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				<span class="post-title"><a href="http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/five-dumb-arguments-against-a-parcel-tax-for-public-schools/" rel="bookmark">Five dumb arguments against a parcel tax for public schools</a></span>
				
				<span class="post-date"><span style="color:#999">Posted </span>Tuesday, Mar 23rd,<span style="color:#999"> 2010</span> </span>
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				<p>Last week&#8217;s post on <a href="http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/its-time-we-took-responsibility-for-our-local-public-schools/">the state of our public schools</a> has generated a good bit of interest.</p>
<p>Of course, it helped to get it published in the paper and then <a href="http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/03/20/1074669/joe-tarica-state-of-our-public.html">reposted on sanluisobispo.com</a>, which opened the audience way beyond this little corner of the Internet.</p>
<p>I thought it might be fun to address some of the issues that are being raised, in response to the idea that we pass parcel taxes explicitly to help struggling local districts.</p>
<p>Without further ado, here are the top five reasons some think a tax increase is a bad idea &#8230; and what I think of that &#8220;reasoning&#8221;:</p>
<h2>1. Schools need to live within a budget, just like the rest of us.</h2>
<p>What a revelation this is.</p>
<p>Yes, I&#8217;d agree with that 100 percent &#8230; if the budget could stay somewhat reasonable and not reduce by millions of dollars year over year while districts face the same demands on their resources.</p>
<p>In this economic climate, obviously we&#8217;re all expected to do more with less, or at least do the same with less.</p>
<p>But there is a point where this becomes untenable, and when it occurs in a system that serves the most vulnerable population in our society — children — we must pay attention with greater urgency.</p>
<h2>2. Why should I give more money to a system that may not use it efficiently?</h2>
<p>Several people have argued against an increase on the belief that the money will just get routed off to Sacramento, which will then absorb a portion for wasteful, unintended uses.</p>
<p>Let me make this clear: In no way do I believe more dollars should go to the state educational bureaucracy.</p>
<p>The idea is to generate local dollars for local classrooms via a parcel tax designed exclusively for that goal.</p>
<p>At the same time, the argument was posed that nothing good will happen until we cut teacher pensions, eliminate tenure, reduce the power of the unions, clean house in the administrative staff, and so on and so on.</p>
<p>That is not the point.</p>
<p>I am not here at this moment in history to reform education in California.</p>
<p>That is an mammoth, onerous undertaking that could result in a statewide fight with no measurable results, at least not in the immediate time frame we are facing right now.</p>
<p>The big picture is a problem, but that is simply too large a can of worms to open at this point.</p>
<h2>3. If you take more money from me, I won&#8217;t be able to afford my bills.</h2>
<p>I have a real hard time swallowing this one.</p>
<p>Yes, some families have lost their homes. Some have seen a principle breadwinner lose their job.</p>
<p>Many of those who lost their homes probably bought in during the bubble and very likely were unqualified to purchase in the first place.</p>
<p>Still, this is a sad thing, as is the case of anyone who&#8217;s been laid off due to the recession.</p>
<p>I highly doubt, however, that this is the situation for the majority of property owners in our county, which even through the worst times has had among the lowest unemployment and foreclosure rates in the state.</p>
<p>The simple fact is, most of you who can afford to own a home on the coast of California, can afford a few hundred bucks a year for a cause like this.</p>
<p>Go out to dinner one less time a month, see one less movie a month, buy one less mocha latte a month &#8230; whatever. It&#8217;s a minor sacrifice.</p>
<h2>4. If you don&#8217;t like it &#8230; leave, pay more yourself, go to private school, etc., etc.</h2>
<p>If you use this argument, you are immediately discredited and not to be taken seriously.</p>
<p>The &#8220;if you don&#8217;t like it, leave&#8221; refrain is a tool of the ignorant and intolerant, and anyone who employs it immediately reveals themselves as such.</p>
<p>Smart, talented and caring people who see a problem in this country will take steps to make it better, not throw up their hands and move to Sweden.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, some are floating the suggestion that if I&#8217;m so hot to raise taxes, then I should just go ahead and pony up the money and those who don&#8217;t want to can just sit on their wallets.</p>
<p>Yeah, you&#8217;ll be perfectly happy to take a share of the benefits provided by others, but if someone calls your name, you&#8217;ll be the one walking around in circles, whistling and looking at the sky.</p>
<h2>5. And finally, teachers have it easy, they get summers off, they make good money, have huge benefits like tenure, etc.</h2>
<p>Yes, many also get annual pink slips. Year to year, they don&#8217;t know if they&#8217;ll have a job.</p>
<p>They buy classroom materials out of their own pocket money so your child can have a better educational experience.</p>
<p>As for making good money? Please. For the headaches and challenges they face, they could make a lot more.</p>
<p>No, I&#8217;m not a big fan of tenure, but on the whole, teaching in the public school system is among the most noble professions out there.</p>
<p>Do not discount the patience it takes to corral 30 first-graders. Getting their attention and holding it for six hours can be a Herculean task that&#8217;s ever at risk of devolving into chaos when the shenanigans of even one or two youngsters are at play.</p>
<p>Whatever arguments you choose to oppose this tax idea, kindly exclude slams on teachers. You wouldn&#8217;t last two seconds in their shoes.</p>
<p><em>What do you think? Share your thoughts here.</em></p>
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				Posted <span class="post-author">by <a href="http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/author/jtarica/" title="Posts by Joe">Joe</a></span> in <a href="http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/category/uncategorized/" title="View all posts in Uncategorized" rel="category tag">Uncategorized</a><br />
