Progressive Stupidty

[Snarkhund]

The thinking here is astonishing.

Calculus requires competency in algebra, geometry and trigonometry. Some kids apparently cannot achieve adequate competency in those lower disciplines to progress to calculus.

Instead of addressing the failure to properly teach those lower mathematics they want to punish those who are capable and manage to take AP calculus. That is upside-down thinking.

I'm not too concerned because literally *everyone* I know who has school aged children has pulled them out of public schools and they aren't going back. Those kids will end up in private universities, like I did, and get a proper education. The gap between them and the ignorant masses attending public schools will become acute. There will be a tiered system, a tiered society.

The scam built into this is that everyone will continue to pay for public schools via their property taxes but those who want their kids educated will have to also pay for their private education. The school systems see it as win/win, they get all the money, deal with fewer students and don't have to teach difficult courses. Easy money.

 

[Tsing Tao]

The thinking here is astonishing.

Calculus requires competency in algebra, geometry and trigonometry. Some kids apparently cannot achieve adequate competency in those lower disciplines to progress to calculus.

Instead of addressing the failure to properly teach those lower mathematics they want to punish those who are capable and manage to take AP calculus. That is upside-down thinking.

I'm not too concerned because literally *everyone* I know who has school aged children has pulled them out of public schools and they aren't going back. Those kids will end up in private universities, like I did, and get a proper education. The gap between them and the ignorant masses attending public schools will become acute. There will be a tiered system, a tiered society.

The scam built into this is that everyone will continue to pay for public schools via their property taxes but those who want their kids educated will have to also pay for their private education. The school systems see it as win/win, they get all the money, deal with fewer students and don't have to teach difficult courses. Easy money.

Precisely. Just like taxation, the rules you make won't affect the people who are able to escape the system, because they can afford to. You'll only affect the people who can't afford to, which is the people you're trying to help in the first place.

 

[Ricter]

Precisely. Just like taxation, the rules you make won't affect the people who are able to escape the system, because they can afford to. You'll only affect the people who can't afford to, which is the people you're trying to help in the first place.

Yes. They're trying to wag the dog with their approach.

Better to have steep wealth and inheritance taxes, a maximum wage/net worth, and energetic redistribution.

 

[Tsing Tao]

Yes. They're trying to wag the dog with their approach.

Better to have steep wealth and inheritance taxes, a maximum wage/net worth, and energetic redistribution.

Honestly, I'd settle for just closing the loopholes.

Its the loopholes that rich folks figure out ways around and through.

 

[Scataphagos]

1. Eliminate all of the tax loopholes.

2. The only fair tax is a flat tax. First "_____" of income is not taxed, say $30K, $50K, or whatever. Every tax payer gets that. Above, taxed at a flat rate... same for everybody. Rich will pay more because they make more.

3. Progressive tax rates are an evil political power tool... not to mention their being discriminatory... and we all know how much we hate any kind of discrimination (except that one, of course).

 

[jem]

Its a lot more than that.
Its expectations parents put upon their children to do the best they can or better.

I can cite you to so many examples of how a parent's interest and expectations matter.

How many Asian and Indian immigrants and first gen who are now successful and or rich had rich parents when they got here to the US.

I don't disagree, but if you want your kids to succeed it would help if you got rich first. On average, average-scoring kids from wealthy families end up in better jobs than high-scoring kids from poor families.

 

[Ricter]

Its a lot more than that.
Its expectations parents put upon their children to do the best they can or better.

I can cite you to so many examples of how a parent's interest and expectations matter.

How many Asian and Indian immigrants and first gen who are now successful and or rich had rich parents when they got here to the US.

It's all true, and why I wrote, "on average".

 

[jem]

I know... I saw that after I started writing... but...
that on average is very wide.

It's all true, and why I wrote, "on average".

 

[Ricter]

I know... I saw that after I started writing... but...
that on average is very wide.

There's always some hope and progress to be made, our brains retain some plasticity even in old age. Old dogs can learn new tricks, if they can still lay down myelin.

 

[ph1l]

Tend to agree. I recently read a study of drivers of expensive cars vs. everyone else--they really are more rude.

Old joke:

Q: What's the difference between a cactus and BMW?

A: The cactus has the pricks on the outside.