Vote No: Risk Is Dangerous |
For the People or For the Government?
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Accountability is a foundation that stands as the backbone of nearly every law concerning finances. To place the immense power of money distribution into a single judges hands- or even back into the legislature- provides us with no guarantee of money accountability. In addition, for many years the state has stood oblivious to its own law, which raises the question, "Will there be any true change if the power falls back into the legislature?" The answer, is no. Handing back the fate of a child's education to the legislature is a mistake, and clearly the "actions" the legislature is taking are ineffective. Yes, you could vote for 42, however that would take away your power to vote, and give it to one judge- that most likely isn't in your county. This one judge will make the decision of what is "best" for children, but what is "best" for one county is contrasting from another. Each county and every single school has different educational needs. One sole judge cannot make this adjudication, and this judge certainly cannot make the wrong one- which is voting yes for Initiative 42.
Risking a child's education to "take a chance" is erroneous and reckless. |
I agree that kids need a better education, but I don’t feel Initiative 42, or it’s alternate, are solutions.
Initiative 42 A does not have enough details. It simply says the legislature will provide effective free public schools. It does not specify how it will do that or where it will get the funds to do that. 42 A is so vague that a set cost was not even made. Initiative 42 is somewhat better, but it still needs more. It has a set value, but that value is $201,031,129. This means taxes in Mississippi will be raised, and even if education is more important than money, how can tax payers be sure that their money will be used properly? Not only will Initiative 42 take more money from the people it will also, take power from them. The decision will be left up to a judge from a county. I would advise all people to vote NO to both and start all over and make a better initiative with enough details to make people comfortable enough to want to vote for it. |
Vote no on Initiative 42 and 42AInitiative 42 and 42A are both bad news for Mississippi. While they both promise "the support of an adequate and efficient system of free public schools," neither of them mention funding. For initiative 42, a judge in Hinds county determines how every school in Mississippi will be supported. For initiative 42A, the legislature gets complete control of every school in Mississippi. Neither specify how the schools will be supported. They could take whatever measure they deem necessary to support the schools. Also, supporting every school in Mississippi requires money that we don't have. There needs to be a set budget and plan for any money used towards education. For initiative 42, the required amount for funding is $201,031,129... But where does that money come from? That's the problem. Also, spending that much money does not necessarily lead to more intelligent students. Yes, it gives them more resources to use towards learning; however, the money doesn't mean that the students will make better test grades or be more motivated to learn. It does, however, mean that $201,031,129 is pointless if there is no set budget plan towards the education system. Vote no for initiative 42 and 42A.
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Would I vote for 42?No, I would not vote for initiative 42 or 42a. Citizens do not know for sure that the money will go to educational purposes. The funding might go to the salaries of administrators, athletics, etc. In Mississippi, there are 148 districts so some districts might not be able to receive the adequate funds they need to improve their schools. Also, just because students receive funds and put it towards education, it does not ensure that students will gain intelligence or better their education with funds. 42 gives the choice of which district they should fund, to a chancery court, elected by citizens in Hinds County. while 42a gives the choice to the legislature. The chancery court in Hinds will not be aware of the problems this school district has compared to other districts. If the citizens vote for the Legislature on the other hand, this will give the government more control over the people's education and their funds. Yes, 42 offers a change in our current education system. Who is to say that it will work? Spending $201,031,129 on education without knowing how it will be spent, is not worth the risk.
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Vote No Initiative 42
In 1997, the Mississippi Adequate Education Program became an amendment in the Mississippi Constitution. This program is designed to fully fund the education system based on a variety of factors. In the last eighteen years, education has only been fully funded twice.
Initiative 42 is in debate to make it legal to sue the state if the educational system does not receive adequate funding. At first glance, Initiative 42 seems like an excellent solution to ensure that the education system will be funded properly. However, Initiative 42 is only required to establish, maintain and support funding for schools to secure that education is being fully funded; letting the citizens of Mississippi sue the state if this doesn’t happen. Which raises the question-What will this change if an amendment could not be followed correctly? Initiative 42 will not change anything except the amount of money that taxpayers will provide. Initiative 42 will escalate the power that the government holds; as well as, increase the taxes that will be required to fund this. Education decisions will be left up to a Jackson Judge which will take away the power of the people’s vote. |