12:40 pm February 1, 2010, by Maureen Downey
Except for the fact that the president’s budget adds to an already untenable federal deficit, I would say this is good news for Georgia. (Our school finances will be even better if Georgia is one of the winners of Race to the Top funds.)

In his new budget, President Obama proposes $1.8 billion for Georgia schools
President Barack Obama’s $3.8 trillion budget proposal includes:
$1.8 billion would go to Georgia schools, students and teachers.
$1.7 billion would go toward fixing and expanding the state’s roads, water and sewer systems.
$1.1 billion would be released for new Pell Grants in Georgia.
About $785 million will go to housing assistance in the state.
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37 comments Add your comment
Cutty
February 1st, 2010
1:10 pm
Conservatives will somehow, some way find a problem with this, even while their leadership slashes funding to education.
mift
February 1st, 2010
1:11 pm
It is my understanding that this money is alread factored in to the HUGE cuts that education will get this year in GA. This will not relieve anybody of the oncoming sunami of cuts, furlogs, and RIFS.
Bright Idea
February 1st, 2010
1:16 pm
Paper $$$ floating down like manna from heaven. Then what? Will this stop the bleeding or just slow it down?
Cobb Parent
February 1st, 2010
1:19 pm
Does this money come with any stipulations or conditions?
high school teacher
February 1st, 2010
1:26 pm
Cobb Parent, as my daddy always says, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
catlady
February 1st, 2010
1:26 pm
My impression is these chickens were already counted before they were hatched, as well.
catlady
February 1st, 2010
1:28 pm
Anyone read about the RttT application review that was in yesterday’s Washington Post or NY Times?
retired
February 1st, 2010
1:31 pm
So to some of you its ok for our country be a trillion plus in dept as long as we get some…sooner rather than later this will come back to bite us.
jim d
February 1st, 2010
1:42 pm
hmm, since all the fed can do is print money, exactly where is the money going to come from and what is it really going to be worth?
Get ready for double digit inflation again
Shannon, M.Div.
February 1st, 2010
1:46 pm
So it’s okay to “print money” if it’s for weapons, but not if it’s for schools?
We know where your priorities are, conservatives. We see.
Oldspartan
February 1st, 2010
1:48 pm
I actually had a person that works for me say, “I think the government should give everyone 5 million dollars and that would solve everything”. So many Americans don’t even know where the money comes from. The US is “deficit spending” if a person does not understand that; please look it up. What if these loans are called in? Hyperinflation could be one thing that occcurs. If you dont think it could happen here. Research history, post WWI Germany, the fall of the Soviet Union (what made it crash and burn?)
retired
February 1st, 2010
1:48 pm
I think the main job of our government is security!
Sven Turgidsen
February 1st, 2010
1:51 pm
Money isn’t some freebie that “comes from the government” — it gets taken by the government from people who produce value, and given to those who don’t. When the non-producers figure they can rely on the producers to support them, and then the producers increasingly conclude, “why produce, since it goes to someone else?,” the nation dies. We are there, folks.
If Georgia can’t educate its own children, what makes it right to take money from people in New Hampshire and Arizona and Oregon to do just that? Do we want Georgia money (of which there already isn’t apparently enough) to educate children in Illinois? This whole “budget shuffle” is sheer lunacy, and symptomatic of the whole problem of the “government controls the purse-strings, nanny state” mentality.
jim d
February 1st, 2010
1:51 pm
I’VE NEVER SAID IT WAS ALRIGHT TO JUST PRINT MORE MONEY. fOR WHATEVER CAUSE IT JUST CAUSES INFLATION AND DEVALUING OF THE DOLLAR
Lynn
February 1st, 2010
1:58 pm
Don’t spend it yet. The President’s original proposal for the education portion of the stimulus bills included money for regular schools and regular ed. students. At the end of the day, the package only included money for Title1 schools and special ed programs. And, the money had to enrich not supplant. So, for many schools and students across the country, it was almost like the stimulus package didn’t happen.
Sick&Tired
February 1st, 2010
1:59 pm
No one cared where the money came from a few years ago. It was being charged to your grandchildren and you didn’t care; even when they were NOT going to benefit. I say, at least they might get an education from it this time around. Or keep a teacher employed.
I’m still angry that GA only recieved “Chump Change” for transportation. You can thank the CHUMPs running our state.
They have proven again and again that they don’t care about Education or Transporation.
Reality
February 1st, 2010
2:31 pm
During ANY recession, one of two things must happen….
