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> People already pay for local schools (K-12), even if they have no children. Very rarely. Good schools attract paying parents with large families, leading to

> People already pay for local schools (K-12), even if they have no children. Very rarely. Good schools attract paying parents with large families, leading to a self-reinforcing effect and affecting property values so much that it's one of the search facets on property sites like Zillow. So really they pay for their children, usually. > They already pay for a local library, even if they never use it. This is a relic of when people did use libraries more. A lot of library systems are dying out with the excuse of "but we prefer Kindles". > They pay for a local fire department, even if their house never burns down. They pay for a local police station, even if they are never the victim of a crime. They do this more out of fear of avoiding viscerally life-threatening consequences. Somehow healthcare has assumed the status of not such a thing in the States. ----------- For what it's worth, I am strongly opposed to these viewpoints, but just stating that there is not as much self-contradiction there as you think.

boardwaalk 7y ago
What do you mean people “very rarely” pay for local schools? I pay over 50% of my local property taxes into the school district here. It’s roughly that much all over the city and all over any big city in my state; you can’t escape it. And it was about $2800 out of my pocket last year. And if you’re not paying this directly, it’s probably because you rent (and you’re getting passed on the cost) or it’s hidden in income taxes.
- quadrifoliate 7y ago
  > What do you mean people “very rarely” pay for local schools? I guess a nuanced version of what I mean is – they very rarely pay a lot for schools if they don't have children. Put another way, they do pay through the nose for schools if they do have children, which it sounds like you are doing. Of course there are exceptions to this. Maybe you live in a district with great schools and have no children, in which case you are paying for a great school with no direct way you can take advantage of the benefits. My point was that this situation is relatively rare; perhaps it wasn't expressed too well.
- deleted 7y ago
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boardwaalk 7y ago

What do you mean people “very rarely” pay for local schools? I pay over 50% of my local property taxes into the school district here. It’s roughly that much all over the city and all over any big city in my state; you can’t escape it. And it was about $2800 out of my pocket last year. And if you’re not paying this directly, it’s probably because you rent (and you’re getting passed on the cost) or it’s hidden in income taxes.

quadrifoliate 7y ago
> What do you mean people “very rarely” pay for local schools? I guess a nuanced version of what I mean is – they very rarely pay a lot for schools if they don't have children. Put another way, they do pay through the nose for schools if they do have children, which it sounds like you are doing. Of course there are exceptions to this. Maybe you live in a district with great schools and have no children, in which case you are paying for a great school with no direct way you can take advantage of the benefits. My point was that this situation is relatively rare; perhaps it wasn't expressed too well.
deleted 7y ago
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