Do you see it? I'm sure my regular readers see, it, but I'll spell it out for Republicans and casual passers-by: Never once does the letter ask if anything worthwhile is being done with the money or complain that the money will be wasted in graft, fraud and various forms of corruption (which it well may). No, their complaint is that old whine of the immature, "but what about my needs!?"If you live in North Dallas we urge you to VOTE NO for the 2008 DISD Bond Election.
The DISD Board has chosen to put a 1.3 billion dollar bond program on the table.
The taxes of an average $1.2 million dollar home in Preston Hollow will go up by at least $600 a year.
Why should we pay this when we can't use the schools?
Why should we pay this when the DISD won't announce what any of the schools in our area (Preston Hollow, Pershing, Kramer, Franklin, Hillcrest, Nathan Adams, Withers, Marsh, W.T. White) are going to get out of this bond package?
There are no specific line items for any of the above schools in the bond package even though Preston Hollow pays a majority of the DISD property taxes coming from residential property taxes. Why is the DISD short changing us? Our schools need plenty of upgrades, additional classrooms, etc... Our schools need to be given back to us the residents of Preston Hollow.
Drive by W.T. White and see for yourself how North Dallas has been left out of past bond programs and will be left out of this one also.
Drive by Kramer Elementary School and count the 25 plus portable buildings there. 95% of the students at Kramer come from the apartments behind the shopping center at Meadow and Central.
Why should we pay this to still see portable buildings at what should be our neighborhood schools?
Why should we pay this when less than 5% of the neighborhood kids actually use these schools?
VOTE NO! VOTE NO! VOTE NO!
The DISD needs a message from North Dallas and Preston Hollow Homeowners - and that message is we are tired of supporting all of the other kids in Dallas and not being able to use our schools.
For the unfamiliar, the neighborhoods in question are extremely well-to-do ones, and many of its children attend private schools. The elementary school mentioned is one that has been gerrymandered in such a way that the wealthy kids who still attend public school do not have mix with apartment kids.
And, as for distribution of funds, they're right, the schools they mention probably wont get much of the bond money. But then, the schools mentioned are also some of the better schools in the district, schools that were not neglected or abused over the decades of decline in the more southern areas of town. They dont really need more money (any more than any other school in town), though I daresay they could find a use for it (as could we all).
Speaking of money, how petty can someone's whining about the education of children get? How about this; whining over a $600 increase per year on a $1.2 million house. Now, by my general figuring (over the years, I've figured that you'll pay roughly 1% of purchase price), a mortgage payment on a $1.2 million house is about $12,000 per month1 (assuming that the wealthy buy houses the same way that ordinary folks do, which I doubt). A $600 a year increase breaks down to $50 per month, or about .4% of the monthly mortgage payment. They will pay more than that to fill the gas tank of their Expedition. Incidentally, assuming that the increase is proportional, the bond would cost the houses in my neighborhood (the unflipped ones, that is) about $75 dollars a year, or $6.25 a month.
So, time for a basic civics lesson, since that important subject is no longer taught in schools. You do not pay taxes in order to get stuff for yourself. If you want stuff for yourself, you buy it, which should be relatively easy for anyone living in a $1.2 million dollar house. Taxes are paid for the good of the whole society. Not just you, even though you may be paying a lot more than someone else who seems to recieve more "benefits".
You see, educating the whole public, making sure that they are all healthy, and all safe in their beds at night, and that they all have equal opportunities to take advantage of various government services, is good for everybody. One need only look to places like Mexico, where the wealthy must hire armed bodyguards and live in heavily secured compounds just to be left alone in their rarified privileged lives to see how true that idea is.
They say, "we are tired of supporting all of the other kids in Dallas", yet they are paying taxes to operate schools for everybody, and if their children arent "able" to use those schools, it's because their parents arent "able" to make themselves send their children to those schools (where they might mix with *gasp* poor, brown children2). A good system of public education is ultimately beneficial for society as a whole, which is then ultimately beneficial for the wealthy. But to appreciate that you need two things: The vision to see beyond the obvious ledger-book of short-term gain, and the maturity that leads one to compassionately see your fellow citizens as people who can enrich your life somehow if given the proper tools and opportunity. Call it "enlightened self-interest, if that makes you feel better.
But many Republicans cannot seem to see those things, nor can many Americans in general. It's all become about what we can get. No cooperation, no spirit of community, no sharing or caring. That is not what makes a nation. We've become a country of lone wolves, and we will surely be picked off one by one if we dont learn to operate as a pack again3.
It was forty-seven years ago that one of our own hero-presidents said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country".
I cant think of a clearer indication of how far we've fallen, unless maybe you go back another twenty-nine years.
1. A couple years ago, my landlord asked if I wanted to buy the house I rent; $12,000 is not even 10%, or a standard down payment
2. And NCLB with it's evil twin "accountability"
3. Yeah, I know, comparing the U.S. with wolves is not the best analogy (or is it?).
Addendum:
Somehow, someone at the Dallas Morning News found this post and linked to it, leading to the comments below. My response to those comments is above, in the next post.
6 comments:
I'm not sure which DISD elementary you are referring to as
"gerrymandered", but that is a ridiculous false statement. All PH schools have a diverse population, and it is not gerrymandered, it is
an honest to goodness neighborhood, with a little tweaking to make sure the seats are filled each year. Folks draw their "neighborhood" lines where they want to, but, surprise!, those black and brown folks live everywhere now, even in YOUR neighborhood, I'll bet.
Dave, I'm one of those Republicans that remember Goldwater and what he stood for. This other blogger absolutely makes me sick, especially since he is throwing around names of schools that he has NO affiliation with except to have purchased a home nearby.
Having been a former PTA President and active volunteer at several of the PH area schools, I would hate for anyone to get the impression that his poisoned attitude is in any way predominate with the families that have children that attend.
The parents who have sent their kids through public schools (when many neighbors chose private) are not conducting some social experiment, they see the valuable education that kids can get through their neighborhood school.
And we're proud, yes proud, that through our efforts we've been able to enhance all kids opportunities, not just our own. When a group of moms decided to start a cub scout troop, we didn't only include boys whose parents could volunteer, we wanted all the boys to benefit. When we built a playground at Kramer, we didn't want it to be only for the neighborhood kids, but for all kids in the area that didn't have a park nearby (including those that live in the apartments nearby).
I've heard much more protest about this NUT from within our group of parents, haven't heard one person defend him.
The truth here is that privates and suburbans (and their parents) WANT disd to fail. If disd succeeds, then why did they spend 300k for primary education or live in slake? Why did they build their fortress of educations? If DISD succeeds, where will privates get their 20,000/yr. And yes I am a public school parent whose children have received a great education (Multiple college AP credits with a 4.0) and have many friends across all flavors
First of all why is everyone bringing race into this?
Nothing about race was mentioned in that website -- www.disdbondlection2008.
What was stated is that the money should be spent around the district equally so that all children would benefit from the bond package not just a select few.
The problem is that the children in these north Dallas schools will still be going to school that need lots of work also, still be in over crowded situations, still be in portables, still going to bathrooms in "outhouses."
The money needs to be divided among the district equally.
In addition, if anyone has not noticed, the whites are now the minority. So the group that is stating to vote no unless their schools get additional classrooms and upgrades are our there to protect all the students of north Dallas, not just one race or to keep any race out.
We want all children of the district to be able to make a success of them.
Who said we are Republicans or even white.
In our neighborhood in north Dallas, there are whites, blacks, and hispanics living in houses that they own all in north Dallas.
It does not matter what color you are. What matters is that we all pay taxes and we are all paying taxes to the DISD and we expect that "our" schools in north Dallas the ones that whites, hispanics and blacks attend get the same treatment as the ones down south that the same type of students are attending.
What happened if all of the families that sent their kids to private school decided it was too expensive or not worth it, pulled them out and sent them to the DISD? The DISD would not even know what to do, much less handle all of those children.
The point of the Vote No website it that if the DISD can't get the bond package right to ease over crowding across the entire district and not just one section, then people should vote it down.
We would rather pay more taxes and have everyone benefited. Why would we want to pay more taxes even if we don't use the schools? Because we want our neighborhood schools, whoever might use them to have great facilities to go to school in which will help attract better teachers that want to be there to teach.
In addition, you must not know much about the lines that have been drawn for the schools. Go on the DISD website and look at the lines for Pershing. More than 95% of the students from Pershing come from north of Alpha Road even though Pershing is south of Royal Lane. That makes no sense. The lines are not gerrymandered. Gerrymandered lines would be if all the white kids in Preston Hollow were drawn into one school. That is not the case.
We went through the DISD schools. The DISD schools are not the same as when we went there, so we do know what we are talking about.
Until the DISD wants to be fair to all residents and students, then the bond package should be placed on hold or voted down.
When is Jack Lowe and the district going to be having town hall meetings about this bond package and what it will do for each school. When will there be something on the DISD Website about the upcoming Bond Election?
"When will there be something on the DISD Website about the upcoming Bond Election?"
Only when they feel they absolutely have to. That's a very paternalistic bunch downtown.
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