In today's paper there's an article about how pork barrel spending is benefitting us locally in the Tampa Bay Area. Gee, we're honored to be the first at the trough.
This is exactly why our government isn't working, and hasn't worked for at least 40 years. Government has been taken out of the hands of state and local officials (where there is forced accountability) and handed over to the Feds who continuously abuse their powers.
This is a typical case in point. Here we see that the monies which are extracted from every taxpayer in the U.S. are unproportionately distributed. In our particular area, we are getting back more than we're contributing. How very sad for the areas that aren't.
Michelle was just telling me about some inner-city schools that have almost no funding (she's doing an interesting series on racism in the school system and although I don't always agree with it, there are some valid points). She told me this story:
An affluent school had been told they were going to lose a teacher because they didn't have the funds to keep her. So, a drive was formed by the parents and they'd raised the money to keep her almost immediately. A ghetto school in the same area lost a teacher and there was nothing they could do about it. This school has boarded up windows, locks everywhere, and little money to even buy textbooks. (Of course to be fair, I need to point out that when there are different classes of people, there are often different classes of behavior. And there are some schools where it's the students' fault that everything is torn apart and ruined).
I am concerned when I see others suffering in less popular areas while we sit here, fat and happy, due to our congressman with heavy influence. Taxes need to be distributed per capita (in proportion to population) instead of where the power lies.
It's rather disheartening to think that the whopping taxes I paid last year (they were enough to provide a good salary to someone else) could all have gone for research into the interaction of medications and grapefruit juice. I would like to pick a more worthy cause, please.
I happen to personally know Bill Young, and he's a very pleasant and engaging fellow. I've even golfed with him. And it's precisely because he's so charismatic that we get what we're getting.
Don't get me wrong! I agree with much of what Bill Young stands for, but not this. Not this.
So, thank you for the gifts, Mr. Young. Now, where can we return them?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Saur,
I would suggest you read Ludicrous 5:6-9 and not yell at me.
This is the way the game is played. Pinellas County benefits greatly from Congressman Young’s power and influence. This is the only way to get many mainstream projects funded with such a liberal media in the area.
I have a Teach for America Teacher staying at one of my abodes. It’s amazing the number of extremely intelligent kids that want to teach at inner city schools. I often visit this teacher because I promised I’d keep an eye on her. Oh the stories she tells. Pinellas County Schools North of Sunset Point Road enjoy educational nirvana. South Pinellas should look into the Teach for America program.
It's always so sad to see that the people who take our children in and form their educational years, never quite make what they are worth.
My Dad was a teacher years ago, and worked in a school of deaf and autistic children. It takes an incredible amount of patience to teach "normal" children; a real saint to teach children with handicaps. We were allowed to visit his classrooms from time to time, and he would introduce us to his fellow teachers, all of whom were wonderful folks as well.
When I moved to Fulton County in Georgia, I did it with the intention that my son's education would be better than any other county in the state. It is, but the plan backfired on me a little bit, as the fellow kids were from wealthy backgrounds, and my son could never understand why we couldn't afford the same "toys" as everyone else.
Goes to show you that there is never enough to go around, no matter the circumstances, or the taxes we pay... and mine are quite high as well.
Great post as usual!
Where I live, in upstate NY--about one hour north of the city, the school taxes are outrageous. It's amazing all the money that goes into these schools, and the outcome of what we see.
Real eye-opening post. Thanks!
Outrageous. As usual. We get what we'll put up with I guess.
The day that gov't makes sense, is the day Saurkraut and Jamie Dawn are in office.
Merry Christmas! Have a wonderful weekend, Saur!!
Yeah, equity is the way to go. Which is why property taxes shouldn't be such a major source of funding for schools, and why pork barrel spending is so irksome.
It also has a bit to do with what our country determines should be paid for by local municipalities versus the federal government. I don't think federalization is the way to go on everything (please don't mention any child being left behind), but that does complicate the issue.
Have a very Merry chirstmas, Saur!
Hi Saur, sorry I've been gone awhile. Don't kill the stories, BTW...I love them. (Pretty please?)
Someday, if I ever get serious, I'll start an anonymous blog about all the crap that goes on in the school district. You'd be amazed...
Have a great holiday weekend.
Saur,
Cute freckles, but you should use sunscreen with a UV factor of 50+.
Best Regards,
Burt
Post a Comment