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				<div class="post-title"><h1 id="comments">3 Comments</h1></div>

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								<span class="bglink"><cite class="fn"><a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/slovault/' rel='external nofollow' class='url'>David Middlecamp</a></cite></span>
				<div class="comment-meta commentmetadata"><a href="http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/five-dumb-arguments-against-a-parcel-tax-for-public-schools/comment-page-1/#comment-4088">March 23, 2010 at 3:05 pm</a></div>
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			<p>Education can&#8217;t be built on a Wal-mart model. We can&#8217;t outsource what is a labor intensive process. </p>
<p>California has treated local government as their piggy-bank with tangible results on the budgets of local schools.</p>
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								<span class="bglink"><cite class="fn">Brett King</cite></span>
				<div class="comment-meta commentmetadata"><a href="http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/five-dumb-arguments-against-a-parcel-tax-for-public-schools/comment-page-1/#comment-4104">March 23, 2010 at 6:36 pm</a></div>
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			<p>Homeowners just had their taxes raised recently for P.R. schools. And I see they are building a new building for the continuation school not the regular High School like they said the money was for in the first place. Then they lied about the amount of the tax. It is costing me almost double what they said it would. Now they come begging for money again. </p>
<p>Also I don&#8217;t believe it is a temporary tax. They just did this a couple of years ago and now they want more. Who do you think you are saying you doubt we can&#8217;t afford it. Enough is enough. Or maybe those want to pay can voluntarily pay since you don&#8217;t think it is much of a burden. Let it be voluntary then!</p>
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								<span class="bglink"><cite class="fn">Marianne</cite></span>
				<div class="comment-meta commentmetadata"><a href="http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/five-dumb-arguments-against-a-parcel-tax-for-public-schools/comment-page-1/#comment-4107">March 23, 2010 at 9:42 pm</a></div>
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			<p>We can&#8217;t afford to not afford the cost of public education. For example, my granddaughter wants to be a doctor. She got her first two years of college at a community college, knowing that the cost of getting a medical degree will result in tens of thousands in loans over the next 6 years. Would we prefer that she and others not become doctors? Who will take care of us in the future if the shortage in general practitioners continues? Jack Scott, chancellor of the community college system, said that &#8220;some 200,000 students will be unable to enroll next year.&#8221; As we gut our community college system due to funding cutbacks, we risk the well-being of our nation. Remember &#8230; many of the students who just marched in Sacramento to protest the funding cuts are Iraq war veterans, people who will be the first to attend college in their families, and countless thousands who want a way to earn their way. Step up, folks, and stop whining. We can&#8217;t afford not to support our public schools. YOU AND I CAN&#8217;T AFFORD TO IGNORE THE DECLINE OF OUR SCHOOLS. Parcel taxes are voluntary taxes since they are voted on by citizens &#8230; remember that we live in a democracy.</p>
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<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/broadcasters/' class='tag-link-2385' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>broadcasters</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/cal-poly/' class='tag-link-33' title='6 topics' style='font-size: 20.3333333333pt;'>Cal Poly</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/caltrans/' class='tag-link-3813' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>Caltrans</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/carson-starkey/' class='tag-link-3714' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>Carson Starkey</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/dalidio/' class='tag-link-3602' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>Dalidio</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/david-edge/' class='tag-link-3907' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>David Edge</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/david-weyrich/' class='tag-link-5273' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>David Weyrich</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/dodgers/' class='tag-link-3612' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>Dodgers</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/earthquake/' class='tag-link-1998' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>earthquake</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/forever-21/' class='tag-link-4207' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>Forever 21</a>
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<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/gail-wilcox/' class='tag-link-3908' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>Gail Wilcox</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/gottschalks/' class='tag-link-3598' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>Gottschalks</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/haiti/' class='tag-link-5322' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>Haiti</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/jc-penney/' class='tag-link-3600' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>J.C. Penney</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/john-norris/' class='tag-link-5328' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>John Norris</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/kohls/' class='tag-link-4208' title='4 topics' style='font-size: 15.3333333333pt;'>Kohl's</a>
