Public Schools

Some people argue that those who do not send their children to public schools should not have to fund these schools through taxes, since neither parents nor children benefit from these schools. They ignore the fact that everyone benefits from the strong economy that a well-educated populace generates.

The argument that everyone should be forced to fund public schools is more compelling. The government realized that the survival of our economy depended on several key factors, with education being one of them. If the decision to fund or not to fund public schools were left to American citizens, most Americans would simply choose not to pay and use these funds for other personal needs they would consider priorities. Unfortunately, a lack of financial support for the public schools would cause more harm than good and yield a negative domino effect for our economy: A shortage of financial support for public schools would result in fewer schools. This effect would cause overcrowding in other public schools. This would also cause a shortage of jobs for teachers and a shortage of students. A shortage of jobs for teachers would cause a rise in the unemployment rate. If students are not in school to participate in educational activities, then some of these students will most definitely involve themselves in activities which call for unwarranted behavior. The price for this unwarranted behavior would be court trials and students' lives in prison. And through their taxes, Americans bear the brunt of the payment for court trials and prisons. Americans pay more for court trials and prisons than public schools through taxes. In the end, it is more beneficial to pay for public schools through taxes, whereby children have hope for a prosperous future and teachers have jobs.