Post
Topic
Board Politics & Society
Re: Why are people scared of taxes?
by
myrkul
on 01/11/2012, 20:27:41 UTC
Fascinating.  In my country private schools will get almost the same amount from the government per pupil as public schools, provided they keep their fees at a reasonable level and comply with certain quality standards.  Same with private hospitals, btw.  They will get the same amount per patient as it would cost to heal them in a public hospital.  There is real competition between the private and public sectors in areas where the population is dense enough, for specialized services like heart surgery, and for boarding schools.  If the private sector can provide a better service at a lower cost, the private sector will win.  For some reason the private alternatives almost always cost more.  I.e. the sum of user payment and public refund is higher than the cost of the same in the public sector.
There seems to be a mistake in terms. If your "private" schools are getting government funding, they're not private schools. They're public schools that also charge their students. You see "real competition" between the "public" sector and the "private" sector, when, in fact, you don't have a private sector.
Yes, there are some schools which are run for profit, and don't want to keep their fees below the limits for public funding, or wants to have very different standards (not fulfilling all of the minimums, e.g. so their pupils will have to go an extra year to qualify for higher education).  A couple of those are popular among dropouts who want to pull themselves together and study intensively to qualify for higher education.
And yet, you refer to the faux-private schools, and not the actual ones.

And I did not even touch upon the quality of the service provided: Public schooling is widely acknowledged as being sub-par, but while everyone knows that private schooling is much better, only the wealthy can afford it.
Show me one country which is satisfied with their public school system.  This is a matter of basic psychology as well.  When you spend resources on something, you expect a reward.  People who pay for something are therefore more likely to feel rewarded afterwards than someone who get it for free. 
Seems like the best argument for a totally private school system I've heard yet.
No, it is an argument for sending your kids to an expensive private school.  Most of the effect vanishes when there is no free or much cheaper alternative.  Like taxes.
[citation needed]

Countries with a free public healthcare system spends half as much taxpayer money per capita for a much more effective system than there is in the USA.  Your "nearly crushing tax burden required" is half of what you pay for the system now.
That may be true. Certainly this half-public, half-private monstrosity needs to die. But of course, those other countries are not the US, and therefore have different demographics, and a smaller population, and are therefore a smaller burden on a healthcare system.
Many factors determine the cost of the health system, but public spending per capita is approximately the same all over Europe measured in % of GDP.  In the USA it is almost twice as much.  All are different countries with different demographics and population densities.
Those are all European countries. How's Canada doing?
In terms of USD corrected for purchasing power, Canada is on level with Europe.  Canada spends 55% of what the USA spends per capita.  Average life expectancy at birth is 81.38 years in Canada, 78.37 years in the USA.
All right. Now compare that to a 100% free market medical system (Hint, you'll have to go back a few decades).