Adam Smith. Communist

[Sava]

I mean, really, you walk right into proving my point and then say I'm not realistic.

What point is that?

that I act like a jackass on an internet gaming forum?

WATER IS WET THE SKY IS BLUE YOU STUPID ****FACE

[Felch]

Oh please. Don't be disingenuous. The "private alternative" consists of defunding public schools so that the "private alternative" is the only option. That's the only way private schools can operate effectively. And you get what you pay for. Sure, rich people can send their kids to great schools. Everyone else? Well, they'll be left with Walmart educations.

Rich people can send their kids to great schools, and everyone else is left with a Walmart education. What's wrong with giving the poor vouchers so they can enjoy the same benefits as the wealthy kids?

[kentonio]

Rich people can send their kids to great schools, and everyone else is left with a Walmart education. What's wrong with giving the poor vouchers so they can enjoy the same benefits as the wealthy kids?

Err, you want the government to pay for private education so billions of tax dollars can pour into the profits of private companies?

[Sava]

Rich people can send their kids to great schools, and everyone else is left with a Walmart education. What's wrong with giving the poor vouchers so they can enjoy the same benefits as the wealthy kids?

So you want to give poor people "vouchers" so they can send their kids to the same schools as rich kids? Wouldn't that be ever more expensive than the current system?

[Fake Boris]

Kentonio's stupidity revolves around the fact that he seems to think that somehow, taking money from lots of people and putting it in a big pot and then distributing it back out to everyone in arbitrary measure somehow increases the amount of wealth for everyone as opposed to just inefficiently moving it around.

Why do you hate corporations?

[Felch]

Err, you want the government to pay for private education so billions of tax dollars can pour into the profits of private companies?

That already happens all the time, everywhere. As a general rule the government pays contractors to do stuff, from paving roads to running prisons. Those contractors make gazillions of dollars. It's the American way. It's expensive, and it's prone to abuse, but it works better than SOEs handling everything.

So you want to give poor people "vouchers" so they can send their kids to the same schools as rich kids? Wouldn't that be ever more expensive than the current system?

DC spends about 18,000 dollars per student. Here's a list of private schools in the DC area. Although the most expensive ones are around 30,000, many of them are less than 18,000 dollars. It's evidently feasible to educate children in DC for less than 18,000 dollars per pupil. Why not give parents the option of a 15,000 dollar voucher, and let them pick out a nice school? The three grand saved could be put towards free clinics or other community projects.

[Sava]

DC spends about 18,000 dollars per student. Here's a list of private schools in the DC area. Although the most expensive ones are around 30,000, many of them are less than 18,000 dollars. It's evidently feasible to educate children in DC for less than 18,000 dollars per pupil. Why not give parents the option of a 15,000 dollar voucher, and let them pick out a nice school? The three grand saved could be put towards free clinics or other community projects.

So you want to give them vouchers for $3,000 less than the average cost per pupil.

You can't have it both ways. Either you want them to get the same education as rich kids, or you want them to have what appears to be $3,000 less than a Walmart education.

[The Mad Monk]

In this case, you can have it both ways, because tenure protected uncaring teachers are not a problem in private schools. Higher quality for less money.

[Dauphin]

NM

[Felch]

So you want to give them vouchers for $3,000 less than the average cost per pupil.

You can't have it both ways. Either you want them to get the same education as rich kids, or you want them to have what appears to be $3,000 less than a Walmart education.

Fine, give them an 18,000 dollar voucher. 15,000 is enough for a private education at a number of DC private schools, and the excess could be put to use in other ways, but if it matters to you, make it 18k.

[Sava]

In this case, you can have it both ways, because tenure protected uncaring teachers are not a problem in private schools. Higher quality for less money.

I know that makes for a good applause line at a Republican primary event. But do you have any... you know... facts to backup your claims that private schools are higher quality?

All things being equal, I don't see how paying teachers less equates to higher quality education.

But you do bring us to the root of the issue. Conservatives just hate unions and want privatization to destroy the teacher's unions. You guys could give half a crap about the quality of education that children receive.

Just be honest. Then we can have that debate. It's a debate you'll lose. So I understand the need to be underhanded.

[Sava]

My sister has a double Master's in education. She taught on Chicago's south side. She knows more about failing schools than any of you mopes. Parental involvement (or lack thereof) is the biggest factor in a child's education. Upper middle class suburban kids have the benefit of such involvement. Poor and working class single parents are too busy trying to put food on the table to read for their kids... or offer any number of other benefits available to upper middle class kids. But even worse are the foster kids, homeless kids, and children being raised by a single grandparent... all of which make up the majority of situations in inner city schools.

So how does a voucher help with parental involvement?

I'll wait for your answer about how the market will solve those problems.

[Felch]

Vouchers don't help with parental involvement. In other news, eating broccoli won't end racism, and getting plenty of exercise won't end poverty in the third world.

[Sava]

Vouchers don't help with parental involvement. In other news, eating broccoli won't end racism, and getting plenty of exercise won't end poverty in the third world.

Okay. So the education policy you support won't actually solve the problem. Thanks for being honest.

[regexcellent]

Vouchers are awesome because they kill unions. There isn't a cure to lack of parental involvement, except for reducing births out of wedlock and teenage pregnancies.