Casino gambling's effect on education in Arizona

[DaBurglar]

I am always amazed when I hear about the financial condition of our NE states.    They have some of the highest tax rates in the country, they tax anything and everything and still can't balance the budget.  What on Earth do they do with all that money? 

The NE just gets a lot of attention, but it's problems are no different, or worse, than many other states....The worst are California and Illinois in terms of intractable, ongoing financial/budgetary catastrophe. But the northeast is still awful in general, and all of these states, and many others have the same core problems and issues, and it is not, NOT, entitlement or "giveaway" programs/spending, but RETIREMENT and PENSION imbalance and underfunding, simply because the states stopped adequately funding these obligations to keep Pace with the reality that all these many retirees are living way way longer than ever planned! Also, many of these pension plans (state workers, teachers etc.) were absurdly generous to begin with. I..

Other issues intertwined with this, like healthcare costs of the retirees combined with the Medicaid​ obligations for the population in general (I.e. non retirees) and all the other issues previously cited like fraud, theft and abuse plague all government's, at all levels!

But an aging, longer living population combined with absurdly costly healthcare is plaguing the entire country. Or I should say it's society's​ unwillingness to deal with this reality....

[paco13]

Don't forget all the double and triple dipping that goes on, the excessive accrued paid time off and the abuse of overtime which is paid based on daily hours instead of weekly like most private sector. Then they base the pensions on the income INCLUDING this OT which employees know to rack up as much as possible to inflate there pension. They can do this by swapping shifts with others so to get OT for working doubles but then each of them can take equal time off without losing the OT or using any of their PTO because there minimum hours for the week are still worked.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=DaBurglar]But an aging, longer living population combined with absurdly costly
healthcare is plaguing the entire country. Or I should say it's
society's​ unwillingness to deal with this reality....[/quote]I agree.  We knew about the baby boomer retirement issue years ago.  Unfortunately, our Social Security taxes were invested in government IOUs.  I'm not sure how to fix the health care issue, but I am well aware it's broken.  I don't see anyway to fix it other than universal health care.  My only hope is it doesn't come until after I'm gone.

[Tedlark]

I thought this discussion was about education? One would think that the aging, longer living populous no longer had a need for public education?

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=Tedlark]I thought this discussion was about education? One would think that the
aging, longer living populous no longer had a need for public education?[/quote]There is a correlation between an aging population and education.  In Florida, seniors are reluctant to have their taxes raised to pay for better schools.  Money from the lottery and casino gambling looks like an easy way to have someone else pay the bill.There are still many opportunities in America that do not require college or a IQ of 180.  Parents and teachers have been lead to believe their kids need an expensive degree to succeed.  This is pure bunk.  My wife has been selling houses to financially successful people for 16 years.  Most of these people aren't rocket scientists or surgeons.  Most are small business people who worked hard and used their heads.  What we need in America is more "life skills" education and less repetitious useless knowledge just so they can pass some test.   Lets spend more time matching kids with careers that someone actually needs and less time trying to make them all the same.   When you live in a country where kids with a college degree are waiting tables in a restaurant and you can't find a decent plumber or tile setter, something's wrong with the system.   I'm sure the guy who cuts my grass makes a lot more than $18 an hour.  I haven't asked him what school he went  to and I don't care.

[Tedlark]

Let's take a look at these kids with college degrees who are waiting tables in restaurants; what major are their degrees in?

I completely understand why a senior citizen (or any other taxpayer who is in a position to put more into the system via taxation than they get out of it) would not jump for joy at the thought of increased taxes for the public school system.

When lotteries and casino gambling revenue are strictly earmarked for public schooling but then are poached and dumped into the general state fund for other use, that is the problem. When school systems continue to spend like a bunch of drunken sailors (no offense to those who served in the navy) and give fat cat pensions and benefits to administrators, that is the problem. In Illinois there are MANY public school administrators who have pensions paying them well over $200,000.00 per year and this is at the grade school and high school level, not just at the college level.

So my point here is simple: if politicians leave their grubby hands off the lottery and casino money earmarked for education, not spend over their heads, cut state payrolls instead of continuing to add to the size of the public trough, things would be just a bit better for those senior citizen taxpayers and the rest of us.

[Onenickelmiracl]

I dont think people who just repeat the talking points they've been fed have any good ideas.

[Tedlark]

Me neither.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=Tedalrk]When lotteries and casino gambling revenue are strictly earmarked for
public schooling but then are poached and dumped into the general state
fund for other use, that is the problem.[/quote]That's exactly what happened in Florida. Good points all.  My degree is in herbology. 

[DaBurglar]

I dont think people who just repeat the talking points they've been fed have any good ideas.


Tell me the last time we you heard ANY politician, or any televised show, mention the ramifications of people living far longer on public policy and budgets? Or about the economic costs of a population that is over fifty percent overweight and thirty five percent obese?