The value of things (Debate)

Mon 15 May 2023, 22:34

Harriet - explain yourself...

Sat 13 May 2023, 17:50

An educated population can also make their own minds up about things like governments

Thu 11 May 2023, 10:12

Fantastic !  But was he perhaps exaggerating for effect ? Don't all the items he lists that we value so much feed directly into our wealth as a nation ?  If we are unhealthy, poorly educated and unhappy doesn't that impact directly and negatively on our Gross National Product?  

The message from our much valued Primary School told us that the increase in funding they have doesn't cover the increase in costs.  Most people seem to say they value education.  As a community we might be able to provide extra skills to support the staff and a little fund raising.  But I don't believe we can ever replace the value of professionally qualified staff, low pupil to teacher ratios, well maintained, comfortable and equipped buildings, etc.  I thought that was why we paid taxes and am happy to do so.  

Why does it not receive enough funds to meet their  basic needs ?  Isn't an educated population the most valuable resource a country can have ?  

Wed 10 May 2023, 15:18

It might be useful to recall what the late Robert F Kennedy said about Gross National Product, st the University of Kansas in March 1968:

Even if we act to erase material poverty, there is another greater task, it is to confront the poverty of satisfaction - purpose and dignity - that afflicts us all.

Too much and for too long, we seemed to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our Gross National Product, now, is over $800 billion dollars a year, but that Gross National Product - if we judge the United States of America by that - that Gross National Product counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for the people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwood and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and counts nuclear warheads and armored cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.

Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans.

If this is true here at home, so it is true elsewhere in world.

Mon 8 May 2023, 10:06

No volunteers then.  Conversations behind these published pages draw my attention to unpaid tax.  I have no idea why Labour are only focusing on NonDoms - they must be appealing to the xenophobic vote I suppose.

The Duke of Westminster paid £0 inheritance tax.  That must upset many local residents struggling with inheritance tax.  The thriving UK cash economy contributes to the UK's stated GDP wealth and yet pays no tax.  When earnings from prostitution and drug dealing were taken into account in the Governments accounts some estimates suggested our wealth increased by 5%.  But it didn't.

If we refuse to collect tax on our stated GDP wealth then we will always be poorer than we should be.  What would we like to do?  Increase our tax income from currently untaxed sources or reduce our stated wealth as a country?  

Sun 30 Apr 2023, 11:39

Thank you Nick.  I completely agree with your first paragraph.  There is an endless demand for volunteer services and a diminishing supply of younger healthy retirees.  Volunteers, carers, litter blitz teams etc. etc. all have a value and are not a 'free good' in so far as they choose how to allocate their time to worthy causes.

We all need to fund the state funded services we most value.  When the school was transferred out of local government management to a Limited Company, even if run under exempt charity status, it lost local control of its funding.  I have always viewed the transfer of schools to Academy Trusts as being the first stage in privatisation.    I see from the River Learning Trust accounts that there are now 3 tiers of Governance rather than the 2 that existed under local government control.

The Government (whosoever that is/may be) currently provides 90% of the Trust income with other bits of income coming from one-off grants made by the Government.  We are told in the paper that funding increases do not cover the increased costs of inflation in goods and services and the short term spike in energy costs.  

I was going to suggest that Charlbury with approximately 2,800 residents each stump up £10 now - that would be £28k which might have helped with the bills but a wee drop in the ocean of the total cost of running the Trust of 29 schools. 

So whilst valuable teacher support time will always help the children directly, and I am definitely not the person to provide it, I pay my taxes to provide state funded education.    Where is it?

Sat 29 Apr 2023, 23:21

Alice

 I presume your musings are prompted by the report  from the Governors of Charlbury School on the home page. Yes, schools need more money even if that means paying more tax but the key point in their excellent report is that the community (not just the  parents) should be more involved in the school and with the children. I know that there are many people who do help, for example with one to one reading but there many in Charlbury with knowledge and skills which would stimulate the imagination and inform the children in the Primary School. I don't think this a party political point.

I think I'm going to nominate you, Alice, as a school Governor. You'd be great.

Fri 28 Apr 2023, 13:46

Do we not value education any more?  Is there anyone out there who should be paying more tax, or must we seek a modern day Thomas Gifford to fund the school?