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I disagree. Voters have power in that regard. It's a power that most seemingly don't take very seriously.
I disagree with this wholeheartedly. Education is a vital part of our democracy and all should access to it. A great many of the same folks that complain about having to pay taxes for public education attended those very same public schools with their parents only paying a small portion of the costs, if that. Besides being hypocritical, a voluntary system would be a severely underfunded system characterized by class disparities.
Well, speaking for myself, I pay in the area of $15,000 in property taxes which fund my public school, and I pay about the same in tuition for private school. A voluntary system would allow me to pay for the school of my choosing and allow me to donate to the public school system, and direct my donation DIRECTLY to schooling, not waste thousands in useless administration.
fine. Then I would like to specify that MY money not be spent on the war in Irag, on on the roads on the other side of the county because I don't drive on those. Don't you see what a slippery slope that argument is?
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There is a movement in this country to privatize education. There are people who think everyone should pay their own way; which of course would mean the rich would have educated kids, and the poor would have uneducated kids.
These vouchers or "scholarships" are a step in that direction. There are corporations, including Walmart that are pouring tons of money into local school districts to get these programs going. They take money away from the public schools and send it to private schools. I'm against any type of program that does that.
I live in a district that has a pro-voucher board and a pro-voucher superintendent. They pushed through a voucher plan, sent a bunch of money to private religious schools, then the plan was ruled unconstitutional. The district has yet to get all of the money back. This is a district that encompasses the 6th wealthiest county in the country. We have excellent public schools, open enrollment options, and an abundance of charter and magnet schools. We have choices. Lots of them.
I can't say that I'd be against this plan if we had failing schools, a lack of choices, and a high poverty level. We have none of those here. I can't say that I'd be against the plan if it was specifically for special needs kids, or low income families. It's not.
What I can't understand is why our board, who is supposed to be doing what is best for our public schools, thinks this is in the best interest of the public schools. They should be spending their time and our money making our schools better, not sending money and students elsewhere.
Public education benefits all of society. I have to wonder if someone who thinks they should be able to keep "their" money, or who thinks education should be pay-for-your-own, has any foresight whatsoever.
Our government is wildly out of control. You should absolutely NOT have to pay for a war in Iraq or all the other things that the government wastes our tax money on. The only function of the federal government should be DEFENSE. All other government functions should be local...roads, schools, police/fire, etc.
Our government is wildly out of control. You should absolutely NOT have to pay for a war in Iraq or all the other things that the government wastes our tax money on. The only function of the federal government should be DEFENSE. All other government functions should be local...roads, schools, police/fire, etc.
I'm not arguing the function of federal vs local govt. I'm simply pointing out that I can't specify which roads or which fire stations or anything else my taxes pay for. It doesn't work that way with anything, and it shouldn't work that way with schools either.
Well, speaking for myself, I pay in the area of $15,000 in property taxes which fund my public school, and I pay about the same in tuition for private school. A voluntary system would allow me to pay for the school of my choosing and allow me to donate to the public school system, and direct my donation DIRECTLY to schooling, not waste thousands in useless administration.
and you think enough people would actually choose to donate to the schools to keep them running? Absolutely laughable.
I'm not arguing the function of federal vs local govt. I'm simply pointing out that I can't specify which roads or which fire stations or anything else my taxes pay for. It doesn't work that way with anything, and it shouldn't work that way with schools either.
It absolutely should. As a libertarian, I can see the connect quite clearly. Nearly all taxes should be local, and under local control.
and you think enough people would actually choose to donate to the schools to keep them running? Absolutely laughable.
Why not? If the cause is really a part of what makes this country great, people will certainly give. If they don't.....then why are we taking it by force? If Americans don't value enough to give voluntarily, maybe there is no consensus to do it all?
Why not? If the cause is really a part of what makes this country great, people will certainly give. If they don't.....then why are we taking it by force? If Americans don't value enough to give voluntarily, maybe there is no consensus to do it all?
As I pointed out earlier, people have no foresight. All They care about is keeping their money now, without any thought as to what happens down the road when we have no schools, and a bunch of uneducated, unemployable people around.
As I pointed out earlier, people have no foresight. All They care about is keeping their money now, without any thought as to what happens down the road when we have no schools, and a bunch of uneducated, unemployable people around.
Again, if public schooling is not an important enough concept for people to voluntarily donate....why are we funding it by force? *YOU* know best?
Why not? If the cause is really a part of what makes this country great, people will certainly give. If they don't.....then why are we taking it by force? If Americans don't value enough to give voluntarily, maybe there is no consensus to do it all?
As a libertarian, you should be familiar with the free rider effect.
As a libertarian, you should be familiar with the free rider effect.
I'm familiar with it, I just don't think it's germane. It doesn't take away from the fact that if something doesn't have the public support to receive voluntary funding, it shouldn't be getting INvoluntary funding (taxing).
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