I now have my very own Barcode!

[bowser************]

it would b really sad if they start goin around class with those little barcode reader things they use at supermarkets to take attendance...

[EsPo]

hey browser.. guess what they do if they think your id is fake?

[Xerces]

cavity search?

[FordPrefect]

We've been barcoded, numbered, and put on plastic since the fifth grade. I don't understand why though, we don't use them for anything. Maybe throwing at people, but thats about it. They are passed out with our school pictures, and thats the end of that. The teachers don't say anyhthing about them, and they don't know anything about them (or at least they act like it).

[SirLloydAlexander]

The US ranks 12 out of 21 in math and science proficiency, and 6 out of 10 for reading Internationally. The US ranks as the 1 out of 22 when it comes to national defense and military. The US spends 308.5 Billion dollars or 16% of the federal budget on the military, but only 57.3 billion or 3% of the federal budget on education.

Of course the government's money comes from it's citizens. I never said it didnt. 50% from income, 8% from corporate, 35% from social insurance, 3% from Excise, and 4% from Estate and Gift taxes, plus customs duties.

Over 60% of americans feel that the teacher's salary (nationaly averaged at 40,000) is too low.

71% of americans are in favor of improving the public schools rather than providing vouchers for private or religious based schools.

Do you believe that if every person attended private school, that the private schools would not be under the same stress as public schools, with only 60% of the public school budget?

Or that maybe some people should go to private schools, like yourself, and leave the rest to go to public schools that are no extraordinarily underfunded since so much of the budget has been cut.

The US is 5.8 trillion dollars in debt, so of course, deficit spending would be a very bad thing. However, the US is currently running a 127 billion dollar surplus. That is money that can be used to double the current federal eeducation budget, and still have a 70 billion dollar surplus.

Trigger_Happy, when you mention the annual cost per student for private and public schooling, where did you get those figures? Same with your 'level of quality' indicators?

Oh, and I am 19, a student at the University of Arizona, majoring in Political Science, with a minor in Economics.

[Trigger_Happy]

Political science? I really can't say, but back in the day that was the floofer major for the kids that didn't know what they wanted to do Sorry, I has to note that

WOW! You really pulled out the statistics on that last post! Good work to get some facts in this thread! (Although you didn't give a source ) I, however, am lazy Somebody else will have to find stats to back up what I say

My local paper did an article stateing the findings of a global study of the world's schools. US students flunked out of geography We also hit the bottom of the middle in math and grammer. It was an interesting study because Finland (an obscure country) and Japan (desperately trying to wrench itself from the econimic meltdown that never seems to get better) did very well, yet the US and Germany did, quite honestly, very poorly. We ranked side by side with countries that I'd rather we didn't considering our budget!

Anyway, the reporters working for that paper, then dug up stats saying that Minnesota's (my state) schools are some of the best funded in the country, yet score only slightly better than the the average US school. In this article it was listed that Minnestoa requires $6,*** per child each year for the public schools to operate. That nuber was *just* below $7,000. It went on to say that the average in the nation is somthing just over 6.5k. Due to the large number of kids attending school, the aticle stated, the difference spent between MN's schools, and the "average" school was hundreds of millions!

You say that 71% of people don't want vouchers, but I question how accurate that is. There are a few things that boost that nuber that aren't very fair:

1. People are too lazy to look for a private school.
2. People are scared of the "religious" aspect that the majority of today's private schools entail.
3. People are not informed about the benefits of private schooling, and therefore simply don't see a reason!

You wondered about my "quality" statement. I would have trouble picking out only one study to back this stance! If you insist, I shall break my lazy streak and do a search! Not many studies will conclude that public schools score better than private institutions!

Any other questions?

[Trigger_Happy]

Originally posted by SirLloydAlexander
The US ranks 12 out of 21 in math and science proficiency, and 6 out of 10 for reading Internationally. The US ranks as the 1 out of 22 when it comes to national defense and military.

