<blockquote>The tablet deployment was made possible by a federal grant that pumped more than $7 million into Independent School District 197 in West St. Paul, Mendota Heights and Eagan. The cash transformed Heritage into a magnet school emphasizing science, technology, engineering, the environment and mathematics. The iPad program figures into this new educational emphasis.</blockquote>
via <a href="http://www.twincities.com/ci_17904745?nclick_check=1">At West St. Paul's Heritage Middle School, students exult over new iPad tablets - TwinCities.com</a>.

With the federal government more or less bankrupt threatening to default on its debt obligations, right after tax day, here's a nice little story of federal dollars spent to buy school children a toy Ipad.  Granted in the large scheme of things $7M is not even large enough to be a drop in the federal deficit bucket but if these unseen grants are being handed out willy nilly all over the country this could add up to some serious money.  And for what?  To pad the revenue stream of Apple computers with taxpayer monies?