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HB 1173 Ignores Civic Duty, Altruism, and Practical Economics

Last updated on 2013.02.08

House Bill 1173, the conservative plan to bankrupt South Dakota's public schools by funneling their money to foreign madrassas, lies languishing the hopper, awaiting the hurried attention of House Taxation. Update: HB 1173 is on the House Taxation committee agenda for Tuesday, February 12, 7:45 a.m. CST.

In my online conversations, I've heard some conservatives assert that not having kids in public school excuses them from paying taxes for public education.

In his ruling this week that Texas isn't adequately funding its public schools, Judge John Dietz offered this response to the fallacy of fee-for-service public schools:

As he presented his ruling, Dietz discussed what he called the "civic, altruistic and economic" reasons for supporting public education.

"We realize that others provided for us when we were children. We realize that children are without means to secure their education. Just as others provided for us when we were in school, now is the time when we provide for others," he said, going on to describe the societal benefits of a well-educated population: lower crime rates, fewer people who need public assistance and a greater state income [Morgan Smith and Elena Schneider, "Texas Schools Inadequately Funded, Court Says," Governing, 2013.02.05].

Civic duty, altruism, and economics—all subjects misunderstood by the libertarian extremists who would dismantle the great democratic institution of universal public education.

19 Comments

  1. Steve Sibson 2013.02.07

    "societal benefits of a well-educated population: lower crime rates, fewer people who need public assistance and a greater state income"

    Public education is causing more crime and more people who need public assistance...sex education, the root cause of single welfare mothers.

  2. owen reitzel 2013.02.07

    I haven't seen how they want to replace the money?

  3. Mark 2013.02.07

    I wonder if Steve Sibson could elaborate on his assertion. Or has he taken up comedy writing?

  4. caheidelberger Post author | 2013.02.07

    Owen, they don't! That's just the trick! They want to Grover Norquist public education, shrink it and starve it until they can drown it in a bathtub. I'm in a set-to with some Republicans on Facebook over this issue, and they grant that this bill does exactly what I say: moves money out of K-12, gives homeschool families more money back than they pay in actual local property tax to their school districts, and diverts money out of South Dakota to out-of-state or overseas schools.

  5. Winston 2013.02.07

    Conservatives often boast of their concern and vigilance for our capitalistic system and its enjoined republic, but knowingly or unknowingly they often promote modern feudalism rather than capitalism through their advocacy of vouchers, gated communities, "corporations are people," and their ignorance in defining the "47%." We are all interdependent and thus dependent. An educated child is tomorrow's doctor, teacher, clerk, or janitor. Not just a professional limited to their own family's future needs.

  6. owen reitzel 2013.02.07

    Don't we pay taxes for the good of all? I can't say that I won't pay a certain amount of tax because I never go down that road by that house. I didn't use the fire department so do I get a rebate? Or I didn't need a cop last year as well. Can I get another rebate?
    With the demise of the public schools what happens tot eh kids that can't afford to go to school? I bet they might turn to crime Sibby or girls end up with more kids and gert more welfare!
    I've seen some of thr reasons to support but they don't make sense. We have a cracker barrel here in District 19 Saturday. I'll have to ask

  7. Richard Schriever 2013.02.07

    "Libertarians" in this country have lost perspective on what that word means - reality - they are simply closet anarchists, who are self-deluded to the point of belief they are the meanest SO8s in the valley and will survive their own anarchy. IE - macho dreamers.

  8. Eve Fisher 2013.02.08

    Mr. Schriever, you nailed it - libertarians today are a joke, all about "liberty" but only for themselves. They want no rules for themselves, but rules and regulations aplenty for anyone or anything they don't approve of (see their list of laws for women's lady parts); no taxes for them, but screaming for federal money when the big disasters hit (see Rick "let's secede" Perry when wildfires hit Texas); no infringement of the 2nd Amendment for them, but anyone who disagrees with them needs to either shut up or be shut up (1st Amendment rights are so trivial, especially freedom of speech, which again, only applies to them, and that pesky "freedom of religion" clause ONLY applies to their brand of Christianity). It's pretty revolting all the way around.

  9. Eve Fisher 2013.02.08

    Sorry, Mr. Sibson - 70% of children raised in single parent homes were conceived by married couples who later divorced, so it's not about a whole lot of immoral sex, although that's the image that is preferred among a certain crowd. (Much easier to rant about promiscuous women than to deal with the fact that a whole lot of people get divorced, for a variety of reasons, many of them having nothing to do with sex.)

    Oh, and a gentle reminder: yours is not the only "Biblical Christianity" out there.

  10. Steve Sibson 2013.02.08

    "70% of children raised in single parent homes were conceived by married couples who later divorced"

    So why did they get married, just to have sex? Or was the divorce due to wanting to have sex with someone else? What % of divorces are initiated by the female? If your child is more likely to committ crime if the father is not around, is divorce in the best interest of the child?

  11. larry kurtz 2013.02.08

    South Dakota is still a state where rapists can petition for parental rights while Nebraska legislators are trying to end that entitlement and attempting to force rapists to pay child support for those pregnancies taken to term.

    It may be time to examine some statutes that criminalize sex between consenting teenagers.

  12. Steve Sibson 2013.02.08

    "70% of children raised in single parent homes were conceived by married couples"

    And what about the other 30% Eve?

  13. Steve Sibson 2013.02.08

    Larry, the liberals are saying government needs to be more involved in regulating sex.

  14. Eve Fisher 2013.02.08

    Actually, the major culprit for most crime is being proved to be neither cultural, religious, or economic indicators, but lead. Yes, you read that correctly, lead. Lead in the atmosphere, lead in the dirt, lead from decades of leaded gasoline, leaded paint, lead in everything. The following are some of the sources for those of you who do not believe science is one vast liberal conspiracy.
    http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/01/lead-and-crime-linkfest

    Re regulating sex, Mr. Sibson, face the truth that it's the GOP who wants to regulate sex at all levels - at least where women's sex is concerned. They want women to have sex only under the condition that the male partner is totally in control, thus, no access to birth control (unless they receive permission from their husband and pharmacist), they are sluts if they have sex outside of marriage (whereas guys will be guys, right? nudge/nudge, wink, wink), and, if they are raped, they must prove that it was legitimate rape, involving serious bodily injury that is obvious to any observer. And of course if they get pregnant, they did it in order to entrap the man, and they deserve the poverty they live in. The fact that some men deliberately go around seducing and impregnating women is irrelevant in the scenario where it is always the woman's fault for everything that goes wrong.

    As to divorce, I understand that the top reasons for divorce are infidelity (about 1/3), money troubles, abuse, addiction, cultural and religious differences, differences in parenting styles, boredom, and differences in expectations. As to why they got married in the first place, that's always up in the air. They probably thought they were in love and might make it. Being on my first marriage, and having never been divorced, all I can say is I have infinite compassion for those whose dreams of marriage collapse. How about you?

  15. Steve Sibson 2013.02.08

    Eve, happy that your marriage is still intack. Yes, divorce is a sad thing, especially for the children. Nice if this male vs female feud would end, along with the Republican vs Democrat feud.

  16. larry kurtz 2013.02.08

    As General Washington prepared to cross the Delaware he had a choice: row versus wade. Terry Asher, Santa Fe.

  17. caheidelberger Post author | 2013.02.10

    Steve derails another conversation. Can we try again? How does defunding public education to subsidize out-of-state private schools benefit South Dakota?

  18. Eve Fisher 2013.02.10

    "How does defunding public education to subsidize out-of-state private schools benefit South Dakota?" Answer: It doesn't.
    "I've heard some conservatives assert that not having kids in public school excuses them from paying taxes for public education." I've heard this argument from non-conservatives as well, mostly older people who think that, now that their children are grown up, they're done. My answer: Wrong. I support the community I live in, which means that both my rights AND responsibilities continue until the day I die, including paying taxes to support children's education, whether or not they are related to me.

    Note: If you only support "your own", it's a return to tribalism, which isn't an advance to civilization. Also, if you only support "your own", sooner or later, you're going to run out of "your own" - and then who will support you? We really are all in this together. We all need community support, because even the most independent, self-sufficient people will grow old, get sick, get disabled, and need help - if nothing else, speaking as someone who's sat at a couple of deathbeds, it's a good thing to have someone sit with you and hold your hand while you die. Avoid the rush: start caring and committing now.

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