1. Raise taxes to preserve curent services/service levels.
2. Maintain or cut taxes and reduce service levels.
If you want to cut services such as education, then fine, lower taxes. But, GA is already on a shoe string budget for education and cuts will certainly impact our children’s future.
The state of our STATE is all the fault of the State’s republicans. They can blame no one but themselves. I chose to blame the idiot voters that really think that republicans are in any way better at fiscal responsibility. If anything, they are worse!
Ray
February 1st, 2010
2:37 pm
Interesting…so, the GOP has no problem throwing a trillion at Iraq and no problem flipping the Clinton tax code to kick another trillion to the wealthy…but they have a HUGE problem kicking a trillion to an ailing middle America?
Uncle Commode
February 1st, 2010
2:54 pm
Yet MORE wasted dollars from the Idiot in charge, our National Nightmare Barry Obama, our National Embarrassment The presidential coconut Hussein Obama.
Uncle Commode
February 1st, 2010
2:55 pm
Obama is just a stupid jerk anyway. To him 2 + 2 = 7.
Just Saying
February 1st, 2010
3:48 pm
Uncle Commode your tag fits you right because you are definitely full of it…
Mel
February 1st, 2010
3:59 pm
If this administration made cookies fall from the sky, the headline on Fox News the next day would say, “Democrats leave millions milkless!”
HL
February 1st, 2010
4:05 pm
@Uncle Commode: You prove the point that we need better education….
@Oldspartan: The difference between today and Germany after WW2 or the Fall of the Soviet union is that America has a market to export and import. Germany was not allowed to export, neither could it produce since the main industrial area was occupied by the french or destroyed. So they could not produce something valuable. The Soviet union had similar problems – their industry produced as planned – mostly less – never more, so they could not sell products. And they out spend the country without reinvestment – everything went to Afghanistan or Nuclear missiles…..somehow familiar….
@retired: Security is not only Border Protection or Police. It includes also education – the smarter people are the more likely to contribute to technological progress which can secure the country. Smarter people evolve better strategic thinking which can be useful in military or diplomacy. Securing jobs is inland security – most revolutions started because of unemployment and hunger (French Revolution, raise of the Nazis, East German Revolution etc.). investing in energy independence could potentially contribute to security (paying the people who potentially wanna kill you money to deliver oil etc.; btw. I am not completely for only alternate energy).
Runner
February 1st, 2010
4:26 pm
All you conservatives are a bunch of hypocrites and turds. I wish the feds would pull all of their $ out of Georgia and Georgia would be worse than a 3rd world country. A bunch of rednecks on dirt roads. It is amazing how you guys talk about individual responsibility and then when a tornado or flood comes through your area you cry for money and help from the feds. What happened to your individual responsibility? You were warned about the tornado and flood. Hypocrites!
David S
February 1st, 2010
4:34 pm
You don’t have to be a conservative, liberal, libertarian or otherwise to read the statistics. Increased funding for education has no correllation to better outcomes, education, performance, or anything.
All that it correllates well with is increased voter support from teachers, administrators, student recipients, and other parasites who feed on the hard earned money of taxes taken from the productive sector.
With 1.9 trillion dollars in deficit in this budget, all that GA will be really getting is higher inflation and its children and grandchildren will be getting greater and greater servitude to the government debt machine.
Congratulations on the increased funding.
David S
February 1st, 2010
4:39 pm
Runner. Statistically the Federal Government only provides about 6% of all education funding to the states. I hardly think that a 6% reduction would reduce this state’s educational system to a 3rd world level (by the way, literacy rates in 3rd world countries are sometimes better than ours). The city of Washinton DC spends nearly $15,000 per pupil (twice what GA spends). Their’s is the worst system in the nation.
The best thing that could happen to this state would be the complete elimination of Federal funding and regulations. Maybe then they could try solving problems locally. Of course that is if you believe that government can actually solve any of the problems that they themselves created.
Stop with the ranting Runner. The facts are against you. It sounds a whole lot like you are one of the likely recipients of this newly stolen money and resent anyone questioning your receipt of it. Me, I am just a fed up taxpayer who knows when he is getting ripped off.
Don
February 1st, 2010
4:39 pm
If the GOP leadership in Georgia thinks Obama’s budget package is over the top, then I suggest that they refuse to take a dime of the federal money set aside for use in Georgia. We’ll do just fine on our own, right?
