Why would taxpayers send money to the federal government that was ultimately intended to come back to their state or local governments?

That’s a recipe for losing a big chunk of our education dollars to those sticky-fingered federal fellows. And any money the feds send back, always comes saddled with a lot of silly mandates about how we locals can spend what is, after all, our own money.

In 2006, taxpayers were forced to fund the U.S. Department of Education to the tune of $57 billion. Of this, $44 billion slushed back to states and localities. But even the money returned by the federal government is often misspent. By mandate.

In a column for the Washington Examiner, Timothy Carney explains how one such mandate empowers pork-barrel politics, not education. Senators Jeff Bingaman, Patty Murray and Richard Burr have introduced legislation entitled the Achievement Through Technology and Innovation Act. The bill would require local schools to spend this federal grant money on computers, software and related training.

Carney points out there is much doubt about the effectiveness of educational software. He suggests that this legislation won’t help educate kids, but it “will certainly brighten the prospects of America’s software makers.”

Long ago Ronald Reagan advocated abolishing the federal Department of Education because, for all the money it spends, it doesn’t educate one single child. Our young people are educated at the local level.

Let’s keep all our education tax dollars at the local level. And the feds can keep their mandates.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

• Episode Number: 1900
• Publication Date: 9/21/2007