Andre Agassi's Charter School Double Fault
The budgetary ball-busters at the Republican Study Committee point out an egregious lob served up to tennis great Andre Agassi from our pals in Congress (or, more specifically, by Nevada Democrat Rep. Shelley Berkley, in a bid to become the legislative equivalent of a "tennis Annie"):
According to our latest count, there appears to be roughly 1338 earmarks included in the Labor-HHS appropriations bill. One of these earmarks, requested by Rep. Berkely, would provide $200,000 to the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, (whose website is inactive), located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Agassi established the tuition-free charter school for local "at-risk" kids in 2001, and last year the House approved a $175,000 earmark for the institution–although it did not become law because Congress did not complete the appropriation's process. In 2004, Forbes Magazine ranked Agassi 27th (right after Will Smith and Julia Roberts) on its list of richest individuals under age 40–at the time, the tennis star was 34 years old and worth $162 million. Although Agassi was known during his playing days for his soft touch and accuracy, this action seems to be a fault—especially for the far less wealthy taxpayers who are being asked to fund it. More after the jump…
The good news? No federal dough is yet being blown on Andre's Rock 'N' Roll Tennis Camp: