Romney Wants Tax Help for Home Schooling (AP)

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Romney Wants Tax Help for Home Schooling

Wednesday November 7, 2007 6:01 PM

By SEANNA ADCOX

Associated Press Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Parents who home school
their children should get a tax credit to help
offset the expense of teaching, Republican
presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Wednesday.

“I also believe parents who are teaching their kids
at home, homeschoolers, deserve a break, and I've
asked for a tax credit to help parents in their
homes with the cost of being an at-home teacher,”
he said.

Romney supports giving parents more educational
options, through charter schools or vouchers, but
he said legislation should be done on a state level.

“I really hesitate to have the federal government
become too involved in local schools,” he said.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7058170,00.html

[acmavm]

1. Fine with me. As long as those getting the tax break have a

teaching degree. And aren't making any money for teaching at home.

[phantom power]

2. I have had enough.

I have had enough of this self-destructive trend where everybody thinks they should be able to pay taxes just on "the services they use." Stop the fucking madness.

Somewhere, Grover Norquist is smiling and rubbing his hands together, and muttering "excellennnnnnt."

[Drunken Irishman]

3. Romney was a big face of the Utah voucher fight and it went down in flames.

I received this flier the day before the election:



Oooh, scary liberals!

[Gormy Cuss]

4. Nope. They're opting out of a free, publicly funded system. Their choice.

If they can't afford to home school, they have the option to send the kids to that free school down the street.

And yes, there are times when home schooling is better for the child and the publicly funded school system should offer supports but that's as far as it should go with taxpayer assistance.

[BrklynLib at work]

5. Yep. Exactly. You choose not to attend the tax supported public school..then pay for your kids'

education yourself.

It is totally an attempt to undermine and destroy our public school system.

[AlCzervik]

9. my daughter goes to a private school, we get no tax break and thats ok.

that was our choice.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

6. Fuck Romney n/t

[Vickers]

7. I want a tax credit for this illegal war I don't support.

As long as we are picking and choosing what our taxes go toward and everything.

:eyes:

[JoDog]

8. OK, but only

if I get a tax credit for not having any children, and thus not adding to our local overcrowded and underfunded school district.

I didn't think so...

[bunnies]

15. you took the words right out of my mouth. n/t

[dbackjon]

16. Yup

And how about tax equalty for those of us denied the right to marry as well...

[Beaverhausen]

10. I'm reading a book about Mormons that is freaking me out

"Under the Banner of Heaven" by Jon Krakauer. The Mormons are wacked. Sorry, even those who aren't fundies.

[prole_for_peace]

14. that is a scary book isn't it?

i was thinking WTF? the whole time i read it.

[JoDog]

20. Incredibly informative

I was given that book as a gift, and it opened my eyes to what is being allowed to happen in our own country.

I have no problem with people following their religion so long as they are not hurting other people in the process. FLDS violates that. And many of the multiple-wives families are stealing money from you, me and the people of Utah and Arizona through welfare fraud. It must be stopped.

[Beaverhausen]

22. I know. I just don't see how they keep getting away with it

At least Warren Jeffs was recently convicted. Hopefully that will be the beginning of the end.

[TwilightGardener]

11. I don't have a problem with this, as long as the parents still have

to pay local property taxes for local public schools. Home-schooled kids keep the public-school classrooms a little less crowded--look at it that way!

[Gormy Cuss]

12. I pay property taxes for those schools and I don't have kids in those classrooms either.

I don't expect a rebate, just as I don't expect a rebate because I haven't called the police or fire department this year or made use of the public health clinics.

[JoDog]

21. Yes, but

What if one of the reasons that the parents decided to homeschool is to give their kids a religious education? While I don't have the numbers, I know that there is a good amount fundamentalists that homeschool their kids to get them out of the "ungodly" public schools (see "Jesus Camp"). Giving those people a tax credit would, in effect, be forcing the taxpayers to fund that religious instruction. Which is one of the reasons that I'm uncomfortable with private school vouchers. Personally, I think enough of my tax dollars go to religious tinged programs like abstinence-only sex ed.

[themaguffin]

13. We shouldn't pay for unqualified wingnuts to "teach" their kids

[LiberalFighter]

17. Expenses for what?

How will we know that expenses are solely for teaching purposes?

How will we know that there are any expenses?

[FredScuttle]

18. Fuck that

opting out of the public school system should not be rewarded with tax credits

[PurityOfEssence]

19. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..."

Ya see, these guys wrote this Constitution thing, and it didn't sell, so they tacked on these 10 guarantees called "The Bill of Rights" to line up enough support. The FIRST WORDS OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS WERE TO MAKE SURE NO LAWS WERE MADE ESTABLISHING RELIGION. (That doesn't mean a particular religion, either, that means the concept of religion itself.)

What people want to do on their own time and with their own money follows different restrictions, but this is pretty clear.

[DrDan]

23. I believe this is a state issue . . . not a federal one . . .