I read an article

[wcampbell47]

I think this thread was HI-JACKED.
School taxes is not the topic. But since we are on it; 75% of my state and local taxes go to schools. Schools can find many ways to waste money. They always want more. If they get resistance they cut funding to emotional areas. Never to administrators, administration staff. Only areas that get emotional responses for those poor kids. I think my taxes need to be reduced.

Well if you kinda sorta stretch it a little bit kids and school taxes could tie in with a post about a woman who chose to never have kids.

 

[davesl708]

I think this thread was HI-JACKED.
School taxes is not the topic. But since we are on it; 75% of my state and local taxes go to schools. Schools can find many ways to waste money. They always want more. If they get resistance they cut funding to emotional areas. Never to administrators, administration staff. Only areas that get emotional responses for those poor kids. I think my taxes need to be reduced.

I guess I did stray from the OP's post but to suggest people should have children and it is wrong if you don't is part of the problem.

 

[Country Geek]

The article I had read the night before flashed thru my mind and I wondered how that selfish woman would feel when she retired to her large mansion that nobody ever came to visit. She had her picture hanging on the wall in some corporate boardroom but a few years after she retired who would even remember her name? Who would hold her hand as she grew old? Who would care for her when she became ill? Would anyone cry when she passed from this world?
RSKY

Having children does not guarantee that anyone will hold your hand as you grow old or care for you when you become ill. Nursing homes are full of people who have children and grandchildren who never visit.

 

[dmccarty]

I'm not sure how these threads get so off track from the original post but let me add this. My wife is an Elementary Level Para Educator. She works with children with learning disabilities and other disabilities. Is there waste in the education system, probably. But it's not wasted on salaries. There are some children that have a Para Educator assigned to them all day long. That's 1 Para for one 1 child all day long. My personal opinion, those kids shouldn't be in public schools. But their parents, think they should be. Why? Becuase they don't want their kid to go to a "Special School". It's a bunch of BS if you ask me.

If the kids were in a special school, the cost would be the same, if not more, since there would have to be a new school(s) and possibly buses running all over the county to get the kids. Schools have to accept disabled kids due to Federal requirements. As my granny would say, count your lucky stars that you do not have a disabled kid. When I saw disabled kids being wheeled into school in a bed my concern was not how much it cost me but compassion for the child and family. Of course, many kids have disabilities that are as obvious as a bed being wheeled into school. In fact, the school my kids go to has a very high percentage of kids with disabilities which surprised the heck out of me. Some I knew about but most I did not.

My mother taught for 30 years in the public school system and my wife for 10 before switching over to a private school. I agree that the money is not wasted on salaries..at the classroom level. There is however massive waste once you move above that level. As with most government entities, the levels of bureaucracy and their inefficiencies is mind boggling and never ending.

Salaries are wasted on teachers. I had teachers that were stoned EVERY SINGLE day they were in school. How did staff and faculty not realize that two teachers/idiots were smoking dope every day? I had teachers that were illiterate. I had a teacher who was a bully, abusive, racist and no way should have been in a classroom. The principal and staff knew this but did nothing. Another teacher took us for walks off campus so he could go shopping at Sears. He also was "sleeping" with his students. There were many teachers who just did not give a scat and were collecting a paycheck. I think it is safe to say these people were paid too much and were a waste of money and they were in the classroom. Unfortunately.

I would like to think what I experienced where exceptions but the news reports say otherwise... What I saw occurred in three different states and not in schools that had known issues. Furthermore, these schools, with one exception, where thought of as very good schools. What goes on in schools with lesser reputations?

What I see locally in my school system is wasted salaries by the management/administrative staff. No if, ands or buts about it. Not to mention money being spent on dubious educational initiatives that have meant fewer teachers in the classroom and led to increases in education expenses. Most of the wasted money is NOT in the classroom but in the admin offices, the school board, the state capital and DC.

Are salaries wasted on good teachers? Heck no, they should earn more but getting rid of the chaff to get to the wheat is problematic in government run institutions.

Later,
Dan

 

[WoodChuckDad]

I chose not to reproduce! I do enjoy (some) kids and am close to my nieces and nephews.
What I don't enjoy is having to pay for everyone else's reproductive choices!
My county just passed a 1/2 cent additional sales tax "for the schools" so everybody with little darlings has a babysitter paid for by those without.
My business tools have a "Tangible Personal Property Tax" that goes partially to the schools.
At one job that I had in the past the guy working next to me got paid the same BUT he got up to $5000. more in benefits. The annual benefits plan showed the details.
So the next time you run into one of these childless persons Thank them for helping you support your offspring!
The term for it is Socialism. Funny how just a little of it is considered a good thing.

This is not socialism. Socialism is the government owning the means of economic production. This is an example of collective bargaining. Unions forced the benefits issue. In the decline of unions, individual negotiation has forced many companies to offer lucrative benefits to draw employees. That additional 5k in benefits is part of your co-worker's total compensation. That is part of the free enterprise system.....part of capitalisms...one of the many things that I and many like myself are willing to fight for....we will probably lose it before the end of my life time, because it seems we are giving away the store.....but that is not really the OP's point.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

To the OP's point. I have 5 kids from 4 marriages. 3 still live in the house. I feel rich beyond my expectations. There are many nights when I am entertained by my kids more than the laugh factory. But I also can't wait for these kids to leave the house. My youngest is 13 and my oldest is 25, married and on her own and has provided me an infant grandchild. I love them but I want to experience some freedom again, before my joints all give out on me. I hope my kids and grand kids will come to visit....can't guarantee. I was always a bit of a hard *** and I'm sure my kids resented it many times. But I have been fortunate and so far my kids seem like they are all doing well. As I get older, I get a bit softer.
I had a friend for many years who had no kids, but moved in with a woman with a child. He raised that child from age 3 to early teen years when he split with her mom and left the child's life. My brother who has never had a biological child of his own, was married several times and raised and adopted the son of his first wife. He has maintained an active role in the life of 2 of his grandchildren from another marriage, although his spouse and step daughter both died. Kids love him. Most of the time, he drives me out of my mind. He makes many of those same self driven decisions....but he is happy. I think of these things often.....remembering my father telling me that if he had never had kids, he would have a really nice fishing boat. My dad loved to fish. He was a great father. My brother, who was adopted by my father would agree with me on that...and almost nothing else. There's all kinds of kinds.

