From: tmayer@neit.cgd.ucar.edu (Tom Mayer)
Subject: Re: A followup to Amendment 1
Keywords: Taxes,Amendment1
Organization: Climate and Global Dynamics Division/NCAR, Boulder, CO
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 15:24:08 GMT

In article <1992Dec23.050130.17460@ncar.ucar.edu> rosinski@isis.cgd.ucar.edu (Jim Rosinski) writes:
>
>1) When the federal income tax came into being (in 1914 I believe), the
>combination of federal, state, and local taxes took about 10% of the average
>wage earner's income.  That number has been on a slow but steady increase
>ever since, and now stands at approximately 47%.  The point is: given these
>statistics, it is hard to argue that governments are being starved for
>money.

	The numbers I have for total US tax burden are quite different
	from yours Jim.  My sources showed thentotal tax burden (federal,
	state, and local) to be aroud 30 -32%.  The also showed that 
	it was the lowest amounst the top industrial countries e.g
	Japan,Germany,France,England  etc..  Would be interesting to compare
	sources sometime to try an ascertain the source of the discrepancy

>
>2) Again on a nationwide average, the cost of a private K-12 education is
>$2500.  The average cost of a demonstrably inferior K-12 education in a
>public institution is around $4500.  These numbers are based on 1989 data.

	Jim are you excluding parochial schools.  Religious schools frequently
	susidize their schools as to make them affordable to all of their
	adherents (and converts).  I would like you to name some local
	non religious private schools in the Boulder area that cost $2500
	a year.  I would like to list further considertions

	1) Private schools do not have to provide special education 
	   programs which are very expesive and labor intensive.

	2) Private schools do not have to attempt to teach kids with
	   emotional or behaviour problems.

	3) Private schools do not have to worry about having to provide
	   classroom space for every child who wants to attend.  If a
	   private school is full they can turn kids away.  Public
	   schools don't have that option.

	4) Private schools don't have to worry about being in business
	   next year.  Some can rent cheap space in churches with the
	   knowledge that sometime they may be thrown out.  A case 
	   in point came up at the Quaker meeting house in Boulder.  They
	   use to rent out the space to a small private elementary school.
	   The Quakers decided the arragement was no longer working and	
	   stopped renting out the space.  The school went out of 
	   business and the kids went someplace else.  The public 
	   schools can't make these shaky arrangements.  They have
	   to be in business every year.

	I'm not saying that public schools don't have their problems.
	I just don't believe the situation is as simplistic as you
	suggest.


>
>3) Try to put yourself in the bureaucrat's shoes whose job it is to bring
>money in for whatever organization he runs.  When faced with budgetary
>cutbacks, do you really expect him to say: "No problem, we'll just get rid
>of the wasteful do-nothing empolyees and everything will be fine."?  He'd
>look pretty silly saying that.  He has a vested interest in declaring that
>he runs a lean, mean organization, and that only worthwhile, useful programs
>would have to bear the impact of budget cuts.  Cutting popular programs is
>in fact one of the favorite scare tactics employed by advocates of big
>government. 
>

	Why would any employer hang onto wasteful do-nothing employees.
	Unless the laws preclude the employer from doing something
	about it in which case the laws should be changed.
	Again I see posturing about bureaucrat's and big government
	but I don't see specific solutions to help eliminate the waste.
	If you just cut the income to a wasteful system you'll find
	the same waste on a smaller scale.  You'll also find that
	the public services that most people seem to want cut back as well.
	There now I know I've convinced you -).

>
>
>Jim Rosinski



				Tom Mayer


				NCAR, Boulder, Co. 

  

 
 
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