all taxpayers arent mandated to pay into the system that runs it?

could public school be cut for the same reasons that healthcare reform is being rejected?


why do we pay for others to benefit? why do we pay for the public school system if we have no children or dont attend?

I would never want public school to be cut for this reason, but do you think its on the horizon as people get more tight with their money and more unwilling to think about community as well as self?

from an anonymous poster on another site,,

"The fundamental mythos of American culture, is that no matter how poor or humble your birth, you can through grit, spunk and hard work become wealthy and prosperous.

On the face of it, and from the perspective of a class divided Europe, that seems incredibly noble and empowering. The idea that there is that much social mobility, that anyone can forge their own destiny is a powerful part of the American psyche. When it happens, it is an incredible thing. Something Americans can feel proud of.

However, there is a dark side to this mythos. Which is this... if anyone can win through hard work and effort, anyone who doesn't win, therefore deserves to be poor.

At the core of all the anti-health care reforms is the single concept "why should I pay for the healthcare of those losers."

It doesn't matter how it is presented, that is the core issue.

Now, there is another problem. That is that social mobility in the USA isn't radically different from European countries. People born into poor families tend to remain poor. People born into rich families tend to stay rich. The only difference is that in Europe, we don't bankrupt people or let them die prematurely due to lack of medical care."

If you own a house or property a portion of the taxes you pay goes to public education. That isn't going to change.

If you rent a house or property the money you pay the owner inevitably ends up into the tax pool as well.

So the idea that someone can simply not pay because they have no children is not applicable in any situation.

There are a few examples in Europe that you can look at and say they do a good job of taking care of their citizens. They are able to do it in a way that doesn't bankrupt their entire economy.

Using Europe as a whole is absurd because that is simply not the case.

The entire EU/Euro currency system is on the brink of collapse. When it goes down it will take down Germany with it.

Sweden Norway and Denmark will survive the initial collapse because they aren't tied to the Euro currency. However, their trading partners going down in flames will inevitably hurt their economies.

I would hold off on using Europe as a shining example of how great collective societies are working in the 21st century.

Education has inherent value and I support the concept of public education.

On the other hand, we pay twice as much for half as much (that's probably a generous estimate) as many other countries. Our system is messed up...from the taxes we pay to the rules teachers must follow (to maintain funding) that basically prevents them from teaching.

Budget Cuts in Pennsylvania – We Need the American Jobs Act.

Budget Cuts in Pennsylvania – We Need the American Jobs Act.

http://www.ed.gov/blog/2011/10/budget-cuts-in-pennsylvania-%e2%80%93-we-need-the-american-jobs-act/ 0
Hard times.

i'm all for privatization of schools. it's a rare tax payer who thinks that he/she is getting what they're paying for. as it's the law that children be educated, there is a ready market for private schooling. wherever we can remove government from our daily lives i'm all for it. the profit motive has made this country the great place it is today and our kid's education should reap the benefit.

rarely have i read anything more absurd on the forums.

Get the gov't out of our school systems and "education" may actually have some value again.

The gov't messes up everything it gets involved in! Real issues are buried under red tape, debates, a new board to decide this or that, censored cirriculum, this book or that book..... all to keep funding and stay open.

Schools lose funding because they lose individuality in the beauracratic mess, become statistics, and NOT about our children and their education!

Schools should be controlled by the communities (local), and not the mindset of everyone (fed).

A school in FL is not going to be important to a voter in CA, and definately not to some neocon in a gov't office!

So the state can't balance it's budget. Why should those of us in other states pay for education in Pennsylvania? Or any other state for that matter. The jobs act will do what? Keep some teaching positions for a year? Then what? Next year the state can't afford those positions and need more federal money? When does the viscous cycle end?

The jobs act is not about the working class! It's just another tax break for the rich and more taxes to the working class!

Another transfer of wealth from the middle class and small business owner who won't qualify and have to fold their business they are struggling NOW to keep open.

No we don't need that bull.

totally different issues. 2 totally different costs as well. 1 is only temporary (16 years) the other isnt.

Hate to bring this up but, you fearless leader wants the Taxpayer to pay for illegal and their kids education.

Deportation would take a HUGE load off the education system.

BTW, some states offer in-state tuition to Illegals. Demand they stop doing that.

False Dichotomy, this assumes there are only two reasons for success or failure. This is clearly absurd.

you dont believe that people are of the mind that those who are poor 'deserve' it for not working hard enough?

what is temporary about education? its ongoing

I agree the notion is absurd, but far too many seem to believe it,,,(people like herman mccain, and my guess is millions of others)