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<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/nordstroms/' class='tag-link-3603' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>Nordstrom's</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/oceano-dunes/' class='tag-link-1526' title='6 topics' style='font-size: 20.3333333333pt;'>Oceano Dunes</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/public-schools/' class='tag-link-5468' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>public schools</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/restaurants/' class='tag-link-4441' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>restaurants</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/san-luis-obispo/' class='tag-link-35' title='7 topics' style='font-size: 22pt;'>San Luis Obispo</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/schools/' class='tag-link-2816' title='4 topics' style='font-size: 15.3333333333pt;'>schools</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/schwarzenegger/' class='tag-link-3745' title='5 topics' style='font-size: 18pt;'>Schwarzenegger</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/smoking/' class='tag-link-3869' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>smoking</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/softball/' class='tag-link-1683' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>softball</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/state-parks/' class='tag-link-3744' title='5 topics' style='font-size: 18pt;'>State Parks</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/swine-flu/' class='tag-link-3695' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>swine flu</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/tj-maxx/' class='tag-link-3599' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>T.J. Maxx</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/vancouver/' class='tag-link-5290' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>Vancouver</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/villa-toscana/' class='tag-link-5272' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>Villa Toscana</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/wal-mart/' class='tag-link-1012' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>Wal-Mart</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/weather/' class='tag-link-1504' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>weather</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/winter-olympics/' class='tag-link-5310' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>Winter Olympics</a></li>
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<div><a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/cash-for-clunkers/' class='tag-link-4178' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>"cash for clunkers"</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/abel-maldonado/' class='tag-link-5746' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>Abel Maldonado</a>
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<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/atascadero/' class='tag-link-106' title='4 topics' style='font-size: 15.3333333333pt;'>Atascadero</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/avila-beach/' class='tag-link-1167' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>Avila Beach</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/baseball/' class='tag-link-467' title='5 topics' style='font-size: 18pt;'>baseball</a>
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<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/dalidio/' class='tag-link-3602' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>Dalidio</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/david-edge/' class='tag-link-3907' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>David Edge</a>
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<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/earthquake/' class='tag-link-1998' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>earthquake</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/forever-21/' class='tag-link-4207' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>Forever 21</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/fraternity/' class='tag-link-3715' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>fraternity</a>
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<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/john-norris/' class='tag-link-5328' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>John Norris</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/kohls/' class='tag-link-4208' title='4 topics' style='font-size: 15.3333333333pt;'>Kohl's</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/military/' class='tag-link-3044' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>military</a>
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<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/nbc-sucks/' class='tag-link-5295' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>NBC sucks</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/nordstroms/' class='tag-link-3603' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>Nordstrom's</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/oceano-dunes/' class='tag-link-1526' title='6 topics' style='font-size: 20.3333333333pt;'>Oceano Dunes</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/public-schools/' class='tag-link-5468' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>public schools</a>
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<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/schools/' class='tag-link-2816' title='4 topics' style='font-size: 15.3333333333pt;'>schools</a>
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<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/smoking/' class='tag-link-3869' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>smoking</a>
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<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/state-parks/' class='tag-link-3744' title='5 topics' style='font-size: 18pt;'>State Parks</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/swine-flu/' class='tag-link-3695' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>swine flu</a>
<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/tj-maxx/' class='tag-link-3599' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>T.J. Maxx</a>
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<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/wal-mart/' class='tag-link-1012' title='2 topics' style='font-size: 8pt;'>Wal-Mart</a>
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<a href='http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/joetopia/tag/winter-olympics/' class='tag-link-5310' title='3 topics' style='font-size: 12pt;'>Winter Olympics</a></div>
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