[extropy-chat] prop 13 and public schools

[spike]

> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Damien Sullivan
> Subject: Re: [extropy-chat] Extropic Freedom and the Fate of Dissidents
...
> 
> Taxifornia, land of Proposition 13's property tax cap, and subsequent
> decay of public schools?

Ja, but prop 13 isn't what is causing the decay of 
the public schools.  Taxifornia also has a high sales 
tax and a high income tax.  If there are no controls 
over property taxes, one does not really own one's 
property.  If there are no controls, one is merely 
renting one's own property from the state, which can 
arbitrarily raise the rates until the property owners 
must sell.

With sales tax there are inherent controls: if they
raise them too much, bricks and mortar businesses
fail.  With income taxes, there are inherent controls:
if they raise them too much, people go bankrupt.  But
property taxes in most yank states lack such controls: if
they raise them too much, people must sell their
property.  These taxes must be controlled or capped
in some manner, especially in a state like taxifornia
where the property values are absurd.  Prop13 keeps 
governments under control.

Taxifornia public schools are not really failing
either.  The students are learning.  The facilities
are in great shape.  Extravagance is seen seen
everywhere on the school grounds.  Google on California 
Public Schools, that will give you a list, then google
on a few randomly chosen public school websites.  Do
those facilities look decayed?  I do not doubt that
there exists propaganda claiming taxifornia public
schools are decaying, but get on the web and check
it out.

We try to arrange the voting places to be at the 
public schools so that the voters are forced to come 
out and see it first-hand.  In most cases, the schools 
are in better shape than the surrounding neighborhoods.

I might add that the schools that are failing are
not doing so because of lack of funds.  They have
plenty of money.  The failing public schools are 
doing so because the criterion upon which is
determined their success is the cumulative
test scores of the students.  Half of these
tests cover English skills.  There is a constant
drain of students from publics schools whose
native language is English, a constant drain
of students in whose home is spoken only
English.  These are going to private schools
in ever greater numbers.  So more and more of
the public school's limited time is taken up
trying to teach basic English skills, which
displaces ever more of the other half of the 
test, which is math.  

More money will not solve this problem.  It 
pains me to write that comment, because of
course every capitalist knows that more money
can solve any problem.  But I do not see how 
more money could solve this one.  It might make
it worse: the schools might hire more teachers
that speak other-than-English, which would
encourage the students to neglect learning
the most valuable skill the taxifornia public
schools are offering.

Prop13 is our friend.

spike