Science and Religious belief

On Saturday, April 4, 2015 at 1:42:39 AM UTC-5, Quadibloc wrote:
On Friday, April 3, 2015 at 11:28:46 PM UTC-6, Chris L Peterson wrote:
On Fri, 3 Apr 2015 19:07:55 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

You are in favor of tyranny and mob rule, and restricting peoples' freedoms,
IOW a regression back to the middle ages. You think slavery is "normal."

I'm not in favor of any of these things, and I don't think slavery is
normal.

You just fail to understand what he means by the words he is saying.

A lot of people think it is normal for governments to collect taxes. But that means that some of the fruits of the work that people do are just taken from them.

And a lot of people think that if a majority of the voters want to enact, say, a minimum wage law, or limit child labor, or require companies to list ingredients and nutritional information on food packages, then they have the _right_ to do so!

So if you think that it's "normal" to have income tax, you think slavery is normal!

If you think the voters shouldn't be Constitutionally prevented from restricting what a businessman can do with his money, you're favoring a tyrannical form of mob rule!

So, you see, it's all about understanding the language he is speaking.

And he does have some valid points, even if, since the 1960s or so, his viewpoint has become alien to most people, _even_ in the United States. Actually, one could go back further... popular support for this kind of thinking underwent a rather precipitous decline in the years following 1929.

I wonder why.

John Savard

John Savard, you don't like paying taxes, Gov Brownback is your man.

"Two school districts in Kansas announced this week that the academic year would end early because they lack sufficient funding to keep the schools open.

Concordia Unified School District will finish up six days early, on May 15, and Twin Valley Unified School District will let students out 12 days early, on May 8, the Associated Press reports.

In March, Gov. Sam Brownback (R) signed a school funding overhaul, which resulted in the state's schools losing a combined $51 million meant to help them finish out the current academic year. Members of the Twin Valley school board cited "the present mid-year, unplanned financial cuts recently signed into law" as a reason for the early shutdown.

The school closures are just the latest in a series of drastic measures that Kansas public services have been forced to take in recent years, as Brownback's radical tax cuts have drained state coffers of much needed revenue. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, Kansas cut per-pupil spending by $950 from 2008 to 2014, more than all but two other states. In May 2014, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that school funding levels were unconstitutionally inequitable and ordered the immediate reversal of certain spending cuts."

On Sat, 4 Apr 2015 10:00:07 -0700 (PDT), Uncarollo2
wrote this crap:

On Saturday, April 4, 2015 at 1:42:39 AM UTC-5, Quadibloc wrote:
On Friday, April 3, 2015 at 11:28:46 PM UTC-6, Chris L Peterson wrote:
On Fri, 3 Apr 2015 19:07:55 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

You are in favor of tyranny and mob rule, and restricting peoples' freedoms,
IOW a regression back to the middle ages. You think slavery is "normal."

I'm not in favor of any of these things, and I don't think slavery is
normal.

You just fail to understand what he means by the words he is saying.

A lot of people think it is normal for governments to collect taxes.
But that means that some of the fruits of the work that people do
are just taken from them.

And he does have some valid points, even if, since the 1960s or so,
his viewpoint has become alien to most people, _even_ in the
United States. Actually, one could go back further... popular support
for this kind of thinking underwent a rather precipitous
decline in the years following 1929.

I wonder why.

John Savard

John Savard, you don't like paying taxes, Gov Brownback is your man.

"Two school districts in Kansas announced this week that the
academic year would end early because they lack sufficient
funding to keep the schools open.

Concordia Unified School District will finish up six days early, on May 15,
and Twin Valley Unified School District will let students out 12 days early,
on May 8, the Associated Press reports.

That doesn't make sense. The school budget is set many months in
advance. The teachers still have to be paid. And the utilities still
have to be paid. It sounds like crap to me.

This signature is now the ultimate
power in the universe

On Sun, 05 Apr 2015 11:38:21 -0400, Lord Vath
wrote:

"Two school districts in Kansas announced this week that the
academic year would end early because they lack sufficient
funding to keep the schools open.

