I believe public elementary and high school education should be limited to poor people

[Armstead]

I resent having to pay for other people's children. Especially rich ones.

Public education should only be for poor people. Anyone making over $30,000 a year should have to shoulder their share of the burden and either pay something for their children to attend public school, or attend private school.

I think $6,000 a year is fair. The kids can learn responsibility by working off their high school debt.


(Just in case )

[Xipe Totec]

1. Yea. That separate but equal thing again - Thanks for the sarcastathingie

Seriously, if we want to guarantee a good education for all, make the rich send their kids to public schools.

[Crystalite]

2. Hear, Hear!

Why, what is that cranky old Sanders SMOKING?

/sarcasm

Interesting fact: Woodside High School, in swanky Woodside CA, San Mateo County, featured in "Waiting for Superman", would be filled with kids from wealthy homes, right?

Dead wrong. 50% qualify for free or reduced lunch program.

Those rich kids are sent to private schools.

[dsc]

3. there is a massive difference between elementary and secondary education

and college. Colleges don't accept everybody. Why should auto mechanics or plumbers or other such people pay taxes so that the children of doctors and lawyers can get a free education that their kids can't get?

[Douglas Carpenter]

4. Means testing is a way to make programs resented and unpopular forever. Social Security and Medicare

are not means tested and are overwhelmingly popular - attempts to abolish them or privatize them or make major cutbacks on them are almost always universally opposed by the overwhelming majority of American people. Other "help the unfortunate" programs that are means tested are always politically open to cutbacks and are in general unpopular - because people frequently have trouble imagining themselves in such unfortunate circumstances. Means tested programs insure that the very poor will often be resented by the middle class and the working poor who make just enough to put them above the limits to qualify.

[azmom]

5. Why do you think that children of

Mechanics and plumbers won't be accepted at public universities?

[dsc]

35. they will be less likely to

for one they aren't legacies.

[azmom]

40. I understand your concern, but the whole

Legacy concept is based on money.

So why do schools do it?

The answer, despite what they might say about tradition and close alumni relationships, is clearly about money. An alum who encourages their child to apply to their alma mater likely had a good experience, and if their child gets into the school, they're even more likely to donate. Wealthy families or heavy donors are likely to get additional preference.

http://www.businessinsider.com/legacy-kids-have-an-admissions-advantage-2013-6

It is clear that once you take money out of the equation, the entire admission process would change.

[dsc]

41. they will still be taking donations even under a system where tuition is paid by others

In most states tuition only covers a fraction of the cost of education. The fraction varies from university to university and state to state but at no university or state is that fraction 100 percent.

[Live and Learn]

7. A college degree is pretty much a must these days. In fact, graduate degrees are now required for

some pretty low end jobs.

We lost most of our high school education needed only jobs overseas remember.

Having a highly educated society is always a good thing. It wasn't to long ago that many didn't think high school educations were necessary and before that it was grade school educations.

And doctors and lawyers are not necessarily top earners today. But I don't even mind paying my taxes so Trumps kids can go to school. In fact, it would probably make them better people if they got away from his influence and used the free schooling.

And it seems rather rude of Hillary to single out his kids, especially since she knows them so well.

[jeff47]

12. So we're back to the 1600's now, where you are destined to work your father's profession? (nt)

[Lordquinton]

22. Because teh Drs and La0wyers pay taxes

so the children of mechanics and plumbers can go to higher education.

[Armstead]

24. A change in acceptance policies at public colleges might be in order

The otehr "massive difference" is basically outdated these days, because college and/or post-secondary vocational training is becoming a requirements for more and more jobs.

Those who don't have those aspirations will either not try college, or not apply themselves and quit or get kicked out.

[aspirant]

6. Why should we have schools at all

When the robots take over the workforce we all will be living in caves anyways, so let's just bring back the Neanderthal age.

[Live and Learn]

9. Are they going to let us live in the caves?

Seems they keep telling the homeless now that they can't stay anywhere. They steal their belongings and make them start over somewhere else constantly.

I told my son I had just come back from a homeless march and he asked, "Where did you march them to?" He was kidding but it could have been a real question.

