Mitt Romney's 'Absurd' Claim Misses Billions In Federal Funds For Cops, Teachers, Firefighters
Mitt Romney was only off by billions of dollars when he said Tuesday that the federal government doesn't pay for police officers, firefighters and teachers.
Trying to counter criticism from the White House, Romney argued that it was "completely absurd" to say he would cut the hiring of such civil servants because the federal government plays no part in those decisions.
"That's a very strange accusation," Romney said on "Fox & Friends." "Of course, teachers and firemen and policemen are hired at the local level and also by states. The federal government doesn't pay for teachers, firefighters or policemen. So obviously that is completely absurd."
In fact, the federal government spends huge amounts of money to support all those professions.
Back in the Lyndon Johnson administration, it started paying out Title 1 education funds, and this year, it is slated to spend $14.5 billion under Title 1. The money is meant to help disadvantaged schools. The bulk of it is used for personnel costs.
In 1975, Congress passed the predecessor law to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, designed to improve special education. Programs under IDEA received $11.6 billion in funding in 2012, and much of that money goes to hiring teachers.
In all, the federal government pays for nearly 11 percent of the country's public school costs.
Probably just wishful thinking on his part. And a way to cheat the balanced budget amendments states have to follow. We can overpay our state and local employees even though we don't have the tax base because we know the Feds will bail us out. So now Colorado will get to bail out those outrageous benefits and pensions that California lavishes on their workers. Sounds fair to me.
A version of the Euro debacle, the states that are realistic about spending bailing out the Greeces in America.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
You want to know who's out of touch? Obama. His "reframe" speech in Ohio on Thursday 6/14/2012 finally made the left realize just how out of touch he is... see this thread...
Doesn't really address the OP that Romney is ignorant about how much the Federal Gov't contributes to Cops, Teachers, Firefighters....does it. Nice deflection, though.
Democracy4Sale wrote: Doesn't really address the OP that Romney is ignorant about how much the Federal Gov't contributes to Cops, Teachers, Firefighters....does it. Nice deflection, though.
I don't really care Lady Jazzer. Obama is faltering and Romney is slowly inching up in the pools. You're spending so much time complaining about Romney's 50 year old youthful crap, Ann Romney's horses, taking Romney totally out of context and coveting what everyone else has... you're going to miss the Romney victory party.
