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Apr. 12th, 2002 10:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
holytoastrFull article o.0
The list also includes Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., who successfully sought to win $273,000 for the Blue Springs Youth Outreach Unit, a partnership of the police department, school district and city in the Kansas City, Mo., suburbs.
Because the funds would start a new program to combat ''Goth'' culture, it was singled out with derision in a list of examples released earlier in the week by the Education Department. In an effort to defend the local projects, Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee are circulating a more complete list of the spending bill's earmarks.
Goths -- kids who tend to wear black and think dark thoughts -- are an at-risk group of students, said Blue Springs Police Officer Colby Lalli. The students who shot and killed 13 people in 1999 at Columbine High School in Colorado allegedly were attracted to Goth culture.
''It's not just the clothes they wear,'' Lalli said. ''We're seeing kids on the unit, whether it be suicide or homicide, they're just one more culture in our community that is at big risk, and we need to deal with that. We need to educate people.''
Graves said: ''This is something that is a problem for the Blue Springs community. It's one of those priorities that my constituents asked me to fight for.''
While he battles to keep the money, Graves said he thinks Congress and the White House can find the money for Pell Grants elsewhere. ''We're talking about a shortfall of $1 billion in a $2 trillion budget,'' Graves said. A trillion is a thousand billion.
''Obviously, there is a little bit of uncertainty, but I think we can figure out how to work our way through this,'' Graves said. ''I'm sure we can.''
Mrs. Carnahan shared his sentiments but was angry that funds already signed into law are now being questioned.
''It just makes me mad to talk about it,'' Mrs. Carnahan said. ''We do a lot of things for big corporations, and we bail them out, but when you get in Congress and you want to do something to help children, you have to fight.''
*giggle* But I LOVE Neil's response!
Maybe they'll spend the money on an ad campaign ("Cheer up!" "Wear bright colours!" "Remember, it's not as bad as all that!" "Smile -- and get a haircut!"). Maybe it'll be one of those Hill Street Blues things ("Remember, there are people thinking dark thoughts out there!"). Or they will just spend $273,000 on buying little happy colourful things which they will present to anyone they see wearing black and/or looking gloomy.
But somehow I don't think so.
The list also includes Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., who successfully sought to win $273,000 for the Blue Springs Youth Outreach Unit, a partnership of the police department, school district and city in the Kansas City, Mo., suburbs.
Because the funds would start a new program to combat ''Goth'' culture, it was singled out with derision in a list of examples released earlier in the week by the Education Department. In an effort to defend the local projects, Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee are circulating a more complete list of the spending bill's earmarks.
Goths -- kids who tend to wear black and think dark thoughts -- are an at-risk group of students, said Blue Springs Police Officer Colby Lalli. The students who shot and killed 13 people in 1999 at Columbine High School in Colorado allegedly were attracted to Goth culture.
''It's not just the clothes they wear,'' Lalli said. ''We're seeing kids on the unit, whether it be suicide or homicide, they're just one more culture in our community that is at big risk, and we need to deal with that. We need to educate people.''
Graves said: ''This is something that is a problem for the Blue Springs community. It's one of those priorities that my constituents asked me to fight for.''
While he battles to keep the money, Graves said he thinks Congress and the White House can find the money for Pell Grants elsewhere. ''We're talking about a shortfall of $1 billion in a $2 trillion budget,'' Graves said. A trillion is a thousand billion.
''Obviously, there is a little bit of uncertainty, but I think we can figure out how to work our way through this,'' Graves said. ''I'm sure we can.''
Mrs. Carnahan shared his sentiments but was angry that funds already signed into law are now being questioned.
''It just makes me mad to talk about it,'' Mrs. Carnahan said. ''We do a lot of things for big corporations, and we bail them out, but when you get in Congress and you want to do something to help children, you have to fight.''
*giggle* But I LOVE Neil's response!
Maybe they'll spend the money on an ad campaign ("Cheer up!" "Wear bright colours!" "Remember, it's not as bad as all that!" "Smile -- and get a haircut!"). Maybe it'll be one of those Hill Street Blues things ("Remember, there are people thinking dark thoughts out there!"). Or they will just spend $273,000 on buying little happy colourful things which they will present to anyone they see wearing black and/or looking gloomy.
But somehow I don't think so.
