As students head back to school, the Iowa Citizen Action Network (I-CAN) is releasing a report showing how dollars spent on the Iraq war could be spent on education. Amy Logsdon is the political director for I-CAN.
"Back to school time is an appropriate time to ask our elected officials to get our nation back on track," Logsdon says, "and to restore us to government of the people, by the people, and for the people."
Alan Young, President of the Des Moines Education Association, says the Bush administration is refusing to approve a 30-million-dollar increase for K-12 education in Iowa. He says 30 million dollars is spent on the war in Iraq every 2 hours and 12 minutes. I-CAN is targeting it’s message to Iowa congressmen Steve King and Tom Latham and Senator Chuck Grassley, saying they should help override a threatened presidential veto on new funding for education and children’s health care.
The group also says money spent in Iraq could instead help send thousands of young people to college. Lauren Shields, a nursing student at Des Moines Area Community College, says the Pell grant she received is the only reason she’s at DMACC.
"I filed for a student loan, which has not yet gone through," Shields says, "so if I had not received the Pell grant, I would not be attending (DMACC)." More information about the Iowa Citizen Action Network and the report can be found on-line at www.IowaCan.org .