[aspirant]

14. At least the robots don't need food and belongings

When nobody is paying taxes, rent, buying anything or paying for prisons, where will they shuffle us to?

[Live and Learn]

15. Pretty sure they will keep up the police forces and the private prisons.

Once the money runs out though they will be busy stealing from each other.

[aspirant]

16. Now that's the final answer

"stealing from each other" We can finally divide and conquer them. Why didn't we think of this sooner?

[Live and Learn]

17. Because it involves living in caves first. ROFL

Hoping Bernie can at least stave that off.

[aspirant]

18. One family's dusty cave is another's rock mansion

The Flintstones seemed to be a happy group

[Live and Learn]

27. True. Maybe Hillary can use that in her campaign. LOL

[PADemD]

30. Where will they shuffle us to?

Probably, the Final Solution.

[aspirant]

32. The nutritious Solvent Green?

[demwing]

39. Solvent Green sounds like an industrial cleaning agent

I wouldn't eat that, even if it wasn't made of people

[aidbo]

8. Seems like a modest proposal.

[Armstead]

25. Apologies to Mr. Swift

[aidbo]

26. Far be it from me to speculate, but I don't think he'd mind.

[Live and Learn]

29. I don't think he would mind at all. nt

[Live and Learn]

28. OMG, I missed it the first time. lol nt

[Agony]

10. I'm all for bringing back the 168 hour work week

that'll keep those little welfare queens busy

[Ken Burch]

13. You leave me no option but to post THIS:

[eppur_se_muova]

11. Hetty Green approves, but ...

her children ... not so much.
http://www.starkman.com/hippo/articles/witch.html

[JI7]

19. everyone doesn't get into college but everyone can get into elementary and high school

[zalinda]

21. But, EVERYONE should have a chance to go to college. eom

[JDPriestly]

20. You nailed it. No way into the middle class for kids from all those rich families that earn over

$30,000 per year. Sarcasm just in case you missed it.

At 18, a person should be on their own whether their parents are considered rich or poor. Raise the taxes on the rich and use them to educate everyone who wants to go to state colleges and tech schools, has the ability and works hard enough to pass the courses.

[SheilaT]

23. I chose to send my sons to a private secular school.

And I was rather unpopular there because I said I did not think that I should be exempt from penny one of public school taxes. Public schools are important, and we all should be paying for them, whether or not we currently have kids in the public schools. And at any given time, most taxpayers will not have kids in public schools. But we all benefit vastly from good public schools.

At this point in my life, my kids are long out of school, and I now live in a different state from the one I did when they didn't attend the local public schools. And yet, I still strongly believe in public schools, and why I should pay taxes for them.

[PADemD]

31. +1

I have the same attitude.

[Kilgore]

33. Playing the devils advocate

Ok, if I have to pay $6,000 per year, I choose to spend it at a private Christian school.

Seems like the idea could backfire to me.

[Locrian]

36. ^^ beat me to it

People are going to take you up on that.... privatize it and then "vouchers" for "your choice". All the while making public school weaker and weaker and more money for private / religious groups.

[Armstead]

37. I hope you noticed the word in red letters at the bottom of the OP

[bobbobbins01]

34. Same with the roads.

It really burns my britches when I see a fancy car driving down the highway. They have a lot of nerve showboating and rubbing their wealth in my face on the roads that I pay for. They should be levied a huge tax or they can start building their own damn roads. Next thing you know, they'll start collecting social security!

[dsc]

38. To give you one example of why college is so different

One of the stories that came out of Ferguson was just how terrible the schools there were. Ferguson is hardly unique in that regard. Pretty much every major city has some schools in it or by it that are just downright awful and there is no help on the way for those schools. Students from that system have virtually no chance to go to a public university. Students from suburban St. Louis schools on the other hand have a great chance of doing so because their schools are vastly better funded and thus vastly better. Until we fix that problem we have literally no business at all paying college tuition for the children of doctors, lawyers, and stock brokers. The federal government currently spends about 7% of the total money spent on k-12 education (mostly to help prop up title one schools) and spends nearly as much funds on college students which accounts for way more of the spending. This program would double education spending by the feds with absolutely none of it going to k-12. That would be a huge problem given the rampant inequities involved.