[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stvQcDE–gk&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
The vote NO people on ‘16′ and the Vote Yes people on M15 want you to know that their measures are ‘about the kids.’
I get tired of the bogus TV commercials that try to pull at our heart strings by telling us this is about our children.
‘16′ is about a poorly executed teacher bonus program by our governor and legislature. There have been studies across the nation on both sides that have proven that there isn’t enough evidence either way if these bonuses work (they work in some parts of the nation). But it doesn’t stop people on both sides of the issue claiming this program will either help or hurt our children. Whether it gets implemented or not, the only real beneficiary will be teachers, how this may ‘trickle down’ to the school kids of our state is still a mystery (those studies are all over the map to).
AND, let’s look at M15. The TV commercial has kids dancing in the streets because public education will finally be funded properly (at least for a few years until the legislature messes with it – remember the video lottery funding education proposal?) Of course M15 proponents don’t mention hospitals taking up to $85 million of that penny, or that they are the ones mostly funding marketing the benefits of M15.
Not sure what upsets me more. The blatant dishonesty of these campaigns or that they are propping up kids in their campaigns to manipulate public opinion? Either way, it’s kinda disgusting.
While most people are struggling to get by, raising a regressive tax on food and other needs won’t benefit our children ONE DAMN BIT. In fact, it may be more detrimental then anything. Dr. Homan, SF School District’s Super said a few years back that when there is inclement weather, she doesn’t like to have a late start because if they have a late start some of kids in the district may not get breakfast (because they are not getting it at home). While the Avera’s and Sanford’s of the world are worried they are not getting ‘fully’ reimbursed for Medicaid (while dropping millions on advertising each year) there are kids in this state that have to go to school, or they go hungry.
Maybe instead of using children as a prop to raise our taxes, we should actually help the children of our state and properly fund education through the general fund and stop raising our taxes so corporations can get bailouts and refunds.