A Los Angeles County commission on Thursday voted to spend $500 million in tobacco tax money over the next five years to launch an ambitious system of preschools that could begin enrolling students early next year.

The vote fulfills a commitment made more than a year ago by the county's First 5 Commission for a broad-based preschool program. The decision came despite misgivings by some members that the huge outlay would leave little money for youngsters' health care and programs for newborns.

Hill-Scott said planners also will be able to begin securing state and municipal funding and philanthropic grants that will be essential to sustaining the preschool system. Officials estimate that 10 years from now, a full-service program with 150,000 students could cost as much as $400 million to $500 million annually.

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Gee, 500 million over 5 years comes to..........$100 million.

Let's see, 10 years from now it'll cost 400-500 million a year. That would be.....ummmmm.....4-5 times higher.

Boy, that's really going to affect youngsters' health care and programs for newborns.

I hope for their sake they're going to teach these preschoolers how to smoke. The money's going to have to come from somewhere.

Sqeezer, do you think, given the state's budget crisis and the revolt of the masses that led to Ahnold's election as guv, that the LA folks will still be willing to throw away such an amount of money? I mean, is it possible in light of last Tuesday's election, that electicos in Cal are aware that the people are actually watching what they're doing including how they are spending the people's money? Any chance that sanity might return to Kookiefornia? Whatchu think?