Milwalkee riots

[A Theist]

In the state that I live schools aren't solely funded through just property taxes. The state also kicks in a good portion of the funding, although not as much as is received through property tax levies, but still a good portion. The federal government also kicks in a little money as well. In our school district better than 75% of its funding expenditures go to salaries and benefits packages for district employees. The rest of the 25% goes to various other expenditures. Very little left over for text books, computers, and other learning materials for the students. A few years ago our state offered matching funds for each district that passed a bond issue, which goes to building new schools and for maintenance and upkeep of its buildings. We also had an incident a few years back where a large school district  falsified student records to get more funding from the state. Needless to say the district superintendent and other district officials lost their jobs. Also in our state, if a student leaves the public school system and goes to a charter or private school, the school district which the student lives in still gets the money from property taxes, only the state money follows the student. That means the district is getting money for a student that doesn't attend its schools. Funding variables for schools are different from state to state in this country.

I'm sorry I wasn't able to reply earlier to this post; I was on my phone and cannot really deal with complex posts in such a limited medium.

You're absolutely right that funding does vary by state, but the fact is that the Federal government contributes less than 10% of the money -- 7% is the number I see most often. At the state level, the money is usually derived from sales taxes, and the state's contribution comes to about 46% (on average) of any particular school's funding. The rest comes from the local district. So you're right that property taxes aren't the only source, but it seems apparent to me that when 47% of your funding is set to such a widely-ranging variable, you're going to get inequities in funding no matter what.

As for how your local district spends its money, that is something for you locals to address; that is exactly the rationale behind having education controlled on the local level. I trust you attend school-board meetings and have your input into the matter? And if not, I trust that you vote for these very important down-ballot elections?

Not knowing where you live, and you having not given any reading material for the other stuff, I can't really address your points about bonds or per-student payouts. Thanks, though, for coloring in greater detail than I provided.

I've been a regular at our district's school board meetings. A few years back I led a fairly successful campaign effort against our district's school levy proposal that was on the ballot. I did quite a bit of research on how our schools were funded and where the money actually went. State boards of education should have the stats on funding, student population, etc on their web sites. Also, district's administrators will also answer any questions you may have. The district that was defrauding our state of funds was the Columbus City Schools District. There was a big shake up over that one.

[Athene]

I think you're a racist because because of the words you've chosen to post. I don't care if you're an immigrant or not; that has little to no bearing on one's capacity for fear, general disdain, or feelings of smug superiority.

Frankly, it's none of you business where I was born. More importantly, it's not relevant to the conversation at hand.
I reject your claim that your immigrant status somehow makes you an authority on issues surrounding the OP.

Sorry.

I think YOU are the racist, and others besides you. You are, along with others here are clearly narrow-minded and only see two colours, black and white, anything in between doesn't exist and this goes for the media too. You are not capable of seeing nuances. It is a good job you don't use photoshop.

What else would someone like you say? Seriously. 

I'm not surprised that you called me a racist; it's par for the course. Persons with your particular "issue" usually tend to project their shittier, less-than-stellar qualities onto others. I assume it's done in order for you to convince yourself that you're actually a great guy.

Do whatever you must to maintain that myth.

There are blacks who don't want to talk about racism anymore simply because they want to get on with their lives, just like other races do. Guess, what, they do get on with their lives, yes, they know racism exists, but as long as they are successful, they don't care or wish to know anymore about racism. I believe you have an expression for these people, "Uncle Tom." This is a crude word, and it shouldn't exist should a black person or any other race want to be successful in their work. The difference between me and you is that, I liked Martin Luther King, Arthur Ashe, Sammy Davis Junior, Miles Davis etc etc, simply because they worked hard to get where they were in spite of the racism they faced(which is worse than today), it pushed them to work hard to be successful.  If only a few from Compton would take a leaf out of their books, and stop blaming society for not having a chance in life because believe it or not, they do have that chance from birth i.e. going to Kindergarten etc, but then they choose to go another path simply because of peer pressure or street cred. I have the same opinion for those in England, the chav population (majority are white) who just drink, who are just anti-social and display typical yobbish behaviour.

Note: Please refrain from claiming to know my thoughts regarding the individuals who you deemed fit to make your Acceptable Negro list; I'm positive that I've never mentioned any of them, anywhere, on any of these forums. 

If you could bothered to entertain the possibility of me being a human being who's capable of forming my owns thoughts and opinions, you'd probably come to learn that I would actually consider the type of individual who achieves personal success and doesn't wish to care or know about the mistreatment of others to be a garden-variety asshole, and that I would regard anyone of any race or subgroup who excessively seeks to gain the acceptance of those who continually oppress/demean/dehumanize them as an "Uncle Tom".

