Brighter minds prevail

By James Hutchinson

Taking a cursory glance at President Bush's budget proposal for the next fiscal year, it is clear that the war on terror has acquired a new enemy: college students. In order to expunge this 'imminent threat' to our national security, Mr. Bush has proposed sweeping cuts to domestic programs that provide financial aid to college students.

Programs like "Upward Bound" and the "Perkins Loan," which provide financial assistance to low income and first generation college students, will take serious hits or will face elimination. According to a Chicago Tribune report, Bush's proposal will cut 48 programs from the Department of Education, which amounts to a $4.3 billion cut in that department alone, despite Mr. Bush's campaign parade as 'The education president.'

These Draconian cuts will shift the burden onto local districts and working class families already saddled with overcrowded classrooms, soaring college costs and insufficient loans. For these families, the idea of upward social mobility is a pipe dream. Without the assistance, many prospective college students may never get the benefits of a higher education.

Given the fact that Mr. Bush's first term was characterized by profligate spending and a costly war abroad, such cuts to the homeland are troubling. It is also needless to say that such programs could easily be sustained with a fraction of Mr. Bush's gargantuan tax cuts.

Bush's deep cuts to education and science programs have drawn ire from both sides of the aisle. Many politicians fear these cuts will push Americans into class warfare. While I agree with the President that spending must be curbed in order to bring down the deficit, education is not the place to start. If Mr. Bush wants to cut federal spending, he might want to think about cutting such ridiculous programs as the 'Star Wars' missile defense system, which recently failed another test -- the third-straight test failure of the system in the last two years. If we are to meet the challenges of the 21st century our most potent weapon lies in education; after all, America is safer when brighter minds prevail. Mr. Bush should therefore reconsider his budget proposal.

As for the slew of angry e-mails I am likely to receive, I will borrow from the fine oratory of the President himself: "Bring 'em on."

* James Hutchinson's column appears once a month. He can be reached at jehutchinson@scu.edu.