Letters to the Editor
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‘Want a Slice of Saudi Pie?’
Nibras Kazimi reviews the conquest of the Arabian peninsula and in a “by the way” statement lets it be known that the rulers of Mecca and Medina were the Hashemites and they were overthrown [“Want a Slice of Saudi Pie?” Opinion, October 14,2004].
These are the same Hashemites that after their being deposed in Mecca and Medina were given two kingships. One was the kingship of Iraq and the other was the eastern section of the Palestine Mandate that the League of Nations entrusted to Great Britain for the establishment of a Jewish state.
The kingdom in Iraq was overthrown, but the kingdom of the eastern part of the Palestine Mandate continued to rule, as it does until today. The name of the area changed; it is now called the “Kingdom of Jordan” but it is 78% of the area known as the “Palestine Mandate” that was illegally separated from the entrusted area to be a Jewish state and given to the local Arabs with an imported king to rule them.
AHARON GOLDBERG
Hatzor HaGlilit, Israel
Children’s Defense Fund Founder Assails Bush
In a recent article on President Bush’s record, Marian Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund accused his administration of “failing to spend money to help working mothers pay for childcare” [“Children’s Defense Fund Founder Assails Bush in Guest Sermon,” David Hafetz, New York, October 11, 2004]. Not true.
In fiscal year 2004, a record $4.8 billion was available for childcare from the Child Care and Development Fund, or CCDF. In addition, states transferred $2 billion in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF funds, to the CCDF for child care, spent $1.6 billion in TANF funds directly on child care, and used $205 million in Social Services Block Grant money for child care.
Additionally, states spent over $3 billion more in matching funds for child care. In total, states and the federal government spent nearly $10 billion last year on child care, an amount that hardly justifies Ms. Edelman’s assertion that the government is “failing to spend money” on child care.
Moreover, the president has consistently supported funding increases for the Head Start program which, like the childcare programs, serves low income families. Indeed, under President Bush’s watch, Head Start has seen its funding rise from $5.3 billion in 2000 to $6.8 billion in 2004.
It is no secret that Ms. Edelman vehemently opposed welfare reform in the 1990s and remains critical of one of the most successful reforms in modern times. In contrast, Mr. Bush continues to promote common-sense policies such as welfare reform and support services, including child care.
WADE F. HORN
Assistant Secretary Administration For Children and Families
U.S. Department of Health And Human Services
Washington, D.C.
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