Concordia Unified School District will finish up six days early, on May 15,
and Twin Valley Unified School District will let students out 12 days early,
on May 8, the Associated Press reports.

That doesn't make sense. The school budget is set many months in
advance. The teachers still have to be paid. And the utilities still
have to be paid. It sounds like crap to me.

In most places (maybe all) the budget is based on uncertain funding.
When we set our school budget, it is based on assumptions about our
per-pupil-funding, small enrollment supplement, and funding from
assorted grants and government programs. Any of these can end up being
different from projections. In addition, unanticipated expenses can
materialize during the year.

I have no idea what the circumstances are with these Kansas schools,
but it's certainly possible for a school to exceed its budget by the
end of the year, and have to take some kind of action, which might
include reducing instruction days. It happens all over the country.

On Sun, 05 Apr 2015 09:53:37 -0600, Chris L Peterson
wrote this crap:

On Sun, 05 Apr 2015 11:38:21 -0400, Lord Vath
wrote:

"Two school districts in Kansas announced this week that the
academic year would end early because they lack sufficient
funding to keep the schools open.

Concordia Unified School District will finish up six days early, on May 15,
and Twin Valley Unified School District will let students out 12 days early,
on May 8, the Associated Press reports.

That doesn't make sense. The school budget is set many months in
advance. The teachers still have to be paid. And the utilities still
have to be paid. It sounds like crap to me.

In most places (maybe all) the budget is based on uncertain funding.
When we set our school budget, it is based on assumptions about our
per-pupil-funding, small enrollment supplement, and funding from
assorted grants and government programs. Any of these can end up being
different from projections. In addition, unanticipated expenses can
materialize during the year.

I have no idea what the circumstances are with these Kansas schools,
but it's certainly possible for a school to exceed its budget by the
end of the year, and have to take some kind of action, which might
include reducing instruction days. It happens all over the country.

It's possible that the budget is exceeded. But the teachers still
have to be paid and the utilities still have to be paid. I think it's
senseless to close the school a few days early. If I was a member of
the PTA or school board I would advise against it.

This signature is now the ultimate
power in the universe

On Sat, 4 Apr 2015 09:54:33 -0700 (PDT), Uncarollo2
wrote this crap:

On Saturday, April 4, 2015 at 1:42:39 AM UTC-5, Quadibloc wrote:
" So if you think that it's "normal" to have income tax, you think slavery is normal! "

John Savard

I can turn this around on you. You are opposed to paying
for government services, our legal system, our common
defense, our infrastructure. Yes, nobody likes paying taxes,
but somebody has to pay. It is not slavery to pay for these
services which you indeed do use, whether you realize
or not. Your not paying taxes, if applied to everyone would
mean that you wish the government servants not getting
paid for their labors, and this could be called slavery, no?

The very definition of slavery is working for someone else who takes
your earnings.


This signature is now the ultimate
power in the universe

On Sun, 05 Apr 2015 12:31:15 -0400, Lord Vath
wrote:

It's possible that the budget is exceeded. But the teachers still
have to be paid and the utilities still have to be paid. I think it's
senseless to close the school a few days early. If I was a member of
the PTA or school board I would advise against it.

Teachers don't necessarily have to be paid. They typically operate
under contracts, but often those contracts allow for unpaid, enforced
leave. The cost of utilities is reduced if you don't have to operate
heating systems. Food and maintenance costs are reduced.
Transportation costs are reduced.

From an economic standpoint, it's impossible to say whether this makes
any sense or is just some kind of stunt. We don't have enough details.

On Sun, 05 Apr 2015 10:50:05 -0600, Chris L Peterson
wrote this crap:

On Sun, 05 Apr 2015 12:31:15 -0400, Lord Vath
wrote:

It's possible that the budget is exceeded. But the teachers still
have to be paid and the utilities still have to be paid. I think it's
senseless to close the school a few days early. If I was a member of
the PTA or school board I would advise against it.

Teachers don't necessarily have to be paid.

Don't tell them that.

