A good education has many components, one of which is the will of the student... But in the end, exactly what is free in any society?
That which is instinctual and genetically inherent, to teach the next generation how to survive, succeed and eventually teach the next generation; whether it be how to survive and succeed in living a nomadic existence as herders and traders, or to live off the land in a tropical rain forest, as brick makers in northern Africa or to have the education that will give them the skills to survive and succeed in an industrialized environment in which both survival and success are subject to the unpredictable whims of an ever changing societal model.
Also, bear in mind that those people that are able to spend big dollars to send their kids to ivy-league schools pay directly out of pocket for tuition/fees while simultaneously paying into the tax system that funds the public system. They are (voluntarily) paying for both sides of the equation for the opportunity to access only one side.
"Voluntarily" choosing to remove their children from an educational system that is made available by a society for each and every child and subject to the requirements of that society for the education provided through direct and indirect (government) parental and societal involvement. By removing their children, thus segregating them to a minimal exposure to the complete spectrum of society leaving them ill-equipped in the skills to understand or even survive in real and actual society when they leave the confines of an unrealistic system, they are not only depriving the public system of their equally important input in the functioning of that system they are depriving their children of the very skills all societies need: an understanding of how all aspects of their particular society functions and how to survive in it.
The more mundane aspect: in BC the Social Credit & then the Liberal parties when in power mandated that all private schools must receive for each pupil they enroll 40% of the amount designated per pupil out of the public education budget. Thus depriving the public system of 40% of its funding in order to pay for religiously based, wealth segregated, philosophically based, etc., exclusive private schools. Schools which may well have a curriculum based on principles in direct conflict with those of the society in which they and their pupils are located and substantially subsidised.
a progressive tax structure ensures that you get punished even harder because of the sin of doing well for yourself.
In the end, it's the top earners that bear the biggest burden in financing the overall system.
You still don't get it Avro. You have focused on the tax cuts that Bush offered to a small % of the US population but have not even recognized that a highly significant % of the population doesn't pay any (or very little) taxes at all.
Ah! The "trickle down" or "horse and sparrow" theories once again! "If you feed the horse enough oats, some will pass through to the road for the sparrows.", a saying that came about because of the 'Panic of 1896' which was an acute economic depression in the US. It didn't work under Thatcher and Reagan and, to quote another homily at you, the proof is in the pudding as to Bush's trying it yet again, the results of which are plainly visible if you took your blinders off. Is Glenn Beck selling those too BTW?
The crumbling schools and laid-off teachers are a symptom of available funds.
Exactly! So how about
no public funding, taxpayers' money, of private schools? And increasing the taxes on the wealthiest and decreasing them on the middle class and the poor? The latter two categories being proven to be the major consumers of basic goods with every rare and meagre tax cut; the wealthiest being the lowest per capita consumers of domestic goods at any level of tax rates.
The vast majority of the taxes collected are generated from the top earners in society.
Ding! Incorrect! However prove me wrong - only accredited, politically non-affiliated sources being acceptable of course. Stats, numbers please - not anecdotal chalk board fantasies.
Keep putting more and more pressure on that demographic and the dam will bust and when there are fewer overall tax dollars available, who do you think will bear the brunt of that?
The middle class and the poor of course. They always do. The rich are different. Didn't you know that? Tsk, tsk!