Whaling education spared budget harpoon
In his budget proposal for 2010, Obama seeks several education cuts but spares a $9 million program to promote the history of whaling and trade in Massachusetts, which Captain Ahab departed from in search of the great white whale in Herman Melville’s acclaimed novel.
Museums in Alaska and Hawaii get some of the money, too, because of trading relationships that developed over two centuries of trade linking natives with coastal towns of Massachusetts. Oddly, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians also gets some of the money for historical and cultural awareness programs.
Former President George W. Bush tried to kill the whaling spending, but like many other such programs, it was protected by congressional patrons. They include Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., a key Obama supporter, former Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Sens. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii and Thad Cochran, R-Miss.
A few other programs don’t fare as well in Obama’s budget for the Education Department, which is sprinkled with cuts…