In reference to a conversation with @artisticscreech here, LINK
Clearly stated premise:
The dissolution of the core family unit and the associated break-down of social trust is a fundamental contributor to crime.
Please speak up if you disagree.
The average American school gets about $20,000.00 per year per-child.
Conservatives have been pressing for a while now to get that per-child funding converted to a voucher, ostensibly to fund private (often religious) charter schools. They (post-hoc) rationalize this as a "free-market solution".
This seems problematic on its face for a number of reasons, separation of church and state for one, but more significantly because these private schools are not required to have the same oversight as public schools and are not required to make the same accommodations for students with special needs.
However, imagine for a moment that instead of handing these vouchers to private for-profit institutions, the parents had the option to CASH IT IN THEMSELVES.
Imagine how many mothers and fathers could stop working long hours to make ends-meet and could instead spend more time with their kids.
Financial stress is a major contributing factor for divorce and marital strife which both have demonstrable negative, often life-long effects on children (contributing to anti-social behavior, depression, suicide and criminality behavior).
If everyone had the option to get a supplemental income of $60,000.00 per year to home-school their 3 children, don't you think they'd jump at the chance?
It wouldn't affect inflation because it's not NEW money, it's just the same money that's already being spent, it would just be going to different people (trickle-up economics).
Welfare, for people with children anyway, could practically disappear overnight.
Imagine the former public school teachers working as private tutors with (for example) six students and making $120,000.00 a year.
(1) Do you think this proposal (Fix-US) would generate more or fewer criminals?
(2) Do you think this proposal (Fix-US) would generate more or fewer school-shootings?
(3) Do you think this proposal (Fix-US) would generate more or fewer cases of child abuse/neglect?
Your scathing critique is requested.
ZOMBIEBASICTRAINING
Use the tag #LOGICZOMBIE if you'd like your post critiqued for logical coherence.
+proHUMAN +proFAMILY
Your scathing critique is requested.Here are some issues I can think of:
-Not everyone is capable of teaching their children(for various reasons).
-It incentivizes the having of(many) children. (ie.10 children = $200,000)
-You'd still need some sort higher-level/skills learning (preparation for various vocations).
That's just what comes to mind at the top of my head. There may be more issues.
The parents can spend all or part of that money to hire a tutor, or a neighbor who is teaching children of their own. Neighborhood based education could have the added benefit of strengthening social bonds.
One of the key factors of this proposal (Fix-US) is that it changes nothing economically.
We currently have no prohibition against people having children. There is no test for fitness, no financial prerequisites, no license application.
People can have as many children as they want, and each of those kids will go to public school and the state will spend $20,000.00 per year per-child.
This is the reality of the situation.
The question is, will the children themselves, the parents, and society as a whole be BETTER SERVED, if the parents had the option to get that same money directly?
People already pay out-of-pocket for college. My Fix-US proposal is strictly for k-12.
Thank you for your critique!
The parents can spend all or part of that money to hire a tutor, or a neighbor who is teaching children of their own.Sure the parents can, but the question is: Will they?
One of the key factors of this proposal (Fix-US) is that it changes nothing economically.Sure, it may not change things economically, but it still does incentivize people to have (more) children.
We currently have no prohibition against people having children.Sure, we may not have prohibitions in terms of rules or laws, but that does not mean that financial constraints don't influence many people to not have more children. $20,000 a pop, might influence some people to have more children. $20,000 is certainly more than some people make in a year(and that's only for 1 child!)
The question is, will the children themselves, the parents, and society as a whole be BETTER SERVED, if the parents had the option to get that same money directly?Well, I don't know how things are done in the USA, but this can already be done in Canada via homeschooling. (I homeschooled my children, btw) You are given the choice to follow the curriculum of the province you are in, or engage in what is termed "traditional" homeschooling. (I chose traditional) Your educational "expenses" are reimbursed. There is a small fee to facilitate homeschooling.
I personally think this is a good model. You can choose to pay for a school or you can choose to do it yourself. Only the money that is used should be reimbursed to prevent abuse (in either case).
The school system needs some revamping. If we use your math: A class of 30 kids would be raking in $600,000 a year. And, teachers are paid how much(little)? None of those kids are receiving an education "worth" that much(outdated, inadequate, etcetera). I'm sorry, but I just don't believe that to be the case.
I think it should cost what it actually costs, either way.
That would seem fair to me.
That might be a little high, but it's not out of the ballpark.
$22,366.00 New York per year per-child
$18,958.00 Connecticut per year per-child
$18,402.00 New Jersey per year per-child
$17,873.00 Vermont per year per-child
$17,510.00 Alaska per year per-child
$16,442.00 Wyoming per year per-child
$15,593.00 Massachusetts per year per-child
$15,532.00 Rhode Island per year per-child
LINK
I meant it is not the case that they are receiving "their" money's worth of education.
Informal Fix-US debate: https://www.debateart.com/forum/topics/2478/fix-us?
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