Does more money mean better education?

This article by the NPRI talks about Nevada's pupil per teacher ratio. It explains how $83 million will be available to K-12 education in Nevada would decrease the ratio only by 1.4 students per class if all the money went to saving teachers who would be fired.

According to U.S. Department of Education figures, Nevada's pupil per teacher ratio was 18.3 in 2006-07. Losing 1,660 teachers, the ratio would rise to 19.7 — or just 1.4 additional students per teacher. Not exactly the end of the world.

Of course, all the money will not go to teachers. Almost 50% of the educational budget goes to administration so it stands to reason that 50% of the additional money will also go to administration.

However, according to this article, the pupil per teacher ratio doesn't have any effect on the education of the students.

I believe that we need to split the budget into administrative and teaching so that the legislature can have some control over the educational spending. We need to cut the administrative budget and put the money were it will do the most good. We need to start emphasising teaching.

The bailouts total

I received this statement in an email from a financial institution.

Two weeks ago, we noted the most recent estimate of the financial system bailout: Over $3.7 trillion. Mr. Geithner could have written a $264,000 check to each of the 14 million currently unemployed Americans for the same price.

I haven't varified the figures, but I felt that if we gave each homeowner a voucher for 20% of the mortgage on their home up to $150,000 good only for a mortgage modification, we could have reduced the real estate crisis and helped both the home owners and the banks.

Working against workers

An article by the NPRI written by Patrick R. Gibbons is about the Minimum Wage Law and its effect on unemployment. It states that,

Nevada's political leaders have only made the situation worse. The legislature kicked Nevadans while they were down with, yet again, a massive tax increase in 2009. Legislative leaders have also virtually destroyed what little economic confidence remained in the state by repeatedly talking up more tax increases and spending $250,000 on a dubious study to justify their hunger for a corporate income tax.

Nevada voters don't escape responsibility, either. They put a thoroughly destructive minimum-wage law in the state constitution by a voter initiative in 2006. Thus on July 1 of this year the state minimum wage increased to $8.25 an hour for laborers without health insurance.

In 2011, Nevada's political leaders will likely pass the largest tax increase in Nevada's history so that they can spend more money which they do not have.

Instead of raising taxes and spending money, we need to help businesses to grow to create jobs and stimulate the economy.

Employers 0, employees just getting welfare

This letter to the editor in the LVRJ, is about the extended unemployment payments. It states that,

There are jobs waiting to be filled, but far too many people who are receiving unemployment are not taking these jobs. Why, you ask? Because they get checks that are almost the same amount they can earn by actually working. Would you give up the money that the government is sending to you to stay home?

There is a lot of truth to this statement. I know at least 3 people that turned down jobs because they decided it was not worth working for the difference between what they would be paid and what they received from unemployment payments.

This letter also present these 4 facts.

First, it would be nice if members of our House delegation knew that "employers" pay for unemployment insurance, not employees.

Second, Nevada currently owes the U.S. government approximately $500 million that it has borrowed to make the current unemployment payments.

Third, before this past week's extension, Nevada's unemployed were receiving 99 weeks of benefits -- now it is 125 weeks. That is a staggering five weeks short of two-and-one-half years of unemployment benefits.

Fourth, next year the employers will be facing substantially increased unemployment tax rates in order to start repaying the government and the $90 million of interest that will be due on the borrowed money. These tax increases will keep businesses from hiring new employees

.

Now, I haven't checked these facts out for accuracy, but they are scary. I mean 500 million in debt. We had to cover an 800 million budget deficit last year and this wasn't included.

We are facing the largest tax increase in history in 2011 unless we make some drastic changes instead.

Harry's bringing home table scraps, not bacon

This letter to the editor in the Review Journal has some interesting facts about Harry Reid. I have not checked them out so I do not know how true they are.

It states that

Data from www. visualeconomics.com indicate that Nevada is 50th (out of 50 states) in federal tax allotments per state on a per capita basis. The place with the most tax allotments per capita is Washington, D.C., with $65,109. The state with the lowest federal tax allotments per capita is Nevada with $5,889.

Good thing that Harry Reid is so influential. Just think where Nevada would be without him. Nevada and the United States would probably be in better shape.

Review Jounal letter

This is a letter that I wrote to the Review Journal. It was published on Wednesday.

On Sunday, June 13th, in Glenn Cook’s commentary titled, ‘Ten races will decide everything’, he mentions a third party candidate in only one race. This omission is glaring because the third party candidates will affect several races.

In the District 9 Senate race where I am running as an Independent American Party candidate, only 25,320 votes were cast. There are 37,927 voters in that district who are registered INA, LIB, or other. Since I am the only other candidate in that race, there is a very good chance that the voters registered NP, INA, and other will vote for me instead of one of the other candidates.

If you are going to examine political races, you should do it thoroughly and include 3rd party candidates in your analysis so that the voters have all the facts on which to base a decision.

This year many voters are disgruntled and may vote for the 3rd party candidates. In fact, the Independent American Party is the fastest growing party in Nevada.

Tom Jones

Graduation time: Hold the celebration

This NPRI article about graduation is depressing. It states that

high school graduates earn, on average, at least 38 percent more money per week than do high school drop-outs — and, with even more education, income rises substantially. High school graduates also live healthier, longer lives on average, and are less likely to go to jail or live in poverty.

Of course, you would expect that graduates would do better than non graduates. However, the article continues with the bad news. It states

Unfortunately, graduation time in Nevada is not as cheerful as it should be. Sobering data from the National Center for Education Statistics puts the "Average Freshman Graduation Rate" in Nevada at 51.3 percent for the 2007-08 school year — worst in the nation and 23.6 points lower than the national average.

NCES also notes that the drop-out rate in Nevada is 5.1 percent — 24 percent higher than the national average. In 2007-08 alone, 6,170 Silver State students dropped out of high school. Many, per the statistics, are destined for poverty and crime.

It is time to take action and cut administration costs, demand that students learn the curriculum or they fail, divide the large school districts to provide local control, and to use a voucher system.