Tax relief done the right way

This law is crap (1.00 / 1)

The tax code is already littered with special tax breaks like this.  It clutters the tax code and makes it more complicated than it needs to be.

And if schools were run right, teachers wouldn't have to pay for this stuff themselves in the first place!

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by: Buzzcut @ Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 08:51:50 AM CST

The tax code... (4.00 / 2)

...is littered with tax breaks like this for the big business community, too. If we got rid of those, we wouldn't need to have bills like this.

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by: Thomas @ Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 09:36:25 AM CST

[ Parent ]

That's an immature outlook... (1.00 / 1)

Thomas.  Just because some businesses get similar tax breaks doesn't justify ANYTHING, much less these tax breaks for teachers.

This is the same feel good crap Bill Clinton used to pull all the time.

Why not save our energy and fight to reform the entire tax system, getting rid of the corporate welfare and cleaning up the tax code?

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by: Buzzcut @ Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 13:35:01 PM CST

That was my point too -- (4.00 / 1)

Until there is enough political motivation to have a complete overhaul of the tax system, we are going to need these ad hoc fixes to smooth over the rough spots. I'm all for revisiting the corporate welfare system at the exact same time we re-examine our social welfare system, but I just don't see that happening in this political climate.

Unfortunate? Sure. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't do what we can to make things easier for working class families in the meantime.

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by: Thomas @ Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 13:59:29 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Teachers aren't "working class" (1.00 / 1)

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by: Buzzcut @ Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 14:07:48 PM CST

Not in the traditional sense... (0.00 / 0)

...but I would make the argument that the starting wages for most teachers, coupled with the debt many take on in the course of their education, places them in the same area of focus for lawmakers.

Even if you don't consider them the same thing, I think the argument applies to both. In fact, the plight of the middle class has been just as understated in the political discourse of the last half-decade.

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by: Thomas @ Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 14:53:26 PM CST

[ Parent ]

You have to be kidding me. (0.00 / 0)

Teachers are unionized.  They get cost of living increases every year.  They get district paid health care, district paid pensions.  They may start out low paid, but over time they become very well paid, for only 9 months of work.

Teachers are not working class.

Now, none of this is a defense of them having to buy their own school supplies.  That's just wrong.  But treating them as a special class that needs special tax breaks is also wrong.

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by: Buzzcut @ Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 15:16:45 PM CST

But why is this so wrong? (0.00 / 0)

As far as I am concerned teachers have the most important job in our country. Moreover, in the face of the quality teacher shortage our country faces, perhaps more incentive are neeeded to lure qualified candidates into the field. Nevertheless, my initial point in writing the post was that progressively speaking not all tax breaks are bad-- especially when a little forecite is thrown into the equation.

"The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all"
-John F. Kennedy

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by: RedhawkHoosier @ Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 15:28:57 PM CST

[ Parent ]

It's easy to argue against me... (0.00 / 0)

...when you keep putting words into my mouth.

I didn't say they are a protected class at all.

My argument is that under our current tax structure -- and our current approach to funding education -- there are certain segments of society who are suffering under what I consider an undue burden.

For teachers, that means they should get tax breaks if they are forced to spend their own money for school supplies they need in order to properly educate.

For the working class families, that means a different thing. For middle class families, a different thing altogether.

I don't buy that some teachers don't struggle to make ends meet, or in the least, don't receive just compensation.

At least we can agree that school systems should be able to properly fund classroom supplies?

(And speaking of complaining about education, would it kill IU to give me a reliable wireless connection on campus?)

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by: Thomas @ Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 15:36:25 PM CST

[ Parent ]