Runner
February 1st, 2010
5:45 pm
To David S. The facts you have are wrong. Stop listening to Boortz and those idiots. I am not only talking about education. I am talking about total federal funding idiot boy. Where would this state be? Where? Hartsfield would have one dirt road airstrip. It would look no different than India. You still did not answer the question about individual responsibility. I bet you have always taken the mortgage deduction that the federal government gives you when you prepare your taxes – where was your individual responsibility. I am going to have to whip you real good!
ugaaccountant
February 1st, 2010
5:49 pm
Runner – You could not be more ignorant. If we didn’t have the federal government we wouldn’t pay federal taxes. We would instead pay that money to the state who then could budget it appropriately based on Georgians needs. Instead of my tax dollars going to DC to be distributed throughout the country they would all stay in Georgia.
As to floods in Atlanta, there are certain things called a flood plain. Large portions of Atlanta that were not in a flood plain got flooded. That means we were not warned and realistically could not have obtained insurance for it. I’ve got no personal stake in this issue, but no, clearly most people were not warned about the possibility of a flood. If you want to talk about taking personal responsibility for something no expert predicted would happen, then I’ve got no reason to talk to you.
ugaaccountant
February 1st, 2010
5:51 pm
Don – Sure, we’d be fine as long as the federal government returned our taxes paid to them.
The union was supposed to be about individual states with limited federalism. This is not it.
Runner
February 1st, 2010
5:54 pm
David S you sound just like that guy Boortz. As you talk about how bad the government is. Lets see you probably received a federal student loan or pell grant, you probably received a small business loan, you will receive social security, you are protected by the army, navy, air force, etc, you take your mortgage deduction, you drive on roads and bridges paid for by the government, and you probably have recieved unemployment comp. before, you call the police because you are scared when someone breaks into your house and when your house burns down you call a governmental fire department, and your probably on Medicare. Get my picture boy. Nah, I forget –you have done it all on your own. The government is SO EVIL. Get your head out of Hannity’s butt please!!!
Maureen Downey
February 1st, 2010
5:54 pm
ugaaccountant, For a long time, Georgia was a receiving state, wasn’t it? (We got more back than we put in.) I found this chart quickly, but will keep looking for one that shows Georgia.
States Receiving Most in Federal Spending Per Dollar of Federal Taxes Paid:
1. D.C. ($6.17)
2. North Dakota ($2.03)
3. New Mexico ($1.89)
4. Mississippi ($1.84)
5. Alaska ($1.82)
6. West Virginia ($1.74)
7. Montana ($1.64)
8. Alabama ($1.61)
9. South Dakota ($1.59)
10. Arkansas ($1.53)
States Receiving Least in Federal Spending Per Dollar of Federal Taxes Paid:
1. New Jersey ($0.62)
2. Connecticut ($0.64)
3. New Hampshire ($0.68)
4. Nevada ($0.73)
5. Illinois ($0.77)
6. Minnesota ($0.77)
7. Colorado ($0.79)
8. Massachusetts ($0.79)
9. California ($0.81)
10. New York ($0.81)
Runner
February 1st, 2010
5:59 pm
UGA ACCOUNTANT – Do you really think most Georgians make enough money to support all the massive projects that this state needs. Do you really want to live in a place with no governmental support? Try living in Ethiopia idiot boy. The average income in this state is nothing. You are a complete idiot. We do not make enough $ here to suppot all the services that we need. Go back and retake that cost accounting class moron. UGA ACCOUNTANT you have done it all by yourself.
Don knows what he is talking about.
UGA ACCOUNTANT – Boy I bet your Daddy paid for your education or Uncle Sam. What a lousy investment because you are a STUPID BOY.
NuBomb
February 1st, 2010
11:33 pm
What are all these services the we “need”. Can we not try to progress to a system where there is more state and local control rather than federal? If the poster named “Runner” is going to reply, can he/she do so without sounding like a complete horse’s backside.
d
February 2nd, 2010
8:31 am
To retired, If Government is only for security, then quit living off of Social security and quit driving on the roads. It’s amazing that people who talk about Governments only function is security but don’t mind being a recipient. You an old grouch.
Republicians Do Not Like the Truth
February 2nd, 2010
10:25 pm
Thank you, Runner! Republicians need to hear the truth. They are such hypocrites!They take their “government freebies” then cry about individual responsibility while on medicare, social security and after their “free” public education, furthermore, they want to deny others to what they recieve!
NuBomb
February 2nd, 2010
11:34 pm
Yes! Thank you Runnner. You are a credit to society. I especially like your mature statements and how divisive you are. Thanks again.