep Academy.

Source: Fox News