http://politics.nexcess.net/adubato/2007/01/corzine_cant_cut_property_taxe.html
http://tinyurl.com/289jkm
Corzine Can’t Cut Property Taxes Alone
By Steve Adubato, Ph.D.
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Here’s the deal. If New Jersey citizens rightfully demand that property taxes either be reduced or at least kept where they are, something has got to give. Tough choices must be made. But those tough choices can’t only come from Trenton. Legislators and the governor can’t get it done alone. Local officials, as well as citizens in those communities, must decide what they really want. It’s simple math. If local officials are right, that the only way to keep property tax increases to four percent or less is to slash local services, citizens must decide if that is what they want. If that is not what they want, then there is no reasonable expectation that property taxes will go down.
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No, the deal is that the whole concept is wrong. It’s as wrong as being in Newark and trying to use a map of Camden. When one finally realizes that the map doesn’t match the territory, you have to go back to basic assumptions.
The tough choice is that two wolves and lamb can NOT vote on what’s for dinner. Free public education is a disaster. Both for the welfare recipients (everyone with children) and those that pay for this welfare program (everyone who has property, earns income, or spends money in this state).
Perhaps it’s time to consider if “schools”, more properly called Government Education And Propaganda Camps, are something the government should do?
Why when the Communists ripped children from their parents and families and send them to “camps” for “education” was the West outraged? When the Communists sent dissidents to “camps” for “reeducation” were we horrified. But, when the governments in the USA at various levels do the equivalent do we pat everyone on the back?
I would assert that the Government should have no role in education. At the very least, it should have no role in operating an education systems. And in the extreme, forcing others to pay for such non-sense is immoral.
Let get into the details.
The use of force is immoral. My neighbor can no more come to my door and demand that I supply piano lessons for his daughter. He pays for that and she plays beautifully. So why do I have to pay property taxes to “educate” her? If I don’t pay “my” taxes, men with guns will come and steal my property, hurt me, and detain my in their jails. They might even kill me. How is it moral for a gang to do for my neighbor what he is not allowed to do for himself?
Where does the government get off brainwashing future citizens? The government schools teach the religion of government. Communism is put into practice and the message is your government will protect you. They also teach a religion of sorts environmentalism with a heavy dose of Mother Earth. It’s make a Druid proud. Gotta love those trees little Jane and little Johnnie.
So religious families are undermined when they teach the children one thing and the government schools teach something else. To the objection that they can send their kids to private or parochial schools, I retort but they still have to pay for the government school. One of my colleagues summed it up very nicely: “I can’t afford to pay taxes for schools and private school tuition for kids. Then when I send the kids to the government school, they “learn” all sorts of stuff, that conflict with our religion.” I don’t care if it’s Atheism, Catholicism, Jewish, Muslim, or Protestant. It’s a freedom of religion issue.
And, freedom from government indoctrination issue.
Now, if think we have shown that “government schooling” is immoral. Immoral in its funding. Immoral in that it undermines the family. Immoral in that it undermines religion. And, immoral in that is a pro-government indoctrination.
Now let’s look at “effectiveness”.
It’s no secret that American Education is derived from the Prussian Kindergarten model and the Horace Man / John Dewey model. Their stated purpose was to create good soldier for the Prussian military and good factory workers for American society. Both sought government by the elite and hence wanted to dumb down the general public and make that public more “tractable” and “lead able”. Also, worthy to note, that the Communist Manifesto has one plank dedicated to “Education” and seeks government control of all schools. If that is what we are trying to accomplish with government schools, it’s certainly succeeding. In any measure of US education globally, we are dropping like a rock. We’re going from first to worst in record time. Colleges are graduating functional illiterates. Does anyone really debate that government schools are producing the best for our country?
Now let’s chat about “efficiency”.
The current educational system is a model of government inefficiency. Costs by any measure are through the roof and results are in the toilet. The Teacher’s Union is the 800 pound gorilla in New Jersey politics. The method of funding is making the State inhospitable to the old on fixed incomes, the poor, and the middle class. Homeschoolers regularly trounce state schoolers in any competition I hear about. Parochial schools are known to achieve phenomenal results with poor kids. And, the government schools just whine that if they had more money, then it would be better. Doesn’t anyone get the model of the Post Office running education?
In the Florio tax revolt, I did a study for Hands Across New Jersey, that showed the average cost per student in NJ public education was a conservative 12k and the Princeton Pingry (Private) School only charged 10K. While I am sure the numbers are now inflated, I am as equally sure that the disparity is greater.
If one looks at an unregulated market in education, and we have one in Computer Training, we can see what would happen should the State get out of the business of “education”. Education in computers is recognized by people — employers and employees — as “good”. Employers can buy tested skills; employees get better jobs. A Certification in Cisco Computer Networking a decade ago would have cost 40k, today it’s 20. And, it’s better, delivered in more different ways, and in more convenient forms. If the free market in computers is a proxy, prices will dramatically decline, quality goes up, and the buyer gets more for the same money. WalMart has a $400 computer that is equivalent to $5k one a decade ago. Free Market everyone is happy; Government market no one is happy.
So in New Jersey we have an educational disaster, the equivalent of a toxic waste dump. Politicians, the Teachers Unions, and a vast interlocking community of interest has grown up sucking off the public purse. Graft, corruption, conflict of interests are all involved.
Do we agree that there is a problem?
OK, let’s peel away the onion and get to some solutions.
It took us decades to get into this mess, it’s going to take decades to get out of it.
We need to return to a free market in education. Parents have the children. Parents feed and clothe them. Parents have the children’s best interests at heart. I don’t pay to support your kids, why should I pay to educate them? And, you the parent won’t like what they learn in my school either.
I propose a 40 year plan to return children’s education to the parents. At the end of 40 years, the taxpayer will have no burden and the marketplace will have had plenty of time to develop.
The first twenty years we need to wean ourselves off the government operation of schools. The second twenty years we need to wean the parents off the taxpayer’s purse. Note that this is TWO generation of students.
In the first two decades, “we” create vouchers for education. All state funding of education funnels through the parents. First year, they are RED and only redeemable at the local school. Each year, 5% of the vouchers become GREEN and parents can use them at any school. Government Schools are incorporated and the principal, teachers, administrator, and custodian are shareholders. (Heck, we can even “give” them the building over 20 years!) (IMHO this will be like gasoline on a fire, I’m guessing that this new unregulated industry will attract lots of participants. Think University of Phoenix, DeVry, J&J all opening schools. Think of all the religious opening their own school. Get over the idea that there can be Readin’, Catholic Writin’, and ‘Rithmatic taught to the tune of Atheist, Catholic, Jew, Muslim, or Protestant!) We repeal all mandatory attendance as well as all “laws” related to education.
In the the second twenty years, we lower the voucher payment 5% every year.
At the end of those four decades, we will be free of the curse of Gooferment education.
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