Big Issues

[Jakesta]

If you think that federal money is destroying public schools, then school vouchers are not something you should be supporting. School vouchers would turn private schools into clones of public schools. Take a look at private universities in this country, for example. They are beholden to the federal aid money from Washington, and Washington loads them down with pages and pages of regulations- gender equality in sports, etc.

The SAME thing would happen if you tried to implement a nationwide voucher system. The federal government would tell the private schools what should be taught and what other policies to implement- and by then the school would be beholden to the federal aid and private/religious secondary and elementary schools would become like our public secondary and elementary schools. Do you really want that?

[ACPlayer]

It would create a system where *public* schools had to become competetive in order to get those vouchers.

So, the solution is to starve the schools. So they can be fixed up. Remember that public schools have to take all type of students and private schools can pick and choose.

Why not just eliminate public funding of schools? That would really starve the current schools and the parents (who pay property taxes) can use the money to send their kids to any school. The parents who dont and cant afford to pay tuition -- well perhaps they can send the kids to India for an education.


Current public schools are beholden to administrators and the teacher's union and the school board. These entities have lots of very important agendas, none of which include actually educating children.

Private schools are beholden to the owners of the schools, who try to maximize profits. Or are beholden to church groups, who will twist the childs mind.

There is no doubt that vouchers will help some kids. But the question remains what is the goal of public funding of the schools in terms of access to education.

[ACPlayer]

It would also drive up the cost of private schools. Consider that if I owned a private school and knew that half the parents in my school were getting subsidized to the tune of, say, 2000 dollars a year from the govt -- I would look at trying to raise the fees to try and squeeze a bit more profit out of these parents.

Vouchers are a dumb idea. A gross transfer of public money intended for a public purpose to private hands.

[RR12]

I am not advocating the draft or anything, but I don't think that the draft was always bad. For vietnam or for Iraq is might seem wrong to people.. Do you believe it was wrong in ww2?

[natedogg]

[ QUOTE ]
If you think that federal money is destroying public schools, then school vouchers are not something you should be supporting. School vouchers would turn private schools into clones of public schools. Take a look at private universities in this country, for example. They are beholden to the federal aid money from Washington, and Washington loads them down with pages and pages of regulations- gender equality in sports, etc.

The SAME thing would happen if you tried to implement a nationwide voucher system. The federal government would tell the private schools what should be taught and what other policies to implement- and by then the school would be beholden to the federal aid and private/religious secondary and elementary schools would become like our public secondary and elementary schools. Do you really want that?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't support having federal govt involved in any way. State governments should do no more than provide a no-string-attached voucher which provides admission to any school.

Private schools that take vouchers could easily be required to have an open admissions policy. I would have no problem with that. (But I believe the state should have *no* say whatsoever on the school's discipline and expulsion policies. This is something else that parents can vote on with their feet.)

natedogg

[natedogg]

[ QUOTE ]
I am not advocating the draft or anything, but I don't think that the draft was always bad. For vietnam or for Iraq is might seem wrong to people.. Do you believe it was wrong in ww2?

[/ QUOTE ]

It was absolutely wrong.

natedogg

[Jakesta]

[ QUOTE ]
It would also drive up the cost of private schools. Consider that if I owned a private school and knew that half the parents in my school were getting subsidized to the tune of, say, 2000 dollars a year from the govt -- I would look at trying to raise the fees to try and squeeze a bit more profit out of these parents.

[/ QUOTE ]

What do you think happens with colleges? Why do you think ti costs so much to go to college in this country? It's more than tripled in cost(even when adjusting for inflation) since 1950. That's because it's like a runaway train. Washington raises the aid amounts, and the college raises the tuition. Rinse and repeat. When will we ever learn?

[lehighguy]

In a market with a great deal of competition you wouldn't be able to raise tuition without providing extra value. Parents would enroll thier kid in another school the next year if tuition got out of control. How many schools are in your county? A lot. How many more would probably spring up under this system? Parents would shop around for the best best education they could get at the best price, just as we all did when we applied to college.

Right now we get taxed and the money goes to greedy government administrators and incompetent teachers that are squeezing parents and providing no value whatsoever. And parents can't do jack about it because if they don't like the way thier school is run TOUGH [censored]. They can't stop paying taxes and they can't send thier kid to another school.

[ACPlayer]

Yeah, I can see parents switching schools every day, month or even year to get the best deal. Tuition does not have to get out of control, just increase it at 2-3 times inflation. An extra 500 dollars every year from 200 students is 10,000 in my private school magnate pockets. Now perhaps I can get another student into each class, funded by the stupid tax payers -- ah what a country.

I also see well run private schools on every block in the town of plainfield connecticut (or other small town) offering unlimited supply and a great deal of competition.

[lehighguy]

Your post shows a fundamental misunderstanding of markets and capitalism. But then again that is the AMerican left these days.