In the past few years I have witnessesed an exponential increase in the number of teachers begging for money from strangers. These teachers want to spend some money on a pet project, or a class trip, or get a projector, or a computer program, or for hundreds of legitimate reasons. But why do they need to beg? Shouldn't these teachers have money in the school budget for buying supplies? Why are teachers being directed to go to DonorsChoose.org when they approach their principal with an innovative way to educate their students? The answer: your school budgets are underfunded, and have been for years. The consequence: rich people get to feel really good about themselves, and the public fawns over them for their "generosity."
Please don't misinterpret my point; Steve Colbert deserves kudos for his generosity. His $800,000 will fund every school project in South Carolina.
Wait.
You mean it cost less than a million dollars to fund every special project in the state? If there was a state activity fund w/$800,000, there would be no need for donations in S.C.
According to the SC Dept of Ed. There are 727,186 public school students in S.C.
If the gov't set aside $1 per pupil for special projects, the people could have funded all those projects. Instead, the wealthy are under taxed, and saved considerably more than $800,000 when they paid less than their fair share.
So if you are going to be generous, be generous to a charity that should be a charity. A public school shouldn't be a charity. It is a public institution that should be funded by taxes, not charitable contributions.
