Towns not obligated to provide transportation

CoffeeQueen · Guru

RE: Towns not obligated to provide transportation

muffy · Guru

CoffeeQueen wrote:
Jennie- I am going to try and be very sensitive.

Just as it may hurt your budget to pay for this. It works both ways for school districts also.

You always have a choice in life where you live. I know this will not be popular and well received. When you have a child I feel it is the parents job to provide for the children. I do not work for fun. I work to provide.

Like April said. The money has to come from somewhere. Yet, everyone wants to put the responsibility on someone else. Cities are losing funding right and left. They are cutting programs right and left. We cannot continue to stand there and say I deserve this, without looking at what you deserve is taking awaY. I rather the money be put towards good teachers, material, better schools if I had a choice. Schools are suffering. Property taxes are down,school funding is down.

Lizzy- I agree in a perfect world that everyone should be provided sounds great, but it is not real. So, you have to come up with answers to problems and deal with what you have. I disagree to on the whole drop out thing. It is schools responsibility to keep our children on a good path. It is the parents and unfortunately, not a parents feel that way, and yes we do end up paying for it I the long run.

I do wish these things were not even issues. Poverty is at an all time high. I understand this and I know there are many circumstances I our life's that could put any of us there in a heart beat. However, sOmeone has to pay for it. The question is who.

Im not sure I agree with this. I guess yes, personally, you can choose. But a guy who grew up only knowing how to farm is going to find a much harder time finding a job in a city just so his child can get to school easier.

And in any case, there ARE jobs out in very rural areas, and our economy does depend on them. so, if its not your personal choice, then someone else is going to have to take that job - and they probably would have children. because manual laborers tend to be younger for health reasons and younger people tend to... have school aged children.

or of course, we can just outsource all those jobs to China and stop farming and mining? is that better than helping kids get to school and keeping americans employed?

CoffeeQueen · Guru

No, I understand there are jobs in rural areas. I agree that not everyone. An live near a school or in walking distance. I do not agree or understand why it is the school districts job to get you there. They provide the education. I understand that if the school district has the funding and they can provide, but what happens when they do not and the school then suffers with teacher cuts, etc. what then? Everyone suffers?

CoffeeQueen · Guru

Also, I live 3 miles from our school. If I lost my job and could. Of afford a car/gas, I have to figure out what to do . We do. Ot have busing to our schools. I have to figure it out. Should I make the school deal with it ?

CoffeeQueen · Guru

Should be could not afford car/gas. Lovely phone puts punctuation in for me and ends sentences .

CoffeeQueen · Guru

Listen- I would love for everyone to have everything. I would live for everything to be equal. I would love to see education reform. However, in these hard times and budget cuts. If we have to cut something, I rather it be that then the quality of education. That is all I am truly saying.

sappy · Guru

this is so hard to work through.

i have several random thoughts on this ...

one of the primary reasons we live where we do is because of the schools. my kids need special ed services and excellent schools. around here those are semi-hard to come by ... UNLESS you are willing to pay more to live in these neighborhoods. we *could* live in a different town but we are choosing to stay here despite the cost because of the school district. my sister's housing costs are lower than ours - but her kids have library twice a month (my kids go every week) her kids have no art or music at all (my kids have both every week) and her kids have gym once a week for 20 minutes (my kids have it every single day). like april/melissa/others? were saying - it's a matter of choices to some extent.

having said all that...... it makes me sad/angry that we have to choose between affordable housing (that doesn't take up 50% of our income) and a good school for our kids.

bottom line to me is this is SO much more than a bussing issue - it's an overall education funding/expenditure issue. and who on earth can solve that one right now??

muffy · Guru

Too bad the founding fathers did not build america like their native europe

People live in the villages and the men venture out to tend tge fields. Towns clustered on main roads. Oh, and a good public transportation infrastructure. I often wonder how america developed without a good transport infrastructure. And melissa, i do think that parents should at least take some responsibility. What gets me about these school levys that dobt pass- the majority of voters must have kids or grandkids- we cant blame the govt for education cuts when we the people dont vote to help education...

CoffeeQueen · Guru

Totally, Megan. The very parents that are screaming about wanting service are the very same ones voting no. That is where I start getting angry and place blame on parents. This whole mentality of get everything for free has to end.

People are so lazy here. Kids cannot walk 5 blocks to school. Parents do not want to walk them either. I am all for supporting or helping those who need help, but those that are plain flat ot refuse to pull their weight bother me.

mctex · Guru

muffy wrote:
Too bad the founding fathers did not build america like their native europe People live in the villages and the men venture out to tend tge fields. Towns clustered on main roads. Oh, and a good public transportation infrastructure. I often wonder how america developed without a good transport infrastructure. And melissa, i do think that parents should at least take some responsibility. What gets me about these school levys that dobt pass- the majority of voters must have kids or grandkids- we cant blame the govt for education cuts when we the people dont vote to help education...

I am not a favor of raising taxes to solve these kinds of issues

Not because I don't care

But because I don't think the incremental dollars will actually solve anything

The bureaucratic waste is tremendous

I would pay a 50% payroll tax if I thought it would do some good -- increase the quality of education, provide universal healthcare

But it won't

We are totally screwed

(And will continue to be unless we take some European advice and stop trying to provide for the world, and instead concentrate on ourselves)

muffy · Guru

mctex wrote:
muffy wrote:
Too bad the founding fathers did not build america like their native europe People live in the villages and the men venture out to tend tge fields. Towns clustered on main roads. Oh, and a good public transportation infrastructure. I often wonder how america developed without a good transport infrastructure. And melissa, i do think that parents should at least take some responsibility. What gets me about these school levys that dobt pass- the majority of voters must have kids or grandkids- we cant blame the govt for education cuts when we the people dont vote to help education...
I am not a favor of raising taxes to solve these kinds of issues
Not because I don't care
But because I don't think the incremental dollars will actually solve anything
The bureaucratic waste is tremendous
I would pay a 50% payroll tax if I thought it would do some good -- increase the quality of education, provide universal healthcare
But it won't
We are totally screwed
(And will continue to be unless we take some European advice and stop trying to provide for the world, and instead concentrate on ourselves)

I like your stop trying to provide for the world comment. I just wanted to add that we don't do it because we want to do "good"- we do it to increase our global power... Power is king. I wonder what would happen to our power if we drastically cut back? Oh, and regarding Europe- its not a model for spending. I was only referring to development of towns and public transport here. I think Europe is truly effed financially too... Just in different ways that the us.