pwaldo
05-30-2012, 08:43 PM
http://news.yahoo.com/ap-exclusive-calif-9-11-fund-raided-deficits-070528674.html;_ylt=Au.L1wVWBpj6yCxZAZ_nRm4SH9EA;_ ylu=X3oDMTFuZDRjdGg3BG1pdANIQ01PTCBvbiBBcnRpY2xlBH BrZwNpZC0yMzA5MTk1BHBvcwMzBHNlYwNoY20EdmVyAzY-;_ylg=X3oDMTNoZmppMnBqBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRw c3RhaWQDMWZkODJhNmItM2Q1NS0zYTBkLWI4MDAtZDQ2OWQ1OG ZiNDczBHBzdGNhdANCbG9nc3xCbG9ncyUyRlRoZSUyNTIwU2lk ZXNob3cEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl;_ylv=3
After the 2001 terrorist attacks, California lawmakers sought a way to channel the patriotic fervor and use it to help victims' families and law enforcement. Their answer: Specialty memorial license plates emblazoned with the words, "We Will Never Forget."
Part of the money raised through the sale of the plates was to fund scholarships for children of California residents who perished in the attacks, while the majority — 85 percent — was to help fund anti-terrorism efforts.
But a review by The Associated Press of the $15 million collected since lawmakers approved the "California Memorial Scholarship Program" shows only a small fraction of the money went to scholarships. While 40 percent has funded anti-terror training programs, $3 million was raided by Gov. Jerry Brown and his predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to plug the state's budget deficit.
Millions more have been spent on budget items with little relation to direct threats of terrorism, including livestock diseases and workplace safety.
Moreover, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has been advertising the plates as helping the children of Sept. 11 victims, even though the state stopped funding the scholarship program seven years ago. The specialty plate fund continues to take in $1.5 million a year.
Californians who lost loved ones in the attacks take the raid on the license plate fund as an affront to the memory of those who died.
"I can't believe that they would do that," said Candyce Hoglan, who lives in the San Francisco Bay area and bought a plate to commemorate her nephew, Mark Bingham. "We're paying extra for the plate; we're making a point, and it means a lot to us."
After the 2001 terrorist attacks, California lawmakers sought a way to channel the patriotic fervor and use it to help victims' families and law enforcement. Their answer: Specialty memorial license plates emblazoned with the words, "We Will Never Forget."
Part of the money raised through the sale of the plates was to fund scholarships for children of California residents who perished in the attacks, while the majority — 85 percent — was to help fund anti-terrorism efforts.
But a review by The Associated Press of the $15 million collected since lawmakers approved the "California Memorial Scholarship Program" shows only a small fraction of the money went to scholarships. While 40 percent has funded anti-terror training programs, $3 million was raided by Gov. Jerry Brown and his predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to plug the state's budget deficit.
Millions more have been spent on budget items with little relation to direct threats of terrorism, including livestock diseases and workplace safety.
Moreover, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has been advertising the plates as helping the children of Sept. 11 victims, even though the state stopped funding the scholarship program seven years ago. The specialty plate fund continues to take in $1.5 million a year.
Californians who lost loved ones in the attacks take the raid on the license plate fund as an affront to the memory of those who died.
"I can't believe that they would do that," said Candyce Hoglan, who lives in the San Francisco Bay area and bought a plate to commemorate her nephew, Mark Bingham. "We're paying extra for the plate; we're making a point, and it means a lot to us."