From: kberry@sactoh0.sac.ca.us (Kim A. Berry)
Newsgroups: ca.general
Subject: Re: our school problems
Date: 7 Oct 92 04:52:49 GMT
Distribution: ca
Organization: Sacramento Public Access Unix, Sacramento, Ca.


I hope you don't mind that I am breaking from the response-counter
response. It is just easier to write this in word-perfect and
upload it than to hog the modem and mess around in vi.

1.   Statistics

I agree with your statement that you would have to take into
account the totality of government spending, including Social
Security and Medicare, to determine whether immigrants are a net
drain or boost. That is why I get upset when respectable
publications (e.g. Business Week) offers two simplistic figures to
make a point. Among the worst is the "women earn $0.70 for every
$1.00 a man earns." Doesn't Ross Perot throw this off a little? Do
corporations really discriminate to the extent implied?

2.   Education as an investment in children that repaid handsomely.

I agree. The whole bureaucracy of student loans and grants (and
fraud) should be discarded, and college should be free. And there
should be a stronger link between corporations and education rather
than a break between the two. There's plenty of room for social
reform in these areas.

I am concerned about the high dropout rate of hispanics, how that
will impact all of us. I believe it is related to culture as much
as economics or failings of the school. And I oppose U.C.
Berkeley's practice of having different admission standards for
each race. Each race competes for slots only with members of their
own race rather than against all applicants. Special treatment of
certain groups breeds resentment.

Regarding your statement about needing productive youngsters to
sustain our standard of living when we retire. Sure. But I hope you
agree that could be done without a perpetual increase in
population, as Julian Simon advocates?

3.   Farm Labor

We basically agree here. I'll send you a recent letter I wrote via
email.

4.   Effects of population growth on the state.

You disagree that overall the effect of population growth has been
for the worse. Then you express concern for rises in racism,
scapegoating, and fear of a repeat of 1930 Germany. I share your
concerns about our future.

You believe that it is opinions such as mine that lead to violence?
I think violence is inevitable if population growth continues at
current rates. The violence is as inevitable as the violence that
occurs when rats are left to breed in a confined space.

I believe that drive-by shootings and other gang violence largely
emerged from Latino culture. Blacks blame Koreans for stealing
their jobs; Vietnamese are emerging as a new criminal threat; Many
parts of LA are too scary to stop your car. This is really
happening, and I believe would not have happened had we closed our
borders 20 years ago.

Most violence in the world is caused by different races/cultures
/religions forced into the same geographic area. Population growth
will make this state resemble Hong Kong. I don't want to live in
a high-rise apartment and have people living on polluted water like
they do there. Do you agree that most areas of the world are over-
populated, and that the effects of that overpopulation are a major
reason why people choose to immigrate here? 

Suppose we completely opened our borders: Squatters set up tents
on your front yard. You get fired because someone is willing to
work 12 hours a day for $6/hour. Gas and housing prices skyrocket.
Jails are full, and police refuse to respond to trivial calls like
vandalism and theft. I presume if it came to that you would sink
to my level and complain about the effect of immigrants on your
quality of life.

Conventional wisdom is that the third world is "developing." In
some areas that is true. I believe most areas will continue to
decline, and the U.S. will gain third world traits. In the
Philippines ten years ago I was amazed at all the private security
-- Guards with machine guns in front of McDonalds, and you had to
tip a kid to watch your car so it wouldn't be vandalized. The
private security is happening here! The Raleys I shop at now has
security guards wondering around. Ten years ago this was unheard
of. Have you noticed similar changes in the Bay Area?

It is not just "economic depression" as you suggest, but a very
real threat to our quality of life in this state and in the U.S.
that will fuel this resentment as more people compete for less
resources.

I want to apologize to the original poster who simply wanted to
know whether and why CA schools have greater financial problems
than other states. I don't think anyone answered his question yet!

-- 
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        Kim Berry              kberry@sactoh0.SAC.CA.US
Newsgroups: ca.general