Re: Edited Edupage, 9 May 1996

[Doug Hughes <Doug.Hughes@Eng.Auburn.EDU>]

>
>OK, someone tell me why the END USERS don't pay for this!
>
>If a school wants to be wired, the local school board can pay for it (and
>the local taxpayers can vote for the millage increase).  If you don't think
>every five year old needs a net connection (maybe because you are afraid of
>them seeing nekkid ladies, or because you just think teachers should teach
>and not rely on technology to do their jobs for them), you can vote against
>spending the money.
>
>As for subsidizing rural customers, those people made a choice to live in a
>rural area, for whatever reason.  I see no reason to subsidize that choice.
>Unless of course they want to pay higher taxes to subsidize the costs for
>my living in the city.
>
>        Clay
>
>

I wouldn't normally respond to such an offtopic post, but this post is
so egregious I couldn't let it pass. Who says they make a choice to live
in rural areas? Do they also choose not to have enough money to pay
for shoes? So, because they live in a poor district they are not entitled
to the same level of education as a rich city suburb?  The illiteracy
rate in Alabama is 40%! This is just plain sick!  I don't think that
every school needs a net connection, I think they need better teachers. But
the statement that we shouldn't subsidize rural customers because they
CHOOSE to live there (even though some are poor and can't afford to live
anywhere else) is just plain fallacious. Just because you choose to live
in the city does not mean people always choose to live where they live.
Education is one thing (perhaps the only thing) that deserves to be
subsidized in this country. We're rapidly falling behind.
 I don't agree with the $10. I'd need convincing that every school
needs a net connection when the students can't read, but the tone of the
above message is callous, besides being wrong.



--
____________________________________________________________________________
Doug Hughes					Engineering Network Services
System/Net Admin  				Auburn University
			doug@eng.auburn.edu
		Pro is to Con as progress is to congress