The DeVos Family: Must-read article on education!

[greenbird]

An excellent piece by Rachel Tabachnik at AlterNet:

The DeVos Family: Meet the Super-Wealthy Right-Wingers Working with the Religious Right to Kill Public Education

http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/150868/the_devos_family%3A_meet_the_super-wealthy_right-wingers_working_with_the_religious_right_to_kill_public_education/

[skepticscott]

1. The solution is

to propose bills that allow any family that prefers private education to get a full remission of the portion of their taxes that go towards funding public schools, and let them use that to fund their children's education any way they choose. Their money, their choice, completely. No involvement of the state at all. Then watch the reactions.

[LiberalFighter]

2. If they go that route then shouldn't the logic be that only those

with children in the school system should pay those taxes?

[skepticscott]

6. It should be thought of in the opposite way

That only those with children they have chosen to educate outside of the public school system should NOT have to pay those taxes.

[Zoeisright]

13. Total FAIL.

Public education doesn't just benefit those who use it. It's a COMMUNITY benefit, in that educated citizens are better able to work and the country does better.

Keeee-rist, I can't believe I have to explain that.

[skepticscott]

14. You don't

but apparently I have to make my own point even more transparently clear to some here. People who understand that there is a public benefit to public education should contribute to it, including businesses and people without school age children of their own. People who argue that there is no such benefit, and who are concerned only with the education of their own children, should be left to fund their children's education entirely on their own, once they have been remitted the school tax that they themselves pay. They should be entitled to no other portion of the tax pie in the form of "vouchers" or whatever the legislative scam of the day calls it, if they truly want their children's education to be separated completely from government control. But once they realize what "separation of school and state" truly entails, any of those people with sense (which may not be many) will cool off on the concept very quickly.

Now, if you're tired of the taste of your toes, maybe you can make a more intelligent comment.

[eggplant]

3. Um, no. Education is like insurance.

For it to make sense financially, we all have to pay in.

[skepticscott]

8. Unless those who withdraw

are getting less back than was being spent per pupil on their children when they were in public school. Then the net effect on public school funding is positive. If the money being paid in school taxes by businesses and those without school age children is being kept in the public schools and spread out over fewer students, that should improve the state of funding.

[truth2power]

12. I think some here don't get your point. Which is, IMO, that they would soo

How little of their tax money, per capita, goes toward school funding. Even less if they have 3 or 4 kids in the public school system.

So, fine, let them go to a charter school and see if that facility will educate their kids for that amount. Per year. Good luck with that.

[skepticscott]

15. Exactly

I'm guessing that a lot of teabagging middle America that cheers for the destruction of the public school system would find it very difficult to come up with 5-6K per child on their own. Most families pay nothing near that in school taxes, and don't even realize how much on the government dole (subsidized by people like me) their kids education is.

[greenbird]

4. What is most disturbing about this to me

is this group's commitment to establishing, ultimately, a theocracy - and using privatized education to do it.

[vanboggie]

7. That's exactly their goal

Betsy is the woman who said Amway manufaacturing workers made too much money (this from a billionairess married to a billionaire). She got her wish and their factory employees have been mostly replaced by temps. (Peasants don't need a living wage and benefits!)

They've been behind this faux religious crap all across this nation for years and are very involved in the Mackinaw Center and ALEC. A dangerous bunch that wants to cram their Dutch Christian Reformed religion down everyone's throats. I haven't seen much true Christianity displayed by them, however.

[greenbird]

10. I had a little heart attack

when I read that she was Erik Prince's sister. Never knew that. Scary, scary people!

[jmowreader]

16. Amway doesn't need a manufacturing arm, at all

Pretty much everyone who uses Amway's products is either "in the business" or is buying from a friend in "the business" so they won't go broke quite so fast. They really don't encourage retail selling--maybe because they know the retail prices on Amway products are much higher than the prices on brands you can buy in stores.

So...since this shit doesn't sell in huge quantities, they'd be better off with contract manufacturing.

[southernyankeebelle]

11. Bingo. That is exactly what they are doing. If they want to do that than I am willing to pull my

child or grandchild out of school and home school them with a liberal leaning. It's not that I am against religion. I am against forcing children to be forced religious teachings that may differ with mine.

[the_chinuk]

5. Fortunately, It's not hard to boycott Amway …

or whatever they're calling it these days (Quixtar? Vegemite?). Nobody I know buys it - or sells it.

It's not hard to see what a life under the rules of these atrocious fools would be. The only way you can succeed in Amway, based on what I've seen of what few friends I know who did it, is to get people in behind you. And they get people in behind them. And so on, and so on …

The trouble with multi-level marketing, esp ones like Amway, is that you can no longer afford to have "just friends". Everyone you know becomes a potential business lead.

That the DeVos family wants to make schools just another business is therefore no surprise. And working life under the world they envision would be a similar hell.

[ima_sinnic]

9. ... and the problem with that business model is that everybody starts to shun you

gee, here comes Bob again, trying to sell us something -- quick, duck in this store (or, don't answer the door or phone, depending on the situation). :rofl:

[the_chinuk]

17. DingDingDing! You get the bonus points for that one! Exactly