Wake up Call to Taxpayers

I was reading a document prepared by the Intelligent Community Forum that generated an aha moment for me.  The quote is:

“Education has cultural, social, spiritual and aesthetic value, but its most tangible value is in preparing a young person for work.  Unless that young person successfully crosses the last mile from school to work – work in a prospering local industry that pays a living wage – the years of schooling produce little pay off.”

The “aha” was in realizing that we, the tax payers, were the ones being taken when youth fail to matriculate and be prosperous.   We are paying for their education.  We actually have a vested interest in said education.  If it is not working, we have a right to investigate.  We then should get involved.  We should admonish and encourage youth to take advantage of it.  They are wasting our money if they do not graduate with the skills the community needs.  We should actually be incensed when they flaunt ignorance and attitude because we have paid for a product we are not getting.

We should also take this same attitude to the schools and parents.  What are you doing, what is not working, what are the barriers?  Why do I feel like my tax money is going into a bottomless pit?

Let me also indicate that taxpayers also include renters.  Most renters do not consider themselves property taxpayers, but I suspect that part of their rent includes the taxes on the property in which they live.  Although they do not get the official tax bill they are probably paying at least a portion of it while living in the community that is getting short changed. 

As taxpayers, we are paying twice if they fail to receive gainful employment because our tax dollars support many of the services they will need to survive – WIC, various social services, etc.  So as taxpayers, the outcomes are financially important to us.  Do we need to stop paying?  No, but we really do need to pay attention, voice our outrage, and demand a better return on our investments than we have been getting.

Lights Out

       Recently we had an area wide power outage (over 700,000 people without power) for at least four days.  It also happened when we had 100 degree weather and were in the middle of a drought.  I was not happy about losing all of my frozen and perishible foods, but on the other hand, I sort of enjoyed the time off.  I missed my air conditioner, but I had battery operated fans and lights so except for missing the Internet and a few tv shows, I was pretty content. I work in an air conditioned environment so for most of the day I was cool.  By the time I returned home, the temperature had dropped a little.  I could enjoy quiet time - literally since nothing was running in the background.  I could read, play cards, use my Fire for electronic games (recharge it the next day at work).  Talk on the phone (recharged at work as well).  Or I could sit in the backyard and contemplate nature while dinner cooked on the grill.  At night, I slept like a rock.  The windows were up and there was a breeze aided by the battery operated fans. And all in all it was really quiet.
       When we regained power, I took the opportunity to change.  I did not turn the TV on - I read a book.  I also used my time to finish some craft and other projects.  Things seem to be slower now that I have let go some of the creature comforts. 
      I thought it was amusing to listen to others complaining about the lack of things to do and how tough this was.  I grew up before there was air conditioning for the masses; when TV went off the air at 6 on Saturday and I think it was not even on Sunday. The Grocery store also closed at 6 on Saturday and nothing much was open on Sunday - a few restaurants, maybe but busninesses were closed.  Somehow we survived and had a really good time doing it. I am not saying let's go back in time, but I do think there are a few things to be learned from surviving the past.