Asking the wrong questions about education
Our household was one of the lucky sampling to get a questionnaire from newly-reelected Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, Tom Craddick. This 21-question inquiry presumably will give lawmakers some direction about various issues to be considered during the new legislative session.
The last question dealt with potential new sources of funding for education, in the event that the lawmakers reduce property taxes, which currently provide the lion's share of such funding. The question is phrased this way: "Would you support a tax increase or new tax in any of the following areas to replace revenues lost from lowered property tax rates?" The choices are as follows:
- gasoline tax
- amusement ticket surcharge
- newspaper tax
- magazine subscription tax
- casino gambling/slot machines
- increased tobacco tax
- billboard advertising tax
Setting aside the issue of whether adding or increasing taxes in ALL of these areas would come close to replacing the revenue from a statewide reduction in property taxes (other than gasoline; that could be a huge revenue generator, albeit at the risk of a public uprising), it occurs to me that this is really the wrong question to ask.
In light of a story on a local TV newscast last night, where a random poll of Midland citizens indicated that they would support new or increased taxes on all of the activities that they didn't themselves engage in, it's obvious that we're all for someone doing more for the cause of education...as long as it's not me, personally. And that's the root of the problem to begin with.
I wish the last question on the survey had been something like: "Which of the following are you willing to commit to in order to make a real improvement in the effectiveness of education?"
- Spend more time reading to my child
- Spend more time helping my child with his or her homework
- Frequently meet with my child's teachers to discuss my child's progress
- Volunteer more often as a teacher's assistant
- Spending more time talking to my child instead of watching TV with him or her
- Quitting my job to be a stay-at-home mom (or dad)
- Reading and understanding the content in my child's textbooks
I'm not arguing that Texas education can't benefit from the right level of funding; there's a minimum...no, let's say optimal funding level that must be discovered and achieved. I'm just saying that more money doesn't automatically equal better education and more parental involvement and time does.
But, it's really easier just to pay for it, especially if we can get someone else to do it.
Jeff, you just provided it...thanks!
Posted by: Eric at January 12, 2005 10:59 AMI agree with this post being a teacher and all :)
Posted by: Rachel at January 12, 2005 04:13 PMMy goodness. I am speechless. Now I am choking up. What wonderful, practical ideas.
Posted by: Christopher at January 12, 2005 11:11 PMPreach on Brother! I agree with you on this. The questions always seem to be centered around how the government can better take care of our children. This completely misses the point, but you didn't. Parent involvement is the key and like you said that's how the real improvement will occur.
Posted by: bryanm at January 14, 2005 02:38 AM
(1) In the kind of education that you are talking about, what are taught by the teachers are old things that came from some author, who also got it from somt other author or textbook.
(2) Yet in #1, GOVERNMENT JUST POURS TAX MONEY.
(3) When the price of education rises faster than inflation, they should know that less people will be able to afford the same education in the future.
(4) Yet when doctor-inventors like Dr Facio and Dr Lane, TOP INVENTORS MADE AN AIDS DRUG, THE MIDLAND REPORTER TELEGRAM SAYS THAT IN A 7 YEAR PERIOD, THESE TOP INVENTORS WERE COMPENSATED BY HE GOVERNMENT SOME $43,000. THE MIDLAND REPORTER TELEGRAM AND THE PEOPLE WHO WROTE THAT NEWS REPORT MADE QUITE A BIG DEAL OUT OF THAT $43,000 AND INCLUDED EVEN THE CENTS SO THAT THE COMPENSATION WOULD LOOK BIG.
BUT $43,000 spread over 7 years is only something like $6000/year or $500/month!!!! DR FACIO AND DR. LANE ARE TOP INVENTORS AND ALL THEY GOT WAS $500/month!!!!!
WHAT'S GOVERNMENT'S IDEA OF COMPENSATION FOR THE INVENTORS WHO DO INVENTIONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT THAT ARE MUCH LESS IMPORTANT, MUCH LESS VALUABLE THAN THE INVENTION OF DR. FACIO AND DR. LANE?????
CERTAINLY, MUCH LESS THAN WHAT DR. FASCIO AND AND DR. LANE RECEIVED!!!
I SAY, "WHAT A HELL TO MAKE A LIVING!!!!" INVENTORS MAKE AVAILABLE GADGETS, PROCESSES, PRODUCTS WHICH NEVER EXISTED BEFORE!!!! YET FOR THIS VAULABLE EDUCATION, ALL GOVERNMENT WISHES TO PAY THEM IS $500 A MONTH FOR THE BEST INVENTORS, and perhaps just $100/MONTH IF YOUR INVENTION IS LESS VALUABLE THAN WHAT DR. FACIO AND DR. LANE DID!!!!
YET UNLIKE A LABORER, WHO SPENDS NOTHING ON EXPERIMENTS OR PATENT LAWYERS OR PATENT FEES AND IS COMPENSATED SAY $2,000/month, THESE INVENTORS HAVE TO SPEND ABOUT $30,000 PER PATENT NUMBER. IF YOU LOOK AT GADGETS BEING SOLD IN THE MARKET SAY BY SEARS, BLACK AND DECKER, ETC, YOU WILL SEE THAT A GADGET USALLY IS PROTECTED BY ABOUT 10 PATENT NUMBERS. AT $30,000 EACH, THE PATENT COST RISES TO $300,000 IN THE LIFE OF THE INVENTION. AND ALL GOVERNMENT WANTS IS TO PAY THESE INVENTORS $500 OR MUCH LESS THAN $500/month!!!
Will you invest $300,000 to make $100/month?????
THAT"S WHAT"S WRONG WITH OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM!!!! THE EDUCATION THAT EXPANDS OUR ECONOMY AND ENABLES PEOPLE TO HAVE JOBS THAT DID NOT EXIST BEFORE, THOSE PIONEERS, GOVERNMENT COMPENSATES A MERE PITTANCE!!!!
SEE MEDICAL SECTION OF mywesttexas.com OPEN FORUM.
Posted by: The Eurasian at January 14, 2005 02:11 PMEurasian, just because you include a word from a post in your comment (in this case, "education") doesn't make your comment relevant. Please try to stay on-topic in the future.
Posted by: Eric at January 14, 2005 03:49 PMEric
In my opinion, your reply is an example why you no longer write in Houston.
Posted by: The Eurasian at January 14, 2005 08:14 PMNow that's the kind of comment I like to see from you. Short, semi-lucid and containing no mention of how mistreated inventors are. And not a single instance of extraneous all-caps shouting.
You're still not on topic, though.
Posted by: Eric at January 14, 2005 08:57 PMWhat's on topic or not depends on how wide your lens is.
Anyway, what you are seing is the price that an inventor must pay and what society must pay to enable him and others like him to arrive at solutions workable but strange to others. He has to wire his brain differently from the pack. If he fails, that is HIS BIG RISK.
Usually, it wil be failure. But once in a while the pack does use his work, for example the 300 dollar rebate which you received from President Bush. Instead of spending more than $40 MILLION on his INNAUGURATION, HE SHOULD JUSTLY COMPENSATE EURASIAN FOR THE EXPERIMENTALS THAT HE AND THE FEDERAL RESERVES USED!!!
Also, educators, take it easy on those strange kids that you just want to give those drugs to make them behave like you want. They might be wired differently, like eurasian. No wonder they always sound out of topic. BUT THAT'S NO EXCUSE FOR YOU TO GIVE THEM THOSE DRUGS. YOU MIGHT DESTROY AN EDISON!!!
Posted by: The Eurasian at January 15, 2005 10:04 AMWhat's on topic or not depends on how wide your lens is.
Perhaps, but what you're overlooking is that I, as the owner of (and the one who pays the bills for) this blog, am the lensgrinder.
Posted by: Eric at January 15, 2005 10:25 AMEric
To survive, poor people have to be a little bit shameless and thick skinned too. So even if the blog is yours and you pay the bills, we will intrude so long as it does not violate the law. But you are a fine Christian, and we don't hold grudges against you. In fact the more people like you, the better. GOD BLESS YOU!!! Tommorow is Sunday!!!
Posted by: The Eurasian at January 15, 2005 11:03 AMThank you, and the same to you. But let's not wait until Sunday to treat one another with respect and consideration, shall we?
Posted by: Eric at January 15, 2005 11:11 AMActually, from one point of view, the Lord's Day is not only one day of the week or for us Sunday, but MONDAY, TEUSDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY , TEUSDAY . . . . . . . .FOR ALL THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED AND WILL FOLLOW ARE PART OF THE 7th DAY!!!!! For to the Lord, a day can be like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day.
You want me to respect you and treat you with consideration MONDAY, TEUSDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY. SUNDAY??? CAN'T PROMISE YOU THAT MY FRIEND 'COZ I KNOW I'LL BREAK IT!!!! ALL I CAN SAY IS I'LL TRY!!!!
Posted by: The Eurasian at January 15, 2005 11:43 AMAbout the publisher
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Eric, if you're referring to the report that aired on last night on KWES-TV/NewsWest 9 (where I work) you're welcome to make use of the following link.
Posted by: Jeff at January 12, 2005 09:57 AMhttp://www.kwes.com/kwes/newsitestories/newsquestionnaire.htm