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Back on the domestic
front, attending to that two-tier society, Bush2 continues to wage class
warfare by defunding programs it doesn’t like or much care about. Also note that the administration is attacking NGO’s that do
not fit into their neoconservative philosophy, expecting them to be branches of
government. Both of these
below, from OMB Watch. Links are
live. KWC Children Bear Brunt of Federal Tax Cuts Published On: 07/28/2003 04:48 PM
@ http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/1703/ In the absence of federal
assistance, childcare, education, and children’s health programs are being
slashed across the country despite their popularity and effectiveness. For instance:
The ability of states to provide these services has been greatly
diminished by recent tax cuts, costing $1.7 trillion, decreased
revenue as a result of the sluggish economy, and severe reductions in federal
spending, including funding for the Childcare and Development Block
Grant. For most states, the federal government provides between 50 percent and
70 percent of health and social service spending for children, which often
encourages additional state and local funding, according to a new study by the Every Child Matters Education Fund.
In 2001, for instance, $6.5 billion in federal funding for childcare assistance
was matched by $1.6 billion in state funds. Without such assistance, states are
being forced to roll back crucial services, as they face budget deficits in the
range of $70 to $85 billion for state fiscal year 2004, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Moreover, assuming that states do not act to “decouple” their tax codes
from federal law, the new 2003 tax cuts are estimated to reduce state revenues
by $3 billion over the next two
years, and if expiring provisions are extended, $16 billion or more over the
next 10 years. In addition, repeal of taxes on inherited wealth is projected to
cost the states $9 billion a year. Meanwhile, the Bush administration has pressed to devolve formerly state
and federal responsibilities to community-based nonprofits and other service
providers, which are seeing their caseloads balloon just as the rug is being
pulled out from under them, with federal funding down and private giving diminished
as a result of the poor economy. This has led to further severe cutbacks in
children’s services, as detailed in a a recent report by Venture Philanthropy Partners.
Children’s advocates view the
administration’s budget decisions as shortsighted. Greater investments in
children’s programs in the 1990s corresponded with improved outcomes. For
instance, the Kids Count report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that
eight out of 10 child-well-being indicators improved from 1990 and 2000. In addition to research indicating
the effectiveness of children’s programs, there is evidence that the public is
willing to pay for child and family services. In a recent national survey, 68 percent of
registered voters preferred greater investments in their children and
grandchildren over tax cuts, which received only 24 percent support. Nonetheless, the Bush
administration has gone in the other direction, forcing hundreds of millions of
dollars in cuts for childcare, children’s health care, as well as
pre-kindergarten and after-school programs. Kids are beginning to feel the
brunt of the severe drop in federal and state revenues, and without a dramatic
change in the country’s fiscal priorities, the worst is yet to come. An Attack on Nonprofit Speech: Death By a
Thousand Cuts (Summary) @ http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/1701/
“Perhaps nothing is as central to the nonprofit sector as protecting
its right to speak out on issues.
For example, when there were attacks on nonprofit advocacy in 1983 and
1995, the sector organized galvanizing responses to fend them off. Unfortunately, it appears that such
attacks are again surfacing, but in ways that are broader yet much harder to
fight back. Instead of a single legislative or regulatory proposal that would limit
nonprofit speech, the Bush administration and conservative allies have proposed
or begun implementing a number of proposals that are akin to a “death by a
thousand cuts.” These “cuts,”
which have suddenly accelerated in the last year, come in three areas:
There is now a growing litany of examples under each of these three
categories, but because each proposal or action affects only limited numbers of
nonprofits, they have not drawn significant attention. Yet the proposals and actions by the
Bush administration and conservatives are already taking their toll. Even when proposals have been dropped,
they leave a chill on speaking out on issues in their wake. Taken together, they paint a mosaic
that should cause great concern for every nonprofit – and should be a rallying
cry for nonprofit sector leaders.
This administration -- and its conservative allies – is stifling free
_expression_ and using the heavy hand of government to quash dissent.” |
- Re: [Futurework] Class Warfare by Defunding Karen Watters Cole
- Re: [Futurework] Class Warfare by Defunding Brad McCormick, Ed.D.
