Tag: budget

Civil liberties need a strong education

Blundell and Gov. Rick Perry
Gov. Rick Perry and I after a 2006 interview | Photo by Perry staff member

Amid budget shortfalls and huge cuts predicted in public education (K-12 and higher ed) it’s interesting that I came across this bit from The Texas Declaration of Independence.

it is an axiom in political science, that unless a people are educated and enlightened, it is idle to expect the continuance of civil liberty, or the capacity for self government

The statement was made in support of Texas’ reasons from seceding from Mexico, citing no educational system had been put in place in Texas at the time, even though the resources where definitely there.

Where’s Congress spending your money

A new Google Earth layer keeps tabs on political spending by pinpointing where and for what projects U.S. government officials are budgeting funds for across the country:

Members of Congress know where the money is going: now citizens can, too. The Sunlight Foundation today released a Google Earth application that plots the locations for almost 1,500 earmarks in the House Defense Appropriations bill. This graphic illustration of defense earmarks gives anyone with an Internet connection a bird’s eye view of exactly where Congress is directing federal spending—and the ability to investigate whether the earmarks address pressing needs, favor political contributors or are simply pure pork.

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Download the free Google Earth layer from The Sunlight Foundation

via lifehacker