They typically operate
under contracts, but often those contracts allow for unpaid, enforced
leave. The cost of utilities is reduced if you don't have to operate
heating systems.

In May?

Food and maintenance costs are reduced.

Those are paid at the state level.

Transportation costs are reduced.

Dittos.

From an economic standpoint, it's impossible to say whether this makes
any sense or is just some kind of stunt. We don't have enough details.

It's a stunt. Schools are always crying for more money.


This signature is now the ultimate
power in the universe

On Sun, 05 Apr 2015 12:58:35 -0400, Lord Vath
wrote:

Teachers don't necessarily have to be paid.

Don't tell them that.

If it's in their contracts, they know.

The cost of utilities is reduced if you don't have to operate
heating systems.

In May?

Here in Colorado our heating is often running in May. We can have snow
days in May. The same is true for other states, as well (including
Kansas).

Food and maintenance costs are reduced.

Those are paid at the state level.

Not at our school, they aren't. Maintenance and food are both standard
budget items, paid for out of the same pool as everything else. If we
have to repair a roof unexpectedly, it may cause us to exceed the
maintenance line item of our annual budget, meaning we dip into
contingency funds (revenue held over from previous years). If we were
less financially secure, it would mean not buying some books or
stopping bus service. In the extreme, it could mean canceling school
for a few days (although doing so would require us to have some longer
days to keep the instructional hours at their legal minimum).

Transportation costs are reduced.

Dittos.

See above.

From an economic standpoint, it's impossible to say whether this makes
any sense or is just some kind of stunt. We don't have enough details.

It's a stunt. Schools are always crying for more money.

I don't have enough information to make that assessment. But even if
it is a stunt, it's a reality that many schools are underfunded.

On Sun, 05 Apr 2015 11:28:55 -0600, Chris L Peterson
wrote this crap:

On Sun, 05 Apr 2015 12:58:35 -0400, Lord Vath
wrote:

Teachers don't necessarily have to be paid.

Don't tell them that.

If it's in their contracts, they know.

The cost of utilities is reduced if you don't have to operate
heating systems.

In May?

Here in Colorado our heating is often running in May. We can have snow
days in May. The same is true for other states, as well (including
Kansas).

They have to heat the buildings to keep the plumbing from bursting.

Food and maintenance costs are reduced.

Those are paid at the state level.

Not at our school, they aren't. Maintenance and food are both standard
budget items, paid for out of the same pool as everything else. If we
have to repair a roof unexpectedly, it may cause us to exceed the
maintenance line item of our annual budget, meaning we dip into
contingency funds (revenue held over from previous years). If we were
less financially secure, it would mean not buying some books or
stopping bus service. In the extreme, it could mean canceling school
for a few days (although doing so would require us to have some longer
days to keep the instructional hours at their legal minimum).

Transportation costs are reduced.

Dittos.

See above.

From an economic standpoint, it's impossible to say whether this makes
any sense or is just some kind of stunt. We don't have enough details.

It's a stunt. Schools are always crying for more money.

I don't have enough information to make that assessment. But even if
it is a stunt, it's a reality that many schools are underfunded.

It's a stunt. Schools are always crying out for more money.
Administrative people are paid over a hundred thou a year. I know
because some of them belong to my yacht club.


This signature is now the ultimate
power in the universe

On Sun, 05 Apr 2015 18:59:41 -0400, Lord Vath
wrote:

Here in Colorado our heating is often running in May. We can have snow
days in May. The same is true for other states, as well (including
Kansas).

They have to heat the buildings to keep the plumbing from bursting.

It takes days of temperatures well below freezing for that to be a
risk. That's unlikely to be an issue in May anywhere in the U.S. But
it can still be cool enough that you need to keep the heating running
during the day if the school is occupied.

It's a stunt. Schools are always crying out for more money.
Administrative people are paid over a hundred thou a year. I know
because some of them belong to my yacht club.

Nobody in our school is paid close to that. And I can tell you, it
takes very good financial management to keep operating with our
limited funding. It wouldn't take much to push the school into
insolvency- a couple of years with low enrollment, for example.