tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post5380901723702053765..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Levies Addressed in Times EditorialMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-25877010554076528472013-01-29T20:05:31.088-08:002013-01-29T20:05:31.088-08:00Yeah BUTTTT - the shortfall is a billion dollars e...Yeah BUTTTT - the shortfall is a billion dollars every year. $250 mill from the highest company in a good year doesn't even really dent it. Really, do we really want to tax R&D? That's the "perk". That's the only source of real jobs in the region. High tech is highly competitive. This author doesn't seem to understand that with his soak the rich rants. A few good years don't mean there will never be challenges for companies. Didn't we already lose nearly all R&D at Boeing? The idea that jobs won't leave the region is pretty short sighted. If we really wanted to tax something - what's wrong with taxing soda pop, junk food, beer, gas, etc??? Isn't that the basic proposal? It's pretty reasonable - tax lifestyle excesses, things that don't benefit us. AND protect jobs that our kids will actually need.<br /><br />ReaderAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-71457246254601730792013-01-29T08:16:26.916-08:002013-01-29T08:16:26.916-08:00Let's see...$250 million times how many years ...Let's see...$250 million times how many years of avoidance....the ethics of which we speak to our children about. Compound that amount of money with the millions spent each year on 'education reform' measures, such as the recent charter school bill which Microsoft donated numerous millions to. At the very least, some of the money that really should be 'coming into the state' could actually be used appropriately, that is, if it was there. Our family is already doing our part on our taxes, so you're right 'Reader', we don't want to pay more. I just think that those in a position to do what is ethically correct (even though they can legally 'avoid' doing so,) should do the right thing. There indeed would be more money to assist our children in our schools.<br /><br />A Year and a quarter to goAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-16765976642439300002013-01-29T08:06:29.681-08:002013-01-29T08:06:29.681-08:00Taxing companies simply shifts tax burden around -...Taxing companies simply shifts tax burden around - either to the customers, or to the employees who must accept smaller salaries, or to shareholders (like pension funds). So, the evilest of evil, Microsoft of course, "avoided" 250 million last year. We have a billion dollar education deficit. That barely puts a dent in it. It's the voters who have repeatedly said they don't wish to pay for anything. And that anything includes education. Look in the mirror for responsibility. WSDWG - you're a simpleton as usual.<br /><br />ReaderAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-36809578126971994412013-01-28T15:57:22.607-08:002013-01-28T15:57:22.607-08:00MW & All: Take a look at Brier Dudley's r...MW & All: Take a look at Brier Dudley's revealing article from today's Seattle Times <a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2020223102_briercolumn28xml.html" rel="nofollow">High-tech expects breaks while education funding suffers</a>. Can somebody please tell me why we continue to countenance such galling behavior from our local billionaires, instead of scolding and shaming them for their thankless, anti-social, unbridled greed? It's enough make me want to puke! Simply disgusting. WSDWGAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-62621626721556056662013-01-28T15:11:06.665-08:002013-01-28T15:11:06.665-08:00Charlie,
Thank you for your comments on this Time...Charlie,<br /><br />Thank you for your comments on this Times article! Though not a big supporter of the district at times, your tenacity to use data when making conclusions hopefully will be heard loud and clear.<br /><br />2 Weeks to go.......<br /><br />A friendAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-65252498102099119842013-01-28T11:46:20.351-08:002013-01-28T11:46:20.351-08:00McGinn came into office talking Big Talk about sch...McGinn came into office talking Big Talk about school takeover. He ended up doing nothing except focus on truancy. <br /><br />But Burgess, backed by the Ed Reform Industrial Complex might be a more frightening threat. The other candidates? Kate Martin ran for school board. Doubt she'd want the city to take over schools. The others? Who knows. But apparently Varner does as once again someone appears to be whispering in her ear.<br /><br />DistrictWatcherAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-14048640253397272822013-01-28T11:07:46.094-08:002013-01-28T11:07:46.094-08:00From Anonymous (give yourself a name next time):
...From Anonymous (give yourself a name next time):<br /><br />"I wonder if they will try to change state law to get rid of school boards? That would hopefully garner some attention and statewide debate."<br /><br />I doubt that as I don't believe the rest of the state would go for it. <br /><br />BUT would some legislators go to the Legislature to allow the City of Seattle to take over the schools? I absolutely think they would and given how Senator Tom thinks Seattle is the source of all problems for the state and his new "power", sure.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-70174937389997068982013-01-28T11:04:01.469-08:002013-01-28T11:04:01.469-08:00(My comments on this, re-posted from an older thre...<i>(My comments on this, re-posted from an older thread and the Times' Comments section):</i><br /><br />Here it comes, and so predictably: <b>the Seattle Times floats the discredited notion of mayoral control of the school district.</b><br /><br /><i>The district’s governance structure needs attention, which might take a change in state law. Many school districts, including New York City, operate more effectively and efficiently under the auspices of City Hall.</i><br /><br /><a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/editorials/2020216413_editorialseattleschoolsleviesxml.html" rel="nofollow">"Editorial: ‘Yes’ on Seattle Public Schools levies — with reservations"</a><br /><br />Once again, the Times is wrong. Mayoral control has NOT proven "effective" or "efficient" elsewhere in the country. What it has proven to be is undemocratic and unaccountable -- something the top-down corporate ed reformers like the Times' editorial board seem to prefer.<br /><br />New York as an example would be laughable if it weren't lamentable. To suggest that its Mayor For Life and at All Costs, Billionaire Bloomberg is an example worth replicating is disturbing.<br /><br />See: <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/education-secretary-duncan/ravitch-mayoral-control-means.html" rel="nofollow">Ravitch: Mayoral control means zero accountability</a><br /><br />An excerpt:<br /><br /><i>"The New York City version of mayoral control means that parents and the public have no voice. The shell of the central board is dominated by a majority of mayoral appointees, who approve whatever the mayor wants. On the one occasion when two of his appointees threatened to vote independently, they were fired on the spot." -- Diane Ravitch</i><br /><br />And in a further show of hypocrisy, did the Times ever suggest "reservations" about levies in recent years when its pet superintendents Goodloe-Johnson and Enfield were running up bills and scandals and state audits? I don't think so.<br /><br /> But here it is, taking aim again at the superintendent and school board majority it didn’t want, voters and democracy be damned.<br /><br />So, who among the mayoral candidates is most likely to collaborate on this undemocratic manoeuvre? Burgess comes to mind.suep.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17281578510716234624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-81522044520971198112013-01-28T11:00:20.237-08:002013-01-28T11:00:20.237-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-18031874225918049622013-01-28T10:14:49.941-08:002013-01-28T10:14:49.941-08:00I did have a snork at the piece in the SchoolsFirs...I did have a snork at the piece in the SchoolsFirst ad that said that all BEX III projects were completed on time and on budget. I'm not sure who was smoking what when they decided to bring that up. I understand change orders and how schedules and budgets change, but it's meaningless to say that every project met the schedule and budget at the end of the job. <br /><br />Still voting for it, still important, and the Times still has its collective head up its butt. Plus ca change, plus c'est le meme chose. Eric Bnoreply@blogger.com