I've been paying income taxes for 42 years, property taxes for 28 years, and I've always believed paying to educate other people's children was a responsibility of citizenship. I once drove back from an outstate meeting without even a drive-through cup of coffee so I could be in time to vote for a school referendum. There was no other issue affecting me on the ballot. The frustration the earlier poster feels comes, I think, from the almost reverent tone some folks take to "it's for the children." Politicians are masters at getting misty-eyed with the "for the children" mantra. Family memberships at museums, the zoo, the Historical Society sites - all permit unlimited children that childless people are subsidizing. Heath plans permit unlimited dependent children at a subsidized rate, but the childless or people whose kids are grown can't insure a brother, let alone a dear friend. Eldercare will eventually resolve some of the aging parent issues, but why is any employed person not permitted to purchase dependent coverage just because s/he hasn't produced a child? The catering to children examples are pretty numerous, but let's get back to education, by far the biggest expense. Every local or state discussion of public education focuses on parents and school boards or the Dept. of Education, possibly the needs of business. But we don't talk about the thousands of taxpayers who either have no kids or whose kids are all out of school. In St. Paul we are actually the majority of people supporting the schools, so we unequivocally have a stake in what decisions are made. How are we consulted? The strategy of late has been to appeal to us on the grounds that good schools protect property values. What an insult!
The truth is that, in addition to Bob's excellent examples of the doctors and carpenters we'll need in our old age, most of us care deeply about providing opportunity and ensuring that our country can count on informed citizens. Thus, we had a major stake in what the social studies standards would include, but no one ever asked what people without school-age kids thought. When it was decided to fund some expenses of home-schooling, no one asked whether we agreed. Whether the subject is charter schools or the possibility of vouchers or testing or the school report card, the focus is entirely on parents' rights. Those of us paying a substantial part of the cost might have some pretty strong views on where our money goes. After all, we were kids once ourselves. Gail O'Hare St. Paul _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
