We also need to end the central banking system.Allowing a private central bank to control your currencies value is insane.

Reform of the Public Education system has always meant K-12 based on anything I have read. Looking at the current system, it has not been overhauled since its inception, which was designed around an agricultural economy not the later Industrial and now Technological Revolution we now live in.

You are correct that having just a high school education barely allows one to survive, but it is the foundation for later life that will allow someone to succeed. Our public education system must adapt to a 21st century economy if our future generations are to step up to be the leaders we will need them to be. But that will cost money and burdening a smaller subset of our taxpaying public to foot the bill is not going to allow that to occur.

I also agree that to believe that government will just come to the table with tax relief is a fools reality. It is up to us to use the voting booth to make necessary changes if we are to make headway towards a more equitable tax system and controlling spending. The latter is key to you & I keeping our precious little bits of cash in our pockets..not that of government.

You and I will have that opportunity in the upcoming conventions, probable primaries, and November general election to begin that process.

Things were not out of control back when our grandparents & parents went to school.Most were able to get a job right after high school.People in certain positions were not making over 100 grand a year with great health & pension benefits back than.

School should be year round, teacher tenure should be done away & unions should give more to help pay for the budgets.When this happens I would be more than willing to pay the same taxes as everyone.

You must live in some kind of dreamland thinking government will ever give any type of tax relief.Good luck with that one.

We can argue that teacher & administrative ‘unions’ have placed an unacceptable financial cost on all taxpayers with salaries some think are excessive and questioning the type of program being offered in our schools. But think about it. The average Connecticut teacher’s salary with 10 years’ experience is less than $60,000/year. Nationwide it is even lower. These are the people who are expected to not only teach our children, but have over time been ‘mandated’ to solve all the family issues our society has passed on to them due to one-parent families, both parents working, and other economic & societal changes that State Legislators have no idea how to solve.

We have all heard the argument that “our grandparents & their peers paid for our education, so now it is our turn to pay for the next generation.” That being said, we need to accept this responsibility or the long term effect on our local, state and federal governments may mean many more economic catastrophes like we are experiencing at this time.

The suggestion that we move to a “Pay-for-Play” type education system appears to ease the economic cost for some in the short-term, when it more likely will increase the overall tax burden to all as our schools will have to cut back on current educational programs and forego future enhancements pushing our educational system further towards the bottom of the list. I say this because if we assume that the cost of educating one child is approximately $10,000 when we all are paying…then wouldn’t the cost increase exponentially for those left to pay? We have to remember that the cost is the cost and that will not go down just because we shift who pays.

What will we do for those families who only have one child, never mind having more than one child, that are not financially capable of paying the cost of educating their children? Do we cast them aside or will it become necessary to create additional social programs (i.e. taxes), so that no child is left behind?

It is our turn to pay this forward remembering that this is “Public Education”.

If what GDP wants is tax relief, I suggest that we need to elect government leaders that support responsible government and programs that make sense.

I am the mother of Michael Peter Litwinka IV. I wanted to thank you for publishing this story to the public and promoting Michael’s road race. I’m hoping, with the help of the American Lung Association and Community helpers to spread asthma awareness so that no other parent or person