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  #1  
Old 05-14-2009, 12:50 AM
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wintermuted wintermuted is offline
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Universal education - is it the right thing to do?

Do you think the US should be in the business of giving every citizen a K-12 education on the taxpayers' dime? Why or why not?

I'm not trying to get into issues of reform or public vs. charter schools. I'm simply asking if you philosophically agree with the practice of government funding for universal education.

I've always thought this was a fun cocktail party question when the topic turns to politics and thought I'd see how you all felt.
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Old 05-14-2009, 05:09 AM
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Grumpy Grumpy is offline
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This question touches on a subject that is very dear to me. My problem is with school of choice. Yes I feel every child is entitled to the best education they can get but its at the responsibility of their own town or city.

For instance my kids suburban school district has been so over ridden with city kids since SOC was started it has brought the cities problems with it. Fights, drugs, overfilled classrooms and so on. Yes these problems existed before school of choice but no where near the degree they are several years after the SOC policy was instituted.

Bottom line is I pay taxes in my town to maintain the schools while city parents pay for theirs. Let them utilize their own school. If they aint happy with them then do something about it such as becoming more active in how they are run and their policies. Dont run away to the suburbs mess ours up too.
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Old 05-14-2009, 07:56 AM
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merrylander merrylander is offline
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I guess I am in the camp that says education should be free but it is the responsibility of each district. Howard county, where we live has one of the better systems and ranks high. It costs us about $3,800 each year, not that we have any kids in the system. The last County executive tried to put a $1000 tax on every new home sold, based on the fact that these people came in and used the schools we had already paid for, but it was squashed by the then Republican Governor, no doubt with ample encouragement from the developers.

One of the things that is not helping education is the current attitude in many companies that a 10 hour workday should be the norm (8 hours of work and 2 hours of face time). This leaves little or no time for parent to become involved in the system

Last edited by merrylander; 05-14-2009 at 02:09 PM.
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Old 05-14-2009, 11:06 AM
kretinus kretinus is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by merrylander View Post
This leaves little or no time for parent to become involved in the system
My father made quite a few sacrifices for us kids when we were growing up, including making time for important things.

Seems to me we're starting to think life should be easier than it actually is.

Most board meetings are held at night, if you can't attend, you can still voice your input in a variety of ways, letters, phone calls, email?

On the other hand I see a lot of waste in our schools trying to pay for things that have nothing to do with sound core curriculum and a lot of over paid administrators who seem to be more interested in their career climb than doing what they were hired to do.

Our whole system of education is a bloated, out dated and out moded pig and our colleges are becoming political indoctrination centers.
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Old 05-14-2009, 02:09 PM
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merrylander merrylander is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kretinus View Post
My father made quite a few sacrifices for us kids when we were growing up, including making time for important things.

Seems to me we're starting to think life should be easier than it actually is.

Most board meetings are held at night, if you can't attend, you can still voice your input in a variety of ways, letters, phone calls, email?

On the other hand I see a lot of waste in our schools trying to pay for things that have nothing to do with sound core curriculum and a lot of over paid administrators who seem to be more interested in their career climb than doing what they were hired to do.

Our whole system of education is a bloated, out dated and out moded pig and our colleges are becoming political indoctrination centers.
Well if you leave the office at 7:00 or 7:30, spend an interesting commute of 1 to 1.5 hours - not uncommon around these parts, you might attend the meeting as long as they hold it at 9:00 or later. If you don't get to the meeting what exactly are you going to say in your letters or emails?

No doubt there are efficiencies to be made in the system but given the way things are down here I don't expect significant changes. When I look at the ballot in November and I see the candidate's (for the school board) political affiliation listed I just shake my head, are you people totally insane?

Both of my Senators know me, they should as they hear from me often enough. I never used to write to my Congressman until a Democrat won the seat.

BTW since I was born in 1930 tell me about parental sacrifice, at least it taught me that I was the one in charge of my life, been out of work a few times since arriving, never asked for unemployment, never took a dime from anyone.

Last edited by merrylander; 05-14-2009 at 02:12 PM.
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Old 05-14-2009, 04:40 PM
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soundhound soundhound is offline
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yes, every american citizen should be given a free public education. some of the reasons include:

1) a person with a high school education earns much more money, generally speaking, over the period of their lifetime than a person without such education. this benefits our country in higher tax revenues.

2) a person with a high school education is far less likely to commit a crime and become incarcerated, generally speaking, than a person without such education, thereby reducing costs to the judicial system.

3) a person with a high school education is more likely to attain self-satisfaction, generally speaking, than a person without such education, therefore leading a less stressful life, which lowers health care costs, therefore benefiting the country.

4) a person with a high school education, generally speaking, is easier to train for the job force and is more productive, thereby reducing costs to employers, and increasing production, which benefits the nations economy.

5) the better educated a populace is, the more competitive they are in the global economy, which benefits the country.

now if you want to discuss what's wrong with our public education system, start another thread. as a public high school teacher, i've got lots to say!
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  #7  
Old 05-14-2009, 05:28 PM
noonereal noonereal is offline
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College should also be available to to all who are qualified.
Those who do not qualify should have specific job training programs open to them
On the flip side, all Americans should serve their country for two years.
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Old 05-15-2009, 07:14 AM
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merrylander merrylander is offline
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Originally Posted by noonereal View Post
College should also be available to to all who are qualified.
Those who do not qualify should have specific job training programs open to them
On the flip side, all Americans should serve their country for two years.

Being old enough to remember the state of our technology pre WW II, it was the GI Bill that gave this country its technological edge.
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