How's that for nuance?

There are also many, many hardworking, black Americans, who are self-reliant, achieve levels of personal success and move on with their lives  every day without feeling compelled to shut the fuck up and ignore injustice; I'm one of them. The  fact that you insist on pressing this false dilemma in which American blacks only choose between leading life as it's portrayed in Boyz in the Hood/Straight Outta Compton OR turning a blind eye, staying forever silent, and never, ever daring to challenge racial injustice really doesn't go too far in supporting the assertion that you aren't a racist douche. 

Would you like to guess why?

Five "stupid American" dollars says you can't.

[Cato]

Thena's last comment brought to mind the organization in the link, "100 Black Men of America".

http://www.100blackmen.org/mission.aspx

A fine organization that works hard to empower those in communities that this thread is addressing.

[paulpablo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX51VkEn24M

[RobertE]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX51VkEn24M

Brilliant video and well-worth sharing. Typical response to a upstanding policeman like him would be "he is an Uncle Tom. Anyway, you point a gun at an officer, you get wasted, end of story. I am not going to shed tears for someone who initiated it. The most important thing that he said for me was about those who just want things to be normal, they are the real victims in this. I don't care whether you are black, white, Chinese, Japanese, Korean or whatever, the real problem is the United States in itself with its gun laws. Take them away and they might just be able to become more civilised like some European countries. Until then, it is still the wild west where guns rule, where people don't have the intelligence to think things through and talk.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Typical response to a upstanding policeman like him would be "he is an Uncle Tom.

"Typical"? Let's see your numbers; don't appeal to "well, everyone knows."

Bullshit, that's what this is; this is you trying to get in a shot at anyone who doesn't agree with you, by sticking words in their mouths. Stick to your own views, and let others define their own. Anything otherwise looks an awful lot like strawmanning.

[RobertE]

Typical response to a upstanding policeman like him would be "he is an Uncle Tom.

"Typical"? Let's see your numbers; don't appeal to "well, everyone knows."

Bullshit, that's what this is; this is you trying to get in a shot at anyone who doesn't agree with you, by sticking words in their mouths. Stick to your own views, and let others define their own. Anything otherwise looks an awful lot like strawmanning.

I am not talking about here am I? I am talking about over there. I mean, it is not the first time, look at Herman Cain and the way black people think he is a sell-out. In fact, looking at his particular background, he comes from a family who had to work hard, where a family unit exists. Unlike today, where the paternal part of the family is usually out and busting a nut with some other and so the cycle continues, more single mothers, where a child doesn't even know who is father is.

[RobertE]

I think YOU are the racist, and others besides you. You are, along with others here are clearly narrow-minded and only see two colours, black and white, anything in between doesn't exist and this goes for the media too. You are not capable of seeing nuances. It is a good job you don't use photoshop.

What else would someone like you say? Seriously. 

I'm not surprised that you called me a racist; it's par for the course. Persons with your particular "issue" usually tend to project their shittier, less-than-stellar qualities onto others. I assume it's done in order for you to convince yourself that you're actually a great guy.

Do whatever you must to maintain that myth.

There are blacks who don't want to talk about racism anymore simply because they want to get on with their lives, just like other races do. Guess, what, they do get on with their lives, yes, they know racism exists, but as long as they are successful, they don't care or wish to know anymore about racism. I believe you have an expression for these people, "Uncle Tom." This is a crude word, and it shouldn't exist should a black person or any other race want to be successful in their work. The difference between me and you is that, I liked Martin Luther King, Arthur Ashe, Sammy Davis Junior, Miles Davis etc etc, simply because they worked hard to get where they were in spite of the racism they faced(which is worse than today), it pushed them to work hard to be successful.  If only a few from Compton would take a leaf out of their books, and stop blaming society for not having a chance in life because believe it or not, they do have that chance from birth i.e. going to Kindergarten etc, but then they choose to go another path simply because of peer pressure or street cred. I have the same opinion for those in England, the chav population (majority are white) who just drink, who are just anti-social and display typical yobbish behaviour.

Note: Please refrain from claiming to know my thoughts regarding the individuals who you deemed fit to make your Acceptable Negro list; I'm positive that I've never mentioned any of them, anywhere, on any of these forums. 

If you could bothered to entertain the possibility of me being a human being who's capable of forming my owns thoughts and opinions, you'd probably come to learn that I would actually consider the type of individual who achieves personal success and doesn't wish to care or know about the mistreatment of others to be a garden-variety asshole, and that I would regard anyone of any race or subgroup who excessively seeks to gain the acceptance of those who continually oppress/demean/dehumanize them as an "Uncle Tom".

