I’m not sure how to respond to this other than sputtering anger. This comes from the eSchoolNews interview with Bush’s new head of the Office of Educational Technology, Tim Magner:

Though Magner empathizes with educators struggling to make do in light of recent budget cuts at the federal level, especially to long-standing programs such as EETT, he says the cuts are "a result of the fiscal environment we are currently living in."

In trying to balance what the administration considers more pressing spending priorities, including the ongoing war in Iraq, hurricane relief in the Gulf Coast, a ballooning federal deficit, and other immediate funding measures (such as tax cuts), the reality is that sometimes the president and Congress have to make "tough choices," Magner said–and spending cuts, like it or not, have to come from somewhere.

I really have no words here. We have mortgaged our future and our education system so we can cut taxes and pursue the war in Iraq. (I’m sorry, I believe that the costs of Katrina would have been easier to bear had it not been for the fiscal and foreign policy irresponsibility of this administration.)

How will history look up these times? How will our children judge us when they look at the priorities of our society in these times?

All I feel is anger toward this administration. How dare they talk about reforming education — how dare they inflict unfunded mandate after unfunded mandate on our students, teachers and schools — when they then turn around and cut our funding.

How dare they.