 

[RSKY]

Apparently I stepped on some toes with my original post. I did not intend to. I simply thought everybody else had the same feelings about children and the continuation of the human race as I do. I guess I was wrong.

What a boring world it must be not having children or grandchildren. I cannot imagine........

Not having a six year old follow you around asking two hundred questions an hour.

Not having a two and a half year old bundle of energy climb down from her mother's arms and run thru a room of people screaming, "Granddaddy, Granddaddy", then throwing herself into your arms, hugging your neck and looking around at everybody in the room and saying loudly, "I love my Granddaddy!"

Not having the six month old grin every time she sees me. I can talk to her and she will laugh out loud. She can't talk yet, can't even say "Dada". But she knows my face, laughs and holds out her arms when she sees me.

How empty your world. What is the purpose of living if you do not pass your genes on to the next generation. How will society or even the human race survive if children are not produced.

You are upset because you must pay taxes to support everybody else's children. Who is going to pay taxes to support you when you retire? Who is going to do the work necessary to keep the world running after you get too old? It will be the children of those who spent their money, time, and energy bringing them into the world and raising them.

If you get down to it the childless should pay more taxes. They have not contributed to produce a next generation to take over after we all die off. So tax them more to make up for their selfishness and greed.

Now THAT is stepping on somebody's toes!

RSKY

 

[bcp]

From a few days ago.

Pearls Before Swine Comic Strip, January 13, 2016 on GoComics.com

Bruce

 

[stan33]

Apparently I stepped on some toes with my original post. I did not intend to. I simply thought everybody else had the same feelings about children and the continuation of the human race as I do. I guess I was wrong.

What a boring world it must be not having children or grandchildren. I cannot imagine........

Not having a six year old follow you around asking two hundred questions an hour.

Not having a two and a half year old bundle of energy climb down from her mother's arms and run thru a room of people screaming, "Granddaddy, Granddaddy", then throwing herself into your arms, hugging your neck and looking around at everybody in the room and saying loudly, "I love my Granddaddy!"

Not having the six month old grin every time she sees me. I can talk to her and she will laugh out loud. She can't talk yet, can't even say "Dada". But she knows my face, laughs and holds out her arms when she sees me.

How empty your world. What is the purpose of living if you do not pass your genes on to the next generation. How will society or even the human race survive if children are not produced.

You are upset because you must pay taxes to support everybody else's children. Who is going to pay taxes to support you when you retire? Who is going to do the work necessary to keep the world running after you get too old? It will be the children of those who spent their money, time, and energy bringing them into the world and raising them.

If you get down to it the childless should pay more taxes. They have not contributed to produce a next generation to take over after we all die off. So tax them more to make up for their selfishness and greed.

Now THAT is stepping on somebody's toes!

RSKY

My toes aren't stepped on. I do however, think your view of the world seems to be like a frog looking up from the bottom of a well and I find that somewhat concerning.

For starters, there are too many people on this planet already for present consumption of resources to be sustainable, and the numbers keep growing. Some have likened the human population of the planet to be at 'plague' proportions already. The world certainly doesn't need the amount of human reproduction it currently has. Those that don't have children are actually helping the world to postpone the inevitable human self-cull....either from weapons of mass destruction or when resources run out.

Then there are many people who are not so fortunate as you to have a family, not through choice but by the cards they were dealt. They have to live with it and deal with it....your criticizing something which others have no control over, is somewhat blinkered and cruel. Be grateful for your blessings but please dont look down on those not so fortunate.

And lastly, getting your raison d'etre from having children is fine but it is really the easy option. Those that dont have a family have to put in quite a bit more effort to think and learn and find what gives their life meaning....and through that searching find all sorts of things which you aren't perhaps blessed with or aware of.

 

[MossRoad]

A long time ago, a tornado came through our neighborhood. The house at the end of the block had 5 trees thrown onto it, crushing the roof. The woman that lived in the house was a god fearing christian with 7 children and for all intents and purposes, she was a good human being. Two doors down from her also lived a god fearing christian woman with one child of her own and and adopted child as well and for all intents and purposes was also a good human being.

After the storm ended, the people of the neighborhood gathered in the street to survey the damage. Only the house with the 7 children had damage, with the 5 trees on top of it, darn near destroyed. As the woman with the 7 children and destroyed house stood in the street in shock and ready to cry, with all the men, women and children from the neighborhood gathered around her for support, and the woman from two doors down says "God was good to us, we didn't have any damage."

Everyone was stunned she said such a thing. Her husband grabbed her by the arm and dragged her down the street and threw her in the house two doors down. She had no idea how badly she had hurt the lady with 7 children and a house with 5 trees on top of it with one thoughtless comment. I don't think she ever got it. The two ladies never spoke again.