A TASL News Service Manifesto

by David Safier

(TASL) The term “manifesto” is a bit overblown to describe this post, I know. Any manifesto worthy of the name should be at least twenty pages, right? But I like the sound of the word, so “manifesto” it is.

A lot of my posts deal with that contentious place where money and education intersect, and I keep restating my belief that Arizona schools don’t get nearly the funding they need. We should devote more money to education. Lots more money.

But when I write that, someone is sure to ask, “So where are you going to get the money, smart guy? The State is not only broke, it’s in hock up to its ears!”

My answer is always the same. “Increase taxes on those who can best afford it, and spend with a wise and generous hand.” I am a classic Tax-And-Spend Liberal, and proud of it.

But writing that over and over gets old. So I decided, whenever a post is about money and education, I’ll begin the post with (TASL) - pronounced “tassel” - the acronym for my recently created Tax And Spend Liberal News Service.

I considered making the name of the News Service T(twcbai)AS(wawagh)L, so it would be clear that I want us to Tax (those who can best afford it) And Spend (with a wise and generous hand), but the longer acronym does not trip lightly off the tongue. So TASL it is.

One of my favorite lines of all times is from Kurt Vonnegut’s The Sirens of Titan. One of the characters, a guy named Unk, writes the following note to himself so he never forgets this all-important principle: “If the questions don’t make sense, neither will the answers.”

So, to put this discussion in the context of Unk's maxim: The question, “Which should we fund, education or health care?” doesn’t make sense. It's a false choice.We are a rich country. We can afford to fund both. The question, “Should we expand our schools’ Arts and Music programs or invest in English and Math education?” makes no sense either. If Art and Music are good for students, we need to figure out the best way to offer them, and spend what it takes to get there. Same with English, Math, Science, PE, and so on.

There’s an old adage, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” There’s another saying that goes something like, “When you buy something cheap, you usually get what you pay for.”

This Tax-And-Spend-Liberal want to do education well, and that means we can’t do it on the cheap. We need to spend as much as it takes to get the job done.

Comments

[GOP Spartan]

Karl Marx is alive and well it seems. At least Mr. Safier has the guts to admit he aspires to fulfill the communist principle of “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” – Karl Marx, Communist Manifesto

Too bad the rest of his commie buddies don’t have the guts to admit their failures in life and to survive, need the government to confiscate the efforts and hard work of those that got off their butts and worked hard to succeed.

Or possibly the opposite is true and Mr, Safire is suffering some sort of guilt complex for having succeeded in life and wants the rest of us to share in his guilt by surrendering the fruits of our labor so he can feel better about himself.

What this country needs is not more communist aspirations, but some personal responsibility, initiative, and a little more Capitalist Ant and a lot less Commie Grasshopper.

[David Safier]

It's worse than you think, GOP Spartan. Far from suffering from a guilt complex and wanting to feel better about myself by paying more taxes, I'm actually a retired teacher whose income is well below where anyone is proposing to raise or restore taxes. So I want others to pay, not me. Let Bill Gates, Ted Kennedy, Warren Buffett and John McCain shoulder the extra burden! (Oh, didn't you know that McCain is the seventh wealthiest member of the Senate, with assets between $20 million and $32 million? He may dress "Man of the people," but he lives very, very well).

And I want all my other middle and upper middle class brothers and sisters to realize that all of us can have better social services from the government without paying a penny. Don't let the Republicans fool you when they scream, "The Democrats want to raise your taxes!" The Democrats don't want to raise your taxes, unless you make lots of money.

That, GOP Spartan, is the true nature of my evil scheme. Bwah Ha Ha Ha!

[Mariana]

Those that "worked hard and succeded in life" need to employ a better educated work force in order to make more money for them. The rest of us just need better mechanics, bank tellers, plumbers...you got the idea.

[Screamin Conservative]

I appreciate your post. Yes, this conservative appreciates your honesty in identifying how you would pay for what any idiot can see should be a priority in this state and country. By GOP Spartan's definition anyone who pays taxes, pays a toll, or contributes to a charitable cause is a "commie". It's time to wake up and smell some "real" conservative coffee.

Very shortly our education system will be (if it is not already) a tangible threat to our ability to continue to lead the world. Don't forget that the advantages we are enjoying from the technological revolution was not (yes I said NOT) created by OUR educational system. It was created by men named Einstein, Oppenheimer and many others that came from a richer educational system - very often socialist or communist.

The very nature of public and private education that survives on property taxes or endowments is socialist - From each according to his ability, to each according to his deeds. And, frankly we have done rather well at this socialist educational construct at the college level since world war 2. It is no great mystery that top tier schools have the biggest endowments (Brown's $2.8 billion to Harvard's $34.9 billion). More money = more of the best of everything including quality of the students, professors, research etc.

So, the challenge is CLEARLY how to get more money into our educational system at the primary level. Either we freely give it as we do with universities or we tax to get it, but get it we must because if you hadn't noticed the oppenheimer's and Einstein's are not emigrating to this country like they once were, and China and India are training an army of intellectual giants.

Have you (GOP Spartan) spent any time recently in the graduate department of a major university. No need to check passports to know that our best and brightest are not home grown. And, many of the best foriegn students (Einsteins and Oppenheimers) are returning to thier countries of origin.

We need to inject more money into our educational system, but wait! Oh, I forgot we don't have any money we just gave over $500 billion dollars to the Iraqis in our failed attempt to get Bin Laden and we are running a huge deficit. I will take a tax and spend liberal over a "spend and overdraw republican" anyday. At least the money is going to support our eroding infrastructure. I wonder how many new bridges we built in Iraq today?