Monday, March 19, 2012

The other One Percent

The 1% need our help.

No, not the 1% taking home nearly one fifth of every dollar earned.  They are doing quite well.

This 1% needs assistance to get to college.  They need help climbing up the opportunity ladder.  

Roughly 29,000 students this year will lose funding assistance for AP tests.  Out of 3,000,000 graduating seniors, 29,000 is about, well, 1%. 

“As part of the federal budget agreement last December, Congress cut federal financing for programs that offer advanced high school courses [AP classes] to slightly under $27 million, from $43 million the previous year, with only about $20 million to be used to subsidize low-income students’ exam fees.” NY Times article

How many of these 1% will not get into college? How many will have to pay inflated costs for college credit once and if they get there? Will have to sit in a less challenging class in the meantime.  We’ll never know how many of this 1% won’t get ahead.  We just know getting ahead will be harder, or worse, out of reach. 

We’re told that this is acceptable because we haven’t raised taxes on the other 1%. 

Conservatives, wake up.  You’re destroying America.  1% at a time.