Stop Wasting Tax Money on School Busses
Public School is a Privilege, Not a Right
I rode the bus in first grade, not second grade. I rode the bus in third grade, not in fourth grade. I rode the bus in fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth grade, but not in tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grades. So more than half of my public school years (7 out of 13 to be specific), I was a bus rider, while the other better years I either walked to school or drove my own car to get there. I am a high school graduate. I am an American citizen. I do NOT support school bussing.
In most big cities, there are not only school busses on the streets, but also public city busses mostly utilized by the citizens who don't have their own cars. I feel proud of and grateful to any city who provides public transportation (such as bus, cab, subway, or train) for the residents. I do not feel offended and I gladly suppport with my tax contributions the public transportation system. However, school busses are a burden to tax payers in so many detrimental ways, so I do not support the orange school bus. I say this as a former student, former teacher, and tax paying citizen.
Historically speaking, the school bus system entered the public education realm and the governmental budget because for a long time it was mandated that children attend some formal institution of education. It became a bigger burden after the 60's when diversity and inclusion were prioritized over healthcare costs and housing costs. So while someone's granny was getting beat up at an old crappy nursing home by an underpaid nurse, someone else's kid was riding the crappy orange school bus to get to go to Mrs. Jones 5th grade class and be included, all at the expense of the parent who was driving a crappy hoopty to her minimum wage job and to the single person who was riding the bus to get to his minimum wage job. When it was income tax time, the parent got to claim a nice deduction for having a kid, while the single person riding the city bus got no such deduction yet still was supporting the ugly, dangerous orange school bus with tax contributions.
I remember riding the ugly, dangerous orange school bus and it's quite unforgettable as an experience. If you think riding the city bus is difficult, then I imagine you've never had a ride on the ugly orange school bus. Those busses don't have air conditioning. The seats are made of some kind of industrial pleather. The windows only go down half-way if they are not jammed up. The bus seats over 20 children, and they get quite loud and rowdy while the bus driver is attempting to transport them "safely" to and from the school building. Elementary school children who are not bullies are in danger of intense bullying on the bus and the bus driver can not do a thing about it. High school students who would like to graduate without getting pregnant are also in danger of hazing and peer pressure on the ugly school bus. The bus driver (regardless of salary) is always in danger from the traffic on the road, from the mutiny that could occur from the riders, and from a lawsuit that could transpire from any set of parents who blame the driver and school for any negative incident that could occur to their precious child. Why would any tax payer want to support the school bussing system when it's the worst burden on the budget and is a threat to the education system more than any other threat?
Most schools are located near neighborhoods that contain children which means that most children can walk to school. If geographically speaking that is not the case, that doesn't make transportation of children the burden of the tax payer. I believe that education is a privilege, not a right. Home schooling has been acceptable for the past 20 years (or more) and private schools still exist. The burden of Education belongs to parents, not to tax payers. If you can't get your child to a school, then teach the child yourself. Get a free Bible from a local church, get a library card, and get a copy of the Constitution. That's all you really need. We (American citizens) don't need to increase our national deficit (currently at 1.7 Trillion) any further to support the ugly, dangerous, orange school bus. Obviously, the state lotteries (many who brag of financially supporting education) have done almost nothing to assist in the national deficit or in education in general.
Perhaps some busy bee mom or dad who appreciates the ugly orange bus is going to call this opinion "radical" and that's fine with me. I would love to see their solutions for bringing down our National Deficit. I'd also love to ask them why they think I should pay for their kid's ride to school. Are they going to pay for a new tire on my car because of the potholes that those ugly orange busses help to create? Are they going to lobby that tires are included in my car insurance coverage? I doubt it.
About the Creator
Shanon Angermeyer Norman
Gold, Published Poet at allpoetry.com since 2010. USF Grad, Class 2001.
Currently focusing here in VIVA and Challenges having been ECLECTIC in various communities. Upcoming explorations: ART, BOOK CLUB, FILTHY, PHOTOGRAPHY, and HORROR.
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India must balance cooperation with major powers while maintaining an independent foreign policy, ensuring that these naval movements do not inadvertently heighten regional tensions.A Turning Point at Sea The arrival of American, Russian, and allied warships in India is more than a headline—it is a reflection of shifting global power dynamics. The Indian Ocean is no longer a quiet backdrop to world affairs; it is a central stage where the future of global security is being negotiated. As these fleets dock, train, and depart, the world will be watching closely. What happens next may well shape the balance of power across oceans for years to come.
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Comments (2)
It's an interesting perspective that you have here. School is still considered mandatory in the US as far as I'm aware, which means that as long as the Gov Requires it, then they must also provide a "reliable" means of transportation. They would also probably argue that the reason we support kids is because they are the Future of the Economy - we support their growth, so that they can have better jobs, so that when you retire they can pay for your retirement. It kind of falls apart when retirement seems to be becoming non-existent, but that is the theory anyhow. If the Gov stopped buses, then parents would also want them to stop mandating attendance at schools, which then would arguably be reversing "progress" that has been made. This is made especially difficult when some kids would have to walk miles to get to their school. I would have been one of those kids - 5 miles, One Way. That would be a 10 mile trek daily to and from school, 5 days a week. Over half of that walk also would have been without Sidewalks. Not exactly "safe" and lots of time for things to go wrong with "less savory" folks that exist in the world, sadly. I also didn't have a Library Near Me, so walking to one would have put me in a similar boat. My mom was a single mother, so all of the burden of finances was solely on her. This is a bit of a rock and hard place. I will say that I think this would probably have very little impact on the national debt as a whole. I think there are other programs, that receive significantly more funding, that would be of more benefit. I think the largest issue is overall mismanagement of funds - money is given to programs that do not provide proof that they work, and are unquestioned. Most of the money ends up in the pockets of individuals, politicians get glory for "funding" those "causes" (which just funds pockets), and the people are too blind to the problems often because they have too many of their own problems to research/care. I don't know the solution, but what I do know is that it is going to take a lot of people to work together and digging out the corruption that currently exists.
The last time I saw the school bus (in Italy) I was 5 years old, then nothing more. In big cities there is public transport but for everyone else, make do! I don't have children, but perhaps in small towns where there are no public transport, a school bus at least until the age of 13-14 wouldn't be bad!