Prop 100 (1% sales tax for schools)

There has been a lot of debate lately regarding Prop 100 leading up to the election on May 18th. As far as the opposing comments, I understand the reasoning of many of you, but I ask you to reexamine the repercussions of a “No” vote.

First of all, I completely agree that our government wastes an exorbitant amount of money on administrative costs and that it is something that needs to eventually be addressed. However, we now have an imminent crisis that requires immediate attention. Today’s students don’t have ten years to waste while we try to sort out a problem that was a hundred years in the making.

Some people have stated that they feel as though they shouldn’t have to be financially responsible for other people’s children, and when I was twenty years old watching half of my check go towards taxes, I would have agreed. Also, I have never understood a tax system that charges the least to those who use the most (dependent tax write-offs). And finally, there are a lot of people out there who irresponsibly choose to have far more children than they will ever be able to financially support. However, I don’t think there is anyone, whether they have children or not, who can honestly say they have not benefited from tax dollars. Whether it’s the roads they drive on, or the school they attended as a child, or the unseen protection they receive from public safety.

Others have also stated that schools should only offer the Three Rs and the rest is unnecessary. Well, as far as funding goes, the schools have pretty much already adopted that philosophy. All of the athletes already pay to play and the players are responsible for all of their travel and officiating expenses. In fact, my daughter Megan rose over $1400 in contributions and donations for her PHS Girls Basketball team this past season. And all of the players are required to participate in fundraisers to help pay for all of the sports programs at PHS.

The elementary subjects of school are essential to our survival in the “real world” but the extracurricular activities in school are just as important to a person’s development. It’s true that I could teach my child to read and write at home, but the one thing I can’t teach her is the social skills that she’ll also need to live a prosperous and fulfilling life.

Because of problems at home, I dropped out of school and moved out on my own when I was sixteen. And although I eventually obtained a college degree, I always wished that I had had been able to enjoy the benefits of being a teenager in high school. I think that it is essential that we teach our kids responsibility, but most of us will end up working over fifty years of our lives, so what is wrong with supporting our youth for a few years while they figure out what they want to do with their lives. Sadly, for the Al Bundys of the world, high school could be the last highlight of their lives, the one that gets replayed over and over again for the next eighty years.

And finally, also keep in mind that today’s youth will be the ones caring for us in a few years, so let’s prepare them properly. Someone was there to pay for all the opportunities we received in our youth, and it is our responsibility to repay those who paid our way by paying for the kids of today.