NWA editorial: Taxpayers get 'slushed' | NWADG:
"Ecclesia College "mentors effective leaders to strengthen the foundations of society through the life and values of Christ," according to the school. We respect any private school that wants to offer educational opportunities from a foundation of faith, but do not ask taxpayers to support it. Maybe it should be no surprise that Republican state lawmakers willing to support construction of a monument to the Ten Commandments on the state Capitol grounds would also be so eager to funnel tax dollars to this private, religious-based school.
This financially shaky institution should have never once been considered an appropriate expenditure of taxpayers dollars, yet so many lawmakers saw it, we suppose, as their God-given mission to shore it up through the General Improvement Fund program. That program was actually promoted as offering more accountability for the previous legislator-controlled grants, but what it really became was a sham providing camouflage for lawmakers who still pulled the strings. If a lawmaker wanted something funded, it happened. If the lawmakers didn't, you're out of luck.
According to testimony in court, it took no time for a representative of the Walton Family Foundation to recognize Ecclesia College wasn't everything its advocates wanted people to believe. The college hoped to earn some grants from the foundation, which is clearly smarter about its money than state officials are with taxpayers' dollars. "I wondered if it was economically viable," the Walton representative said regarding his thoughts after he toured Ecclesia at the behest of former state Rep. Tim Summers of Bentonville.
And yet legislators were more than ready to throw money at it. More than $700,000. Why? There's no good reason other than perhaps the glee they must have felt at finally getting to spend some of Arkansas tax dollars on religion. Or, if the allegations in trial are true, because money was changing hands in multiple directions.
But wait, there's more. According to testimony, state employees at the direction of lawmakers worked on legislation to benefit Ecclesia and companies that recycle roofing shingles. Turns out Woods, Shelton and Paris had financial interests in a shingle recycling venture, according to court records.
To keep this parade of ridiculous un-accountability going, we learn Ecclesia received a $50,000 grant before it even applied for it. On a different one, it missed the deadline for applying but why not keep shoveling more money that way?
It may be that by grace one is saved, but our state lawmakers so willing to ship taxpayers dollars to this Bible college appear to have subscribed to the mistaken notion one can buy his way into Heaven. That's proof of a need for deeper study of Scripture, but not justification for propping up a private church school with taxpayer money."
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