Hawaii voted near worst state to pay taxes

[ElysianWort]

Now here's a shocker.

https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news...taxes.html

Just saw on KITV yesterday afternoon.

I googled it and found a long list of websites showing Hawaii one of the most unfair states to pay taxes. For years and years.

[PaulW]

Are you the same EW who said he votes YES to yet more taxes in another thread?

[ElysianWort]

Why yes Paul, that is me. I too found the irony there.

That shows how desperately the kids and teachers need it in this state. Worst for taxes but I'll vote yes on that one despite.

However....Last night I heard that the con-am might be taken off the ballot.

[My 2 cents]

Con-am is a con-job. Bait and switch. Sold as "only taxing non-resident investment property owners" but it's not. Sold as "for the kids and teachers" but it's not.

DOE has plenty of money, but admin sucks it all up. They need to clean house, not sell us a con-job.

If it is taken off the ballot it will be because the truth of the con-job that it is has come out. But don't go to sleep. They will try again.

[PaulW]

So you'll vote for anything as long as "but it's for the children!" is attached to it?

[ElysianWort]

Hmmm. Well last night was the first time I actually thought about reconsidering and voting no instead of yes.

However, every 4 years I see the same thing: A bunch of teachers being eager about getting a new guv but just being disappointed after he/she is elected in and nothing changing as far as the state of our D.O.E. Lingle, Abercrombe, Cayetano, Ige, Arioshi, etc etc all puppets.

This con-am thing was advertised as a possible solution. Finally.
However it really would not surprise me if it IS just a con job and the money does not make it's way to the teachers and children.

It's disheartening. If this isn't it then what is? And when if ever?

[My 2 cents]

EW, your sympathies toward the teachers and children are shared by most, maybe all of us, I think. That's precisely the reason that those sympathies are preyed on. As pointed out on the other thread, charter schools are able to do a better job of educating with less money. DOE could do the same simply by cutting the fat. But they won't.

"It's disheartening. If this isn't it then what is? And when if ever?"

I think this sums up the entire disposition of every thread of this nature on PW.

[leilanidude]

However, every 4 years I see the same thing: A bunch of teachers being eager about getting a new guv but just being disappointed after he/she is elected in and nothing changing as far as the state of our D.O.E. Lingle, Abercrombe, Cayetano, Ige, Arioshi, etc etc all puppets.
-------------------
Please show me a year in which education received less money than the previous year?
We have given these people more money every single year and they have not produced any better results. It is time to simply tell them, NO. NO. NO.

[ElysianWort]

As pointed out on the other thread, charter schools are able to do a better job of educating with less money.

I may be changing my mind on the conam thing but this statement above is false.

With the exception of HAAS these schools are not able to do a better job educating. Have you been to these schools? They are horribly inadequate and under-equipped with deplorable spaces to teach and learn in (compared to most public schools). Deplorable meaning dilapidated buildings with very little resources for the students.
Kind of a make do attitude. Sure it works- but barely. Pitiful in my mind. I would never send my child to one. That and the charter schools often wind up being a place where lots of trouble-maker students go because they get expelled from public schools. HAAS again maybe an exception.

[My 2 cents]

I took the comment from the other thread at face value because nobody disputed it. Is it really a false statement? You are disputing it, but you are pointing to the buildings being of lesser quality, not the actual educating. It's the GPA of the students that will tell the story. I tend to believe that a good teacher can be successful in a shack, but the best accommodations in the world will not make a bad teacher into a good one.

"charter schools often wind up being a place where lots of trouble-maker students go because they get expelled from public schools."

The teachers I know say it's the opposite. The threshold for expulsion is much lower in the charter schools, allowing for trouble makers to be removed quickly and therefore making it easier for the others to learn. One of the reasons for their success. But this is here-say. Maybe someone with first hand experience can share.