Reflections On the National Budget: Pig Shit or the Arts For Our Nation?

One of the highlights of the national budget is $35 million dollar federal grant to study chemicals which neutralize the smell of big factory pig farms (IN THE NATIONAL BUDGET? Isn't that what transnational corporations are for? What good's capital if you can't use it to clean up your own shit? And, why subsidize immoral "farming" techniques of the third most intelligent species on the planet at the expense of our children's experience of any form of cultural production?) $35 million - that's exactly the amount the new budget proposes to cut from Arts in Education.

So, People, what's it going to be? Sweet smelling pig manure for the filthy rich or saving the sounds and sights of our national souls?

~ LDC <--suffering from Pork Belly (como me da asco!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EDUCATION
Educational technology state grants, $272 million
Even Start, $99 million
High school programs terminations:
Vocational education state grants, $1,182 million
Vocational education national programs, $9 million
Upward Bound, $311 million
GEAR UP, $303 million
Talent search, $145 million
Tech prep state grants, $105 million
Smaller learning communities, $94 million
Safe and Drug-Free Schools state grants, $347 million
Elementary and secondary education program terminations:
Parental information and resource centers, $40 million
Arts in education, $35 million
Elementary and secondary school counseling, $35 million
Alcohol abuse reduction, $32 million
Civic education, $29 million
National Writing Project, $22 million
Star Schools, $15 million
School leadership,$15 million
Ready to Teach, $11 million
Javits gifted and talented education, $10 million
Exchanges with Historic Whaling and Trading Partners, $9 million
Comprehensive school reform, $8 million
Dropout prevention program, $5 million
Mental Health integration in schools, $5 million
Women's Educational Equity, $3 million
Academies for American History and Civics, $2 million
Close-Up fellowships, $1 million
Foundations for Learning, $1 million
Excellence in Economic Education, $1 million
Higher Education Programs:
Education demos for students with disabilities, $7 million
Underground Railroad Program, $2 million
State grants for incarcerated youth offenders, $23 million
Postsecondary Student Financial Assistance Programs:
Perkins Loan cancellations, $65 million
Leveraging educational assistance programs, $65 million
Byrd Scholarships, $41 million
Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational opportunity, $3 million
B.J. Stupak Olympic scholarships, $1 million
_Vocational rehabilitation programs:
Supported employment, $30 million
Projects with industry, $20 million
Recreational programs, $3 million
Migrant and seasonal farmworkers,$2 million
Teacher Quality Enhancement, $60 million

Total $3,468 million
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Total cost of the illegal war on Iraq: $240,390,000,000.
Let's turn it into The Most Expensive Chimpeachment In History. Sign on now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P.S. How many of these cuts symbolize jobs lost for poets? How many of these cuts symbolize future poets lost? Oh, the horror!