12 out of 21....whats? in math and science?

The same question for the resto the the stats you posted in that format.

[SirLloydAlexander]

Originally posted by Trigger_Happy
Political science? I really can't say, but back in the day that was the floofer major for the kids that didn't know what they wanted to do Sorry, I has to note that

www.publicagenda.org. They also add that the national average is 8,000 dollars per student. So there you go.

We rank 12 out of 21 countries and 6 out of 10 countries in those areas of study.

Originally posted by Trigger_Happy
You say that 71% of people don't want vouchers, but I question how accurate that is. There are a few things that boost that number that aren't very fair:

1. People are too lazy to look for a private school.
2. People are scared of the "religious" aspect that the majority of today's private schools entail.
3. People are not informed about the benefits of private schooling, and therefore simply don't see a reason!

[Trigger_Happy]

Floofer is a word! I wantered to provaliorate you wrong, so I lookensied it up! Yepperoo! It's in the dictionario! Just like all the otherantastic wordsies I semihabitually use

[SirLloydAlexander]

I was editing my last post to add and change some things when you made your last post, so I did not read it until after I changed my post. Sorry for the confusion.

[Trigger_Happy]

Your post was civil 10 minutes ago! Why did you change it?

Are you telling me that I need a reliable source (like the internet ) in order to believe something? There is not a better place I can think of than my local paper to report what MY state spends on education!

Besides, you then went on to prove MY point more drastically than I did by getting the same staistic online!

I'm sorry if I insulted you so badly when poking fun at your major! I'm not attacking your self worth, integrity, or yo momma, so try not to hate me

[ShooterJM]

Originally posted by SirLloydAlexander
Over 60% of americans feel that the teacher's salary (nationaly averaged at 40,000) is too low.

Oh, and I am 19, a student at the University of Arizona, majoring in Political Science, with a minor in Economics.

Now we're getting somewhere! Over 60% of americans FEEL that the teacher's salary is too low.

(Coincidently I feel the same way about my salary)

I can tell you RIGHT NOW, why teachers don't get paid much as much as other teachers. Supply and demand. Say all you want about it being a thankless job, and being extremely difficult, but the base requirments aren't that tough. There's a much higher percentage of the population that can function as a teacher then can, say, be an accountant. Hence the difference in salaries. It's also the reason a CFO of the company makes quite a bit more then the janitor. Being an economics minor you'll learn (especially if you take managerial or international econ) that artificially inflated demand is never the best answer.

EDIT: Also, if you look at the revised charts and forcasts released by the Congressional Budget Office that were released on Dec 4, even if the tax provisions and the existing appropriations were limited to increasing at the rate of inflation, the non Social Security surplus will go from the official "10 year $1 trillion surplus" (which is still an official deficit of $1.5 trillion) to a deficit of $156 billion and a revised official deficit of $2.7 trillion.

[Crimson_Turkey]

Originally posted by Trigger_Happy
Floofer is a word! I wantered to provaliorate you wrong, so I lookensied it up! Yepperoo! It's in the dictionario! Just like all the otherantastic wordsies I semihabitually use

Wow, I didn't know the president was on the forums!

as for the 16% to military and 3% to schooling that number is changing in favor of the military. When we go to war we must spend more money on military. Coupled with Dubbya's tax cut this means less money for schools, roads public services etc.

[Jeb_Hoge]

Personally, I'm all in favor of corporate sponsorship of public schools. Let GE, DaimlerChrysler, Proctor & Gamble, and other major corporate concerns provide funding and support to municipal school systems. It's good for their public images and charitable records, and it's good for the fiscal health of the school systems.

[Trigger_Happy]

That's a good idea, but I'm sure those companies will take convincing! Also, will more funding help the score improve? Studies show that the envirement kids are raised in, not money spent in the classroom, are what effects scores most.....hmmmmmm.....interesting thoughts!