My Soapbox

To the possibly four people reading this, I appreciate your tax dollars supporting the education of OUR children.

I realize that having different viewpoints gives our world a better balance and keeps things in check. I realize that if everyone thought and acted and believed like I do, it actually might not be a good thing.
I realize that there are some who I can not change the minds of no matter how much I disagree with them. I know that yelling about my way is best will not work.
That being said, I cannot and refuse to understand why people, people who I love, think that it is wrong to be required to pay taxes to the school system when their children are not in the system. How if you own property in a place that is not near where your own children go to school how you shouldn't have to pay education taxes on it. How the teachers should VOLUNTEER to do their jobs.

I am a teacher. A music teacher. so this affects me personally both emotionally and in the pocket.
I am a teacher because I am one to my very core. I have a passion for early elementary students and the fine arts. I went into this world knowing that I will never be wealthy or even considered well paid by normal business standards. I get it. But, how is it that I should not be afforded a paycheck for my work? Do I not have lots and lots of expensive education that I paid for that makes me qualified? If I was in any other profession with the same amount of education and experience, no one would question that I was deserving of a paycheck, much less one that is enough to live on.

Then there is the issue of funding public education. Taxes suck. Yes, they do. Taxes cost a lot. Yes, they do. Sure there are other ways of funding schools other than property taxes, those places exist and they pay a whole lot more in income tax than we do. They are also much smaller countries full of fairly homogeneous people. It makes it easier. Why, we are a big country with lots of people with different backgrounds and ideas etc.
 We want to live in a world where people are educated. You might not think it, but you do. I am not talking about making every one a doctor or a lawyer or Ph.D in their area but, you want your world to be filled with high school graduates. You want the person behind the register at the fast food place to give you the right change, the right order, know how to work the computer screen they have in front of them. You want your fellow drivers to understand how the road works.
How do you get this, you pay your taxes and shut up.

Even though you may not have children currently attending the school system, even if you pay for private school for your kids, even if you home school, you want your neighbors to have an education. Plan and simple. Education for all is the best option. It is what our country needs. Education is not a reward for being wealthy in our country. It is a right given to all no matter where you come from.