Homeschool World Forum

ClassiclyAmber · Guest

It's inevitable for us...but I really, really wish there was something we could do about this. By that, I mean getting some laws changed. It doesn't seem fair at ALL for parents of school aged children to have to pay taxes on the public school system when we choose not to send our kids there.

In my mind, it should be that if you are legally HSing your child(ren), then you shouldn't have to pay taxes for OTHER people's kids to go to the local public school. After all, we need that money for our OWN children's education, right?

<sigh!> Rolling Eyes

Lily · User Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 427

Well, along those lines, we shouldn't pay taxes at all. If you have private insurance, you shouldn't be paying for people to use Medicare! If you prefer to buy books, you should definitely stop your tax money from going toward the library!

It gets sillier and sillier. Paying my share of taxes isn't going to mean my children will do without because I support the community.

To echo your sentiment ........... Rolling Eyes

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ClassiclyAmber · Guest

I could see why you'd say that, Lily, but I still disagree.

There will always be a ton of people paying into the public school system and most seem to not mind. However, for we homeschooling families, I personally feel that there should be something in place that makes it easier for us to provide our own children with education. The least they could do is let us keep that money every year to go towards our own school.

Lily · User Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 427

Public school is the equivalent of welfare in the form of education. Give to others and you will reap the benefits of a more productive society.
_________________
"The greatest sign of success for a teacher... is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist."
- M. Montessori
Proud non-member of the HSLDA

Ramona · User Joined: 15 Aug 2006 Posts: 408

Sandy · User Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 33 Location: MN

MrBill · User Joined: 18 Jan 2008 Posts: 11 Location: Colorado

Just consider that your taxes aren't paying for the school system.
They are paying for something else like, oh I don't know, the war.
Hmm that doesn't make it any easier.

How about paved roads so your groceries are actually at the store when you need them?

You like food, right? So thats what your taxes are for,
everyone else is paying for schools, and prisons, and wars.

Decrease · User Joined: 18 Jan 2008 Posts: 125 Location: Verona VA

While I am no fan of the public schools, I am actually intrigued by a concept developed by some educational thinkers. One person recommended that since a "free education" is considered "free", that by placing a monetary value on the education and requiring everyone who sends their child to school to pay for part (or all, depending on how much you make) of the education, you actually will make the education more valuable in the minds of the parents and could give an impetus of educational freedom of choice without the baggage of vouchers and "free market" education.

A novel idea in my opinion as we homeschoolers would not be paying as much for the education of children we do not know in a system we do not support.

Theodore · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:35 am Post subject:

MrBill: You forget that there's a third option, don't take huge amounts of everyone's money through taxation. Less taxes means more take-home money, which means people spend more and work harder across the board, which means a significant expansion effect for the economy. If most social spending programs were reduced or removed entirely, then people could afford to donate to their local community in places where the money is 90% or better effective, rather than the lousy percentage the government manages (wastage, fraud, bureaucracy, etc.) For instance, I recently donated $500 to a local food bank. They say they can serve thousands of meals to the homeless for that $500, but good luck getting even a fraction of that effect from the government.

Yes, one of the things that the government should be spending money on is infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, etc., but food? Farmers are already heavily subsidized. The reason food prices are so high right now is the emphasis on corn use for ethanol, which by the way doesn't noticeably lower either fuel prices or "greenhouse gas" emissions. If you really want to lower food prices, I suggest lobbying for the removal of all subsidies on corn used for a non-food purpose. Ethanol isn't a good primary fuel, and sugarcane is pretty much the only thing you can produce ethanol from efficiently anyhow.
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momo3boys · User Joined: 14 Feb 2006 Posts: 574 Location: Western Mass

Ramona you are right at least around here. Everybody contributes to the budget of the town and financial advisers decide how to tell the town how to vote. So everyone is paying for everything.

I wish we could just get a reimbursement for what we buy when we do our taxes, like when we pay a charity. When you go to college your tuition helps for your tax benefit, why can't what you pay for your child's education before they go to college. I don't see how the government could have that much control over what your teaching then.
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