Muda69 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 http://reason.com/blog/2019/03/28/betsy-devos-is-right-feds-shouldnt-be-fu Quote Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, arguably the most consistently dragged member of President Trump's cabinet, has stepped in it again, this time with a budget plan that calls for zeroing out $17.6 million in funding for the Special Olympics, which organizes athletic training and competitions for intellectually disabled children and adults. That reduction comes in the context of an Education budget that asks for 10 percent less than what it was given in fiscal 2019, a rare moment of parsimony for a government that has amassed $22 trillion in debt and set a record in February for posting the single-biggest monthly deficit in history. DeVos's budget for 2020 requests $64 billion, down from about $71 billion this year. Needless to say, DeVos is being roasted like a chestnut on an open fire, as if she were cutting educational resources for intellectually disabled students (in fact, the budget allocates over $32 billion for "high-need students," which includes intellectually disabled students). Rep. Joseph Kennedy III (D–Mass.) called DeVos's plan "cruel," "misguided," and "outrageous." ... The relevant question, of course, isn't whether the Special Olympics does good work. It's whether it should be funded by the federal government. The short answer is no, as this sort of activity, however uplifting, is not a core function of government. Indeed, even if the federal government were flush with cash, it shouldn't fund the Special Olympics—or many other things it currently funds. President Trump has put together a budget that asks for a record-high $4.75 trillion, so I can understand why Special Olympics advocates feel like their relatively small slice of the pie is being unfairly targeted. But the plain truth is that government cannot and should not pay for everything that somebody wants. Our leaders need to be bringing year-over-year cuts to every aspect of the federal government the way that DeVos is doing at Education. As DeVos wrote in response to her critics: There are dozens of worthy nonprofits that support students and adults with disabilities that don't get a dime of federal grant money. But given our current budget realities, the federal government cannot fund every worthy program, particularly ones that enjoy robust support from private donations. This isn't the first year that DeVos called for cuts to the Special Olympics and there is very little reason to believe the reductions will go through. But even if they did, the organization and its beneficiaries would still be in excellent shape. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, meaning that deductions to it are tax deductible. According to its 2017 financials (the most-recent available on the web), the organization had total revenues of about $149 million, including $15.5 million in federal grants. It's not a stretch to assume that if federal funding disappears, the resulting outcry would lead to record donations. This sort of flap is political theater at its most transparent and unhelpful by diverting attention from more important topics. There are serious questions to be asking about the size, scope, and spending of the federal Department of Education and whether it should even exist. It was established in 1979, and Ronald Reagan campaigned on a promise to kill it if he took the White House. Not only didn't he kill it, he expanded its budget throughout his presidency. Yet student achievement, the most-basic measure of educational productivity, has not improved since the department was created and began effectively controlling more and more aspects of the K-12 curriculum. Agreed. It is not constitutional for the federal government to fund everything. let alone the Special Olympics. And it is refreshing to see a cabinet secretary, even if the department they head is blatantly unconstitutional, actually be somewhat serious about cutting spending. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swordfish Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 19 minutes ago, Muda69 said: http://reason.com/blog/2019/03/28/betsy-devos-is-right-feds-shouldnt-be-fu Agreed. It is not constitutional for the federal government to fund everything. let alone the Special Olympics. And it is refreshing to see a cabinet secretary, even if the department they head is blatantly unconstitutional, actually be somewhat serious about cutting spending. Agree - Even IF the Federal Government was to fund the special Olympics, it sure shouldn't be under the Department of Education. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARRYOSAMA Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Idiot cages in the town square is much cheaper. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaSalle Lions 1976 Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 On 3/30/2019 at 4:38 PM, BARRYOSAMA said: Idiot cages in the town square is much cheaper. You do know that the word "idiot" was a term used for the intellectually disabled in the 19th century Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARRYOSAMA Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 4 minutes ago, LaSalle Lions 1976 said: You do know that the word "idiot" was a term used for the intellectually disabled in the 19th century Yes. Rather than spend a few million to fund the special olympics, it would be cheaper to cage the disabled and laugh and heckle and throw crap at em...cuz ya know...they ain’t normal and offer no material benefit to society. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaSalle Lions 1976 Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 6 minutes ago, BARRYOSAMA said: Yes. Rather than spend a few million to fund the special olympics, it would be cheaper to cage the disabled and laugh and heckle and throw crap at em...cuz ya know...they ain’t normal and offer no material benefit to society. As a Special Ed teacher...not good. This is one thing I won't lighten up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARRYOSAMA Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 2 minutes ago, LaSalle Lions 1976 said: As a Special Ed teacher...not good. This is one thing I won't lighten up No doubt at a government sponsored educational factory where the fruits of my hard work are stolen by the government in order to babysit the dregs of society. DeVos and Muda 2020! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muda69 Posted April 1, 2019 Author Share Posted April 1, 2019 On 3/30/2019 at 4:38 PM, BARRYOSAMA said: Idiot cages in the town square is much cheaper. *yawn*, nice try at hyperbole. You really believe this is what will happen with taxpayer money not funding Special Olympics, NightHawk? And it looks like Mr. Trump is now your hero, right? hhttps://www.apnews.com/9e4bf2732b0744a98192c923ac19f38e Quote President Donald Trump says he is backing off his budget request to eliminate funding for the Special Olympics, reversing course on a proposal that was unlikely to be approved by Congress after days of bipartisan criticism. Speaking to reporters Thursday as he left the White House for a rally in Michigan , Trump said he had authorized funding for the organization. “I heard about it this morning,” he said. “I have overridden my people. We’re funding the Special Olympics.” .... I guess there is nothing altruistic the private sector can do anymore on it's own, it all has to be funded on the back of taxpayers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARRYOSAMA Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 9 hours ago, Muda69 said: And it looks like Mr. Trump is now your hero, right? Nope, just shows that he is not the most vile human on the planet. I now know of two that easily whip him. #DeVos & Muda 2020 ~ Reject the Retards 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muda69 Posted April 2, 2019 Author Share Posted April 2, 2019 14 hours ago, BARRYOSAMA said: Nope, just shows that he is not the most vile human on the planet. I now know of two that easily whip him. #DeVos & Muda 2020 ~ Reject the Retards Tell us NightHawk, why can't the private sector fund an activity of such great value as the Special Olympics? If it costs such a paltry sum why are you not volunteering to pitch in? #NightHawk 2020 ~ government spending is automatically the answer to ALL altruistic endeavors, the private sector just sucks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muda69 Posted April 2, 2019 Author Share Posted April 2, 2019 To help with with NightHawk's righteous indignation/rage at taxpayer money not being used to fund Special Olympics, Inc.: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/special-olympics-budget-controversy-behind-the-numbers-at-nonprofit-group/ Quote * The federal budget provides roughly 10 percent of Special Olympics revenue, based on filings with the IRS * Special Olympics says federal funds go to public school programs, not the games themselves * President Trump's budget each year has called for cutting funding for the program -- instead, Congress has raised it from $12.6 million in 2017's budget to $15.1 million in last year's and $17.6 million this year's After bipartisan outrage on both sides of the political aisle in Congress, President Donald Trump overruled his own education secretary this week and cancelled a budget-cutting proposal to eliminate $17.6 million in federal funding for the Special Olympics. The money accounts for roughly 10 percent of the group's overall revenue, based on annual tax filings with the IRS called Form 990s that are required of nonprofits and charities. But what are the dollars used for? And how does Special Olympics rate as a charitable operation? The group's IRS filings and websites like Charity Navigator andProPublica offer the following answers: The Special Olympics was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, President John F. Kennedy's sister, to celebrate children with disabilities through athletic events and educational activities. Her 59-year-old son Timothy Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics, said in a statement on the group's website this week that the U.S. Department of Education's funds don't go to the more well-known Olympics contest themselves. Instead, he wrote, the federal dollars go to "provide critical educational services in schools, supporting the development of children with special needs, supporting the learning about their peers, and supporting the teaching of critical, social and emotional skills such as grit, perseverance and inclusion." Administrative expenses, including salaries for top officers, account for about 3.5 percent of the Special Olympics revenue of about $129 million, up from about $105 million the previous year, based on the group's 2017 Form 990, the latest publicly available. Special Olympics has roughly 1,200 volunteers. Board Chair Shriver and Vice Chair Loretta Claiborne are the only top board members listed with salaries that year. Shriver received $214,918 in salary in 2017, with other compensation listed at an estimated at $46,784. Claiborne's salary of $21,840 came without other compensation, according to the Form 990. CEO Mary Davis' salary is listed at $453,564 with other compensation listed at $33,432, according to the Form 990. Charity Navigator, a service that rates nonprofits and charities based on their financial disclosures, gives the Special Olympics an overall rating 90.49 percent out of a possible 100. Special Olympics earned an 88.52 for financing and 93 percent for transparency and accountability. Both measures are out of 100. Special Olympics also spends about 13 percent on fundraising, according to the Form 990, audited statements and Charity Navigator. Private contributions rose in 2017 compared to 2016 based on audited statements disclosed by the Special Olympics through 2017. Direct mailings brought in almost $45 million both years. Total individual, corporate contributions and sponsorships rose to roughly $69 million in 2017, up from $46 million in 2016, according to the statements. .... I'm sure that 10% could have easily been covered by the generosity of the private sector, why hasn't NightHawk mailed a check himself? And why does government have to be involved in this organization at all? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARRYOSAMA Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 #DeVos/Muda 2020 ~ Down with Dolts 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muda69 Posted April 3, 2019 Author Share Posted April 3, 2019 15 hours ago, BARRYOSAMA said: #DeVos/Muda 2020 ~ Down with Dolts No real responses from NightHawk, only insults, snide remarks, and down votes. Must be what his life in tiny Argos is all about. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 3, 2019 Share Posted April 3, 2019 2 hours ago, Muda69 said: No real responses from NightHawk, only insults, snide remarks, and down votes. Must be what his life in tiny Argos is all about. I am quite surprised his choice of words are allowed on this site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muda69 Posted April 3, 2019 Author Share Posted April 3, 2019 31 minutes ago, DannEllenwood said: I am quite surprised his choice of words are allowed on this site. I don't believe the old GID "profanity or words we admins just don't like" filter has been installed on this new iteration of the forum software. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 3, 2019 Share Posted April 3, 2019 2 minutes ago, Muda69 said: I don't believe the old GID "profanity or words we admins just don't like" filter has been installed on this new iteration of the forum software. I did report one of the posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARRYOSAMA Posted April 3, 2019 Share Posted April 3, 2019 3 hours ago, Muda69 said: No real responses from NightHawk, only insults, snide remarks, and down votes. Must be what his life in tiny Argos is all about. DeVos/Muda 2020 ~ Squeeze the Simpletons 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muda69 Posted April 3, 2019 Author Share Posted April 3, 2019 1 hour ago, BARRYOSAMA said: DeVos/Muda 2020 ~ Squeeze the Simpletons Since you are a simpleton, NightHawk, that makes it quite easy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARRYOSAMA Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 11 hours ago, Muda69 said: DeVos/muda2020~Not a penny for Pinheads 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muda69 Posted April 4, 2019 Author Share Posted April 4, 2019 8 hours ago, BARRYOSAMA said: DeVos/muda2020~Not a penny for Pinheads You now having money problems, NightHawk? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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