Bush Budget Strikes Book Distribution Program
According to Reading Is Fundamental, Inc., the 2009 Budget proposed by President Bush would eliminate one of their most important programs. According to President and CEO Carol Rasco, “President Bush’s proposed budget calling for the elimination of Reading Is Fundamental’s (RIF) Inexpensive Book Distribution program would be devastating to the 4.6 million children and their families who receive free books and reading encouragement from RIF programs…. Unless Congress reinstates $25.5 million in funding for this program, RIF would not be able to distribute 16 million books annually to the nation’s youngest and most at-risk children.”
I was LIVID when I read about this. When my short kid gets a RIF book, he’s thrilled, but books are like toilet paper at our house—necessary and plentiful with copious amounts of them bought regularly.
But my son personally knows at least three kids (1st graders) for whom those are the ONLY books they own.
Rat bastard.