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  • From: James Dasher <jdasher AT ibiblio.org>
  • To: "Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/" <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [internetworkers] Erection (morality and law)
  • Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 21:44:37 -0500


On Nov 9, 2004, at 11:46 AM, Sil Greene wrote:

Don't put words in my mouth. The taxes are FOR public education right?
You can't call it a tuition if it's a tax. As a tax it's paid by
everyone, including those who aren't putting kids to those schools.

Okay, to stay away from the issue of education, and just to hit the tax-and-distribution topic:

First, there's not actually a "social security trust fund". There are some references on paper to some similar notions, but all the money goes into the general pool of funds available for allocation.

Second, in North Carolina, each school gets a per-pupil amount, whether it's a public school or a private school, college or elementary school, or anything in-between. Public schools get additional funds for things like buildings and janitors and chalk and good sports teams and what-not. The amount three or four years ago was around $4,000; I haven't kept up with educational finance, so I don't know the current figure.

But that money mostly comes from the top of the taxpayer pile. Poorer people (including the middle class, and some of the upper-middle class), and people with fewer assets, pay little and, in some cases, nothing. In North Carolina, there are efforts to allow local school districts to assess additional property taxes that would stay in the school district and only go toward education, but those efforts haven't yet resulted in much. (Cary is one of the municipalities engaged in this effort.)

However you think education in the Republic should be handled, and whether you think Social Security will be there for you when you finally dodder off to a life of shuffle-board and bridge, are obviously topics of some interest. But please don't interpret this as a contribution to either side of the debate.

--
James Dasher
misterdasher dot com
IM misterdasher





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