I almost to the point....
 

... of saying "fuck it. You want smaller government, have it."

When you whine because it's not what you expected, go fuck yourself.

If private enterprise wants road to move their goods and employees, and for consumers to get to their places of business, they can make road themselves.

If you want protection, use your gun or get a dog.

If you have a dispute with your employer, neighbor, grocer, handle it yourself.

If you have 3 kids in school, send them to a private school and pay 3+ times what it would cost in public school, or home school them, and lose an income and your kids can be educated by an amateur.

If fracking poisons your drinking water, or toxic waste is spilled on your property, move.

If you get sick, go to your rabi.

Have fun. Imma move to Canada.

I feel ya, Spexx. As things around me break and deteriorate, and everything costs more and more and more, as everything seems to be a racket to squeeze one more penny out...I've about had it.

When you work your whole life and do better and better but you can't keep up with the cost of EVERYTHING, I've about had it.

I'd love to move to Canada. Apparently though, it ain't as easy as it sounds. Bet I could get a job there though.

*cue pseudo-patriots screaming: you don't like it? Then GO...we don't wantchoo here anyhow, you unamerican traitor.

...

counterpoint/devil's adv.

911 is a joke in many locations. You must take steps to protect yourself, period. It is part of your responsibility as a citizen.

This is great advice and I'm not sure why even the biggest of big gov advocate would suggest that neighborly disputes should be handled by government.

Actually public schooling, per child, is usually about twice the cost of private schooling. In Pennsylvania this became so embarrassing that the legislature once ordered the reported numbers of per-child spending to be cut by a third using accounting methods.

This also means that, if you are a fan of public schools, you should be very happy with the people who decide not to use them. They don't cut the budget just because Timmy doesn't show up. The rest of the pupils get that dough and a better teacher-student ratio.

In a teacher-student ratio of as little as 1:1. That turns out to work well:

...homeschoolers, on the average, out-performed their counterparts in the public schools by 30 to 37 percentile points in all subjects. A significant finding when analyzing the data for 8th graders was the evidence that homeschoolers who are homeschooled two or more years score substantially higher than students who have been homeschooled one year or less. source

And if global warming produced by coal and oil affects your planet, and you can't switch to a less dangerous fuel, move to Mars.

Sue. Li'l government advocates say handling such matters as property disputes is a more reliable way to prevent pollution. Of course the biggest polluters on the planet have always been in big-gov lands. When Poland was Communist the rivers were the worst in the world. Now, of all nations, China is the biggest polluter because the government is making the decisions. And the biggest polluter in the world? Not a corporation, it's the government of the USA, Department of Defense. source

I'm sure you meant China. The bigger government the better, right?

My out of pocket for three kids in school was about $6,000/year. Can you name a private school where it costs $6,000 for 3 kids?

That's in today's situation, where home schooling is a choice. I'll bet home schooled kids today are from households with at a least a college educated parent/teacher. Homeschooling will be the only option for low income families. Many many kids will be schooled by inadequately prepared parents.

No suing. That's government.

I think you would find many people very happy to not have to pay taxes for public schools. Once my own kids get through public school, why would I want to pay to educate somebody else's kids? Older citizens routinely vote against school bond proposals.

Some older citizens have $ troubles of their own, and so vote their own interest.
But others (like grandparents) are strong supporters of their schools.
So I wouldn't want to characterize them as "routinely against...".

Why would you want to pay to educate someone else's kids ?
How about because someone paid for your education, not just your parents.

This is my problem with corporations getting tax exemptions.
They want their educated employees, but they don't want to pay for the education.
Ummm... maybe not... maybe they do want dullards to pick their cotton.
.

The actual cost of educating your three kids was $39,615 ($13,205 each) source

In other words, you paid $6000 per year and the government paid another $33,615 per year.

Yes, there are many that are free. Free ones tend to be in worse-off areas because, naturally, if you have income people expect you to pay to your ability.

But just in non-Philly SEPA?

Private school is generally much cheaper K-8 than 9-12 BUT, if you were Catholic (just because it's easier to find those numbers), you could have sent them all to St Pius X in Broomall for K-8 for $7,750 and saved the government all that money.

The kids would have gotten a better education and the taxpayers a huge break, but hey! You saved like a thou per year!

Then if you wanted to continue to be considerate, you could have sent them to Cardinal O'Hara for $11,700 per year ($3900 each) for 9-12. That would have only saved government only $21,915 per year.

The joke's on you now, because as a taxpayer you will continue to spend money out of pocket every year to educate your neighbor's kids. And those little snots aren't learning shit.

That's small government, as opposed to your legislation-licenses-inspection big gov't approach.

This is a thread about big versus small government.

No, my community (up to and including the US) paid the rest.

Wouldn't be free for my kids.

"Catholic school" is "better education"? I don't think so, especially when they teach you that you aren't responsible for anything, the father figure in the sky that controls everything is.

It's my pleasure to contribute to the good of the community and the continued success of our great nation.

'Cause they're going to catholic school.;)

If someone does send their children to private school and
pays whatever tuition is charged, do they not still pay
the (property ?) taxes that support their public schools
... and all those little snots that are your neighbors ?

I paid for other people's children for approx 20 years.
I didn't think the joke was on me.
Why? Because the next generation was getting an education and was legally required to be shut up somewhere from 09.00-15.00 (approx) five days a week.

Why would anyone want the next generation to be poorly educated or completely uneducated and potentially free to roam the streets from age 5?! Truancy is already a problem for some children, but at least schools can work closely with local Councils thanks to minimise it.

I accept some children are home-schooled well. But as Spexx says, that's usually by educated parents, or at least in homes where parents can survive on one income. I shudder to think of the social divide that would be created by the withdrawal of free education.

But then the idea has always horrifed me, since I first came across it here.
I had no concept it was even an option in a developed country.

This religion is only a speck harder to believe than the religion of Spexxism, where you aren't responsible for anything, the government that controls everything is.

The Government that Governs Best is the Government that governs least. I don't know about you but I'd rather not have the G-Men controlling my life. Any program that promotes larger government should be thoroughly examined to see if it is a necessity.