<p>The mod removed it, bro. Not me. I was offended and pointing it out. It just seemed like a word a conservative might use to stir something up. I was making an educated guess.</p>
<p>Keep going, you’re entertaining us with your obtuse statements.</p>
<p>So now you think poor people are only for entertainment? This ain’t no minstrel show, man. Get with the times.</p>
<p>No, I think stupid people are. The poor people who work hard are the ones to look up to.</p>
<p>Your family must be a riot then.</p>
<p>Oh man, thank god Columbia reminded us all that poor people are only poor because they don’t work hard enough. </p>
<p>I forgot how many fortune 500 head hunters are scouring the country to determine which housekeepers, fast food employees, waiters, and other minimum wage workers are working so hard that they deserve a 5 figure salary. </p>
<p>That if a kid is smart and hard working enough, no number of night jobs bagging groceries or mopping floors at a restaurant will keep him from earning a high enough GPA at his garbage public high school or prep well for the SATs without an expensive course to qualify for aid at even the mediocre state school. </p>
<p>If he was smart enough, his parents wouldn’t get sick while the family has no health insurance because his parents do work hard enough to earn enough to no longer qualify for medicaid but still can’t afford real insurance.</p>
<p>The smart people will know not to live in the only neighborhood they can afford, a crime ridden one where they are repeatedly robbed or assaulted in ways that leave them with psychological trauma which of course, given they’re so smart, doesn’t actually affect them.</p>
<p>God forbid we help any of these smart people with government subsidies at all because we will only turn them into stupid people who will forever abuse us and steal our money.</p>
<p>I think we should pay for all poor people to have a $4,500 admissions expert get us into second tier colleges. Do you agree with that, Columbia09?</p>
<p>some of these posts are really getting pathetic.</p>
<p>Drama: I’m a girl, thanks. </p>
<p>Columbia: I was actually referring to K-12 schools. Also, you didn’t address the hypocrisy I called you out on. You clearly are against giving any money to the poor. Yet, you complained about not getting any money from FAFSA! I truly don’t understand. Do you think you’re more entitled to scholarship money than other people? In addition, your arguments are getting more and more nonsensical. All caps words and multiple exclamation point? What are we, thirteen year olds on Gaia?</p>
<p>I feelya, OP. It seems like every single year my divorced parents are classified as “wealthy” either by their tax brackets, social opinion, etc. We’re not wealthy. We don’t have BMWs or any other sports cars. We don’t go on vacations. We don’t eat out. We don’t live in large homes. We don’t have designer clothes. We don’t go on ostentatious shopping sprees. My sister and I don’t get things when they are “new” and “trendy” (hello four year old phone…), nor do we go to an elite preparatory school. Our parents didn’t send us to any ACT/SAT classes, or put us into a bunch of elite clubs to pad our college resumes. </p>
<p>But somehow, we’re wealthy.</p>
<p>And to address all of the animosity and division in this thread:</p>
<p>As someone who comes from a “wealthy” family, I think it is important to give back to the community. Whether you give back with your time/your money/your talents, it is a necessity.</p>
<p>That being said, I don’t believe in the government making it impossible for someone to fail. To use a somewhat juvenile metaphor, I think that taking the training wheels of a bike forces the biker to simply learn to ride. While there are many rich families who are only rich due to their lineage, there are also many rich people with “rags to riches” stories who got to where they are based on their own hard work and taking risks.</p>
<p>I’m not supporting either side of this argument, because I can understand both sides. But this type of class resentment is what is tearing this nation apart.</p>
<p>I don’t really think its class, rich vs poor. I think it’s democrats vs republicans. There are plenty off well off democrats who would be appalled by the statements Columbia and KAJ made. There are plenty of poor republicans who agree with them. Against their own interests, I will add.
I regret sounding too nice, previously. The sentiments about not wanting to pay taxes to public schools truly make me ill.</p>
<p>Odd double posting had to erase.</p>
<p>First of all, I certainly hope once in college that everyone here learns to disagree (and spell) better. Good debate do not require name calling.
I am in the same situation. We have one child and make well over 6 figures. We live in sunny California, so that does not go far and it certainly does not make us rich. The more you earn the more you spend on your home, thus utilities and so on. My son goes to a private high school and I agree that a portion of my taxes should go to public education, but a tax credit for the private tuition would be nice, as well.
Here we are, now faced with paying for college and I can honestly say that if we have to pay out of pocket for tuition and everything else he will need that we are in trouble. While we saved some money, it certainly isn’t enough for his entire undergrad studies.</p>
<p>Class warfare, class resentment. It’s a lot of BS, if you ask me. I’m dirt poor, and I have friends who are much much wealthier than I. Do I envy them? No. Do I hate them because they have money? No! </p>
<p>The poor don’t hate rich people because they have money. This poor girl hates how some rich people think they are entitled, and don’t feel the need to pay taxes because “they worked for their money, goddamn it.”</p>
<p>@mom- That’s because you’re not expected to pay out of pocket. You’re expected to have saved, pay out of current income, and borrow. And private high school is a choice- if you didn’t pay for it, you would likely have much more money saved up for college.</p>
<p>That’s interesting that you are of the mindset, romani, that you are supposed to borrow to pay for education. I wonder what percent of people agree. I don’t. The only loan I ever took was for my house. My kids will most likely go to a state school because we can pay for it from our savings.</p>
<p>So, iluv, you think it’s class? I really don’t. Where I come from I am around a lot of well off democrats, who may love their material things, trips, education, but vote with their conscience despite their personal finances.</p>
<p>^ Sorry, I didn’t mean that’s what I believe. I meant that’s what schools expect you to do. Bad wording on my part.</p>
<p>ETA: Also, the majority of my generation where I grew up seems to believe that debt for education is the norm. That’s what happens when the COA of public schools are 25k a year around here.</p>
<p>I’m in the same boat as you, MomAnxiety, college costs will be tough, and I do pay private school tuition for one of my children, but I think a tax credit for private school would be immoral. We as a society must fully fund public schools. Private school is a choice.</p>
<p>Agreed, Redpoint. Tax credit, or even deduction, for private schools, is wrong. I believe in supporting the public schools whether or not I have a child in the system. That is the moral obligation.</p>
<p>I think taxes should support public education - and we need to do a lot better job of adequately and universally supporting it as do other countries. In this country we support public and private college education quite a bit with federal tax dollars through land grants and lots of research funding. K-12 is mainly supported locally - and not adequately. Because of that many kids reach college with poor basic skills. Until we can provide excellent public schools I don’t think it would be appropriate to support private K-12 schools with tax dollars.</p>