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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Joe NYC who wrote (125356)	10/5/2000 2:30:49 AM
From: tejek	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1570744

Lets assume that 50% of parents want to take vouchers and put kids into private schools. Where are these private schools?? Where did the colleges came from? Where did all the private and catholic schools came from for example in New York City, where the current administration is driving the schools to the ground. Joe, You say I don't listen to what you are saying. I do. In any number of posts on several different OT subjects, you have been very critical of the gov't's ineffective ways and excessive spending. But when a subject is dear to you, you have no problem ordering the duplication of an existing system and spending billions of dollars to make it happen. Its that inconsistency that is frustrating. Its clear that our schools are in trouble. And maybe because you live in NYC, you are entitled to feel the way you do. I have never thought that NYC's solutions to urban problems have ever been truly effective......they seem to mainly just slow the hemorrhaging. And to be fair,there are some very unusual aspects to the NY metro area...its size and density and extreme cultural diversity...I think that it and LA may require solutions much different from the rest of the country. Maybe vouchers are the answer in those cities. But for the rest of the country, I think its an easy and expensive way out of a very complicated problem. Also what happens to the public schools which suddenly get down to 50% capacity. Most likely, rather than a proportional decline in enrollment in all schools, the kids from the worst public schools will try to get into better ones, leaving some schools unused. These buildings can be used for new schools with administration unaffiliated with the failures of the past. And as for the schools that get mothballed? You may make some $$$ on the sale of the land under some of them, but in many instances they most likely will become abandoned relics. Not to unlike the land that remained after the wholesale clearing of whole neighborhoods in the 60's in the name of urban renewal. Some of that land still is vacant after 40 years. It seems to me this is a great targetted tax break for people who's kids are already in private school and political pandering in its finest. And these people of course are evil, because they sacrifice their financial well being to protect their kids from getting raped or stabbed in public "schools". I don't think private schools will be immune to the problems plaguing public schools. These problems are societal problems that cross all economic classes, cultures and races; to wit, the shootings in so called safe suburban schools. By putting your kids in private school you may reduce the number of incidents but you won't eliminate them until they are eliminated in the society in general. I am thrilled about possibility of having to spend a lot of my own money because I live in place with failing schools. Friends of ours just sent their sent their son to school (kindergarden actually) starting this September, and the first thing our friend needed to do is to teach his son how to fight, how to defend himself. The school can't guarantee the basic safety. Maybe in European public schools there is no fighting in and out of schools. However, in American schools, both private and public, there is the inevitable bully(s) who are bent on picking on the younger kids. And just as inevitably, your father would show you how to defend yourself in those situations. And in spite of all the negative publicity, most public schools are more likely to be this type than the ones where drugs, rapes and murders are the norm. Don't get me wrong, I don't think the current condition of our schools is good at all. I think the ills that undermine the day to day health of our culture have had their way with our schools and problems have been allowed to multiply and fester. And I don't think a parent should send their kids to a dangerous school. However to permit the wholesale abandonment of our public schools will, to me, be just the beginning of the wholesale abandonment of any institution, or city for that matter, that encounters difficulties. Furthermore it runs counter to my upbringing where I was taught to face a problem, rather than run from it......and overtime, I have learned it to be true; that running from a problem only makes it worse. ted

To: Joe NYC who wrote (125356)	10/5/2000 11:56:20 AM
From: kash johal	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 1570744

Jozef, re: public schools Well lets look at facts. Here in silicon valley, public schools based in affluent areas such as palo alto, los altos, los gatos, cupertino are as good as ANY private school. The schools in poorer areas tend to suck. I think these facts are repeated all over the country. And people who can afford it pay lots of money to live in these areas due to the excellent school districts. So there is CLEAR irrevocable evidence that PUBLIC schools can be great and they can be awfull. It seems to me that the essential difference between these schools IS NOT the evil techers unions and administrators as the right wing fascists would believe. regards, kash johal