THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 21, 1996 TAG: 9604190222
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: On the Street
SOURCE: Bill Reed
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
So the Guv is standing in the schoolhouse door to keep Virginia free from that filthy $6.7 million in federal Goals 2000 money.
What a guy.
Another bold move by our fearless leader to put localities further behind the financial eight ball - especially in school funding.
His reasoning: we must keep the sinister fingers of federal bureaucrats out of our local school operations and maintain our state's honor and integrity.
Kind of reminds you of another guv doesn't it? You remember. He was the guy who stood in the doorway at the University of Alabama in 1963 to block racial integration.
That kind of nonsense got the federal government involved in local education AND local government in the first place.
Because states and localities - especially those below the Mason-Dixon line - refused to open public schools and accommodations to blacks, the feds had to do it for them and sometimes at the point of a bayonet.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since those days, but the narrow-mindedness persists. It seems to be spreading like a flu virus.
Our Guv apparently has succeeded in torpedoing Goals 2000 funding in Virginia.
State Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday failed to override his veto of Goals 2000 legislation, despite a resolution from 85 of Virginia's 134 school boards requesting the aid.
When last we tuned in to government conducted here in the good old USA, public education, among other public services, was paid for by all American citizens. Well, most, anyway.
A big chunk of each individual's yearly pay goes to the federal government. Anyone who faced the April 15 tax filing deadline with sweat-beaded brow should be well aware of that.
Historically, much of that money was returned to localities to help build schools and improve education. Getting some of it back now to do the same thing certainly is an effort worth making. It's money WE paid out to Uncle Sam. Now it's time WE get some of it back.
The stated aim of Goals 2000 is to meet certain educational criteria by the year 2000. Mainly that means producing literate, productive, responsible citizens in the classrooms and helping teachers become more skillful instructors.
So what's the problem? Is there an evil commie plot hidden somewhere in there? Do federal bogymen and women lurk in the shadows, waiting to pounce on unwitting local school officials to make them do their evil bidding?
The Guv thinks so. And so do a lot of his right-wing pals.
Cities such as Virginia Beach are having a tough time these days finding enough cash to pay for services citizens take for granted, like collecting garbage, building new schools and roads, and teaching kids how to read and write.
But Congress and state legislatures are cutting back on funding, big time. It's part of a national trend. And when those cuts are made, it means local taxpayers have to take up the slack to cover the cost of essential services.
By arbitrarily refusing to ask for money that rightfully belongs to state taxpayers, the Guv is making life tougher for them - all because he has some goofy ideological hangups.
Lighten up, Guv. Take the money and run. We need it. by CNB