President Bush has asked Congress to authorize $56.5 BILLION for the Department of Education for FY2003. Now I've never been a math scholar but I calculated that to come to $829.66 for every student enrolled in school, kintergarten through college. I got the number of students from this site if you'd like to verify this information: Education Statistics Quarterly

Now we all know that each student receives very little of the $829.66 applied to their educations that the Federal Government collects on their behalf. Instead, we have a giagantic Department of Education to support with that money. This department needs to be funded with staffers, office buildings, utilities, insurance and supplies. The money gets blown on all this well before students and schools ever get any of it.

What good does this do? Wouldn't the education system in this country be better served if the money never went as far as the federal government? Shouldn't it stay local so that people of various communities can best decide how they should spend the money, since they are most familiar with the needs of their neighborhood schools?

I say it's time to start tightening our belts. Abolishing this monstrosity known as the Department of Education would be a great first step.

janet reno tried bashing bush about his education policy on the radio ... it was hilarous, the guy let her ramble on for about 1/2 an hour. then asked her ... how much much money goes to education from the state budget ... no clue, 33 billion. then asked her what percentage of that is the whole budget, again no clue ... 1/3. but yeah, we could put it to better use, but kids do need new books.