How's that for nuance?

There are also many, many hardworking, black Americans, who are self-reliant, achieve levels of personal success and move on with their lives  every day without feeling compelled to shut the fuck up and ignore injustice; I'm one of them. The  fact that you insist on pressing this false dilemma in which American blacks only choose between leading life as it's portrayed in Boyz in the Hood/Straight Outta Compton OR turning a blind eye, staying forever silent, and never, ever daring to challenge racial injustice really doesn't go too far in supporting the assertion that you aren't a racist douche. 

Would you like to guess why?

Five "stupid American" dollars says you can't.

Very important point indeed. Let us face it, in the United States, mistreatment is only for the minority and a specific minority. You need to realise that mistreatment of others again is something UNIQUE to the United States. If you were to come out of your bubble and look at the mistreatment of others in South America, Africa, Asia, the middle East, Australasia and Oceania, then you might actually say something along the lines like "well hey, I didn't realise that problems exist outside of the United States." Again, I say to you that you are culturally ignorant of other people that exist in the world today apart from two races; black and white.

[rexbeccarox]

What else would someone like you say? Seriously. 

I'm not surprised that you called me a racist; it's par for the course. Persons with your particular "issue" usually tend to project their shittier, less-than-stellar qualities onto others. I assume it's done in order for you to convince yourself that you're actually a great guy.

Do whatever you must to maintain that myth.


Note: Please refrain from claiming to know my thoughts regarding the individuals who you deemed fit to make your Acceptable Negro list; I'm positive that I've never mentioned any of them, anywhere, on any of these forums. 

If you could bothered to entertain the possibility of me being a human being who's capable of forming my owns thoughts and opinions, you'd probably come to learn that I would actually consider the type of individual who achieves personal success and doesn't wish to care or know about the mistreatment of others to be a garden-variety asshole, and that I would regard anyone of any race or subgroup who excessively seeks to gain the acceptance of those who continually oppress/demean/dehumanize them as an "Uncle Tom".

How's that for nuance?

There are also many, many hardworking, black Americans, who are self-reliant, achieve levels of personal success and move on with their lives  every day without feeling compelled to shut the fuck up and ignore injustice; I'm one of them. The  fact that you insist on pressing this false dilemma in which American blacks only choose between leading life as it's portrayed in Boyz in the Hood/Straight Outta Compton OR turning a blind eye, staying forever silent, and never, ever daring to challenge racial injustice really doesn't go too far in supporting the assertion that you aren't a racist douche. 

Would you like to guess why?

Five "stupid American" dollars says you can't.

Very important point indeed. Let us face it, in the United States, mistreatment is only for the minority and a specific minority. You need to realise that mistreatment of others again is something UNIQUE to the United States. If you were to come out of your bubble and look at the mistreatment of others in South America, Africa, Asia, the middle East, Australasia and Oceania, then you might actually say something along the lines like "well hey, I didn't realise that problems exist outside of the United States." Again, I say to you that you are culturally ignorant of other people that exist in the world today apart from two races; black and white.

Wow. You have a lot of nerve. You call others culturally ignorant, and then build entire straw armies. Irony doesn't even begin to touch the surface here.

[RobertE]

This is a great forum. Over the last few weeks, it seems that if you have an opinion, not just bella or Paul and perhaps others; that is not acceptable, the whole community comes down on you like a ton of bricks. I have some advice for you, you will need to welcome other peoples opinions, regardless if you like them or don't like them. The bottom line is this, you criticise religious forums for being so narrow-minded and NOT allowing you to have an opinion, yet at the same time, this forum is going the same way as religious forums are i.e. you are wrong, your opinion is not accepted here, you are an idiot, you are a moron, you are a douche, that's bullshit etc etc etc. Well, give it time, this forum will become one of those religious ones, but from an atheistic point of view. If your point of view isn't accepted, then you are not welcome.

Wow. You have a lot of nerve. You call others culturally ignorant, and then build entire straw armies. Irony doesn't even begin to touch the surface here.

You are culturally ignorant. The Americans are culturally ignorant and I stand by that claim regardless of how you want to take it. Thank God for Europe its rich multi-cultural heritage. With you guys, it is black and white and sod everyone else in between. You are culturally ignorant and arrogant because I have seen Americans come over to France and their language skills are non-existant, where they think everyone speaks English. It is arrogant. I have seen yoghurts with more culture.