September 9, 2004

• The following is a response to a comment left on my last blog. I really love the comments people leave, especially the ones that make me think about why I believe the things I believe. I appreciate the clarifying experience that brings. This is only a response, not an attack, and hopefully it is offered as respectfully as the comment was offered.
  
  The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America
  
  We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
  
  Article I, Section 8, Clause 1, The Constitution of the United States of America
  
  Clause 1: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
  
  The above is why we should not have tax vouchers to pay for private school education or for any other personal expense. Taxes are collected to provide tor the common good of the citizens. Tax money no longer belongs to the individual who paid the taxes. It is to be spent on services which benefit all and are available for all. People who choose other services, such as private schools, have the right to make that choice, but they also have the responsibility to pay for it.
  
  Private schools are chosen because they offer something that public schools do not offer but that the citizen making the choice wants. Often this is religious education. It may also be another special interest, such as an emphasis on fine arts or a program for highly gifted or talented students. In any case, private schools meet a need not present in the population as a whole.
  
  Public schools, on the other hand, serve the needs of all students. They “promote the general welfare” by making sure that every student has the opportunity to be educated and to become a self-sufficient citizen if that is possible. They provide basic education and usually offer exposure to athletics and the arts so that students can explore talents and interests in these areas. They prepare students for work or for post secondary education. All of this is very important if we are going to have productive citizens in the future.
  
  Public school education is available for everyone. It has a cost which must be paid. Choosing not to use the service does not excuse taxpayers from paying for it anymore than choosing not to use any other tax funded service excuses citizens from paying for it. For instance, I cannot demand movie vouchers for the tax dollars used to support the park system because I prefer movies as a form of recreation. That’s an absurd example, but hopefully it makes my point. If enough money was taken from the park system to pay for movie vouchers, we would no longer have parks because we would not be able to afford them.
  
  In a more frightening example, I cannot take the part of my taxes that pays for medicare and use it to pay for the part of my own health care not covered by my insurance, nor can I take the part of my taxes that pays for nursing home care for the elderly and use it to pay my mortgage. At present, I do not use those services, but I pay for them anyway, because at some point I may need them. It is also possible that I will never need them. But the services are there and they must be funded. Individuals cannot make decisions on how “their tax dollars” are spent because those tax dollars are no longer theirs. They belong to the collective citizenry of the United States to be used for the good of all. E Pluribus Unum.
  
  

  • 1:10 pm
  • 12 Comments