3/24/06: The Regular Guys: Primary Education Rules - Stay Out of the Mud
Today the Regular Guys discuss primary elections, particularly those held in Illinois this past week. There are many political lessons to be drawn from this important "choosing day." Listen and respond to their questions regarding voter turnout and the use of the latest ballot technology.
Primary Education Rules: Stay Out of the Mud.
Note: Even the Regular Guys need a break. This is to inform you that the Regular Guys and their daily blog CitizenU will be taking the next week off. They will be coming back stronger than ever on April 3.
posted by CitizenU @ 7:44 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
I'm not as concerned about the candidates in the primary as I am about some of the other choices voters had to make this past "Choosing Day". The District 96 tax reform was a big issue where I live. After the two new schools were built, our district had to pay off the debt. But, now that the debt is paid off, the district wants to keep the tax increase that they had to pay for the schools and add more to it. The additional money that the schools get from the taxes is going to give teachers an enormous raise. And because there was not a high enough voter turn out, people in our district will be paying this tax for many years to come. The only possible plus side, is that we will have the highest paid teachers in Lake County. But you can be the judge of that.
Peace,
Stevo
Actually, Stevo, I was there that day as an election judge, so I read the tax referendum. Firstly, the tax increase is 2.59%, and is planned to cover the next decade in rising expenses- a ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Without the increase in tax, things like the arts would have to be cut. And no, the teachers will not become the highest paid in Lake County (that's Stevenson :P)- the 4.8 million dollars, if divided among all of the teachers in district 96 would amount to a very small pay raise- like a Christmas bonus. No, instead, the money goes to continue funding classes and buying supplies and books and lunches.
Voter turnout in the districts that had the 96 Referendum on the ballot had an average of 26.69% voter turnout- marginally higher than the rest of Illinois and the rest of Lake County. The referendum passed 2,246 votes against 1,681 votes. That's a winning majority of 57.19%. Referendums always create higher voter turnout, because the results are usually tangible in some fashion to the voter.
The referendum passed because hundreds of volunteers got out among the people and told them to vote. If you're upset because the tax passed and people made "poor" choices, then get off your tuchus around November and go out and tell people how to vote! All you have to do is propose a referendum to lower the tax if it bothers you so much. That's the beauty of democracy- it's run by the people.
As long as I live, I will never understand how people can send their children to public school, and then vote against increasing funding to better that school or maintain its status quo. It's the equivalent of buying a car and then refusing to pay for gas because it's too expensive. It simply doesn't make sense. Public school is public school because all major decisions are made in public by the people. That's democracy.
kudos for that excellently informed comment, paul...
now, I just have to share, because I just found a theory relating math to voting... and I thought I might as well plague you all with it, considering plenty of people get a laugh out of my excitement every time I mishear "map section" as "math section" on our tests.
Go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrow's_impossibility_theorem
or just find Arrow's Impossibility Theorem on wikipedia.
Either a good argument for a two-party system, or a better one for run-offs like in France -- I'm not sure which.
or dictatorship, trickey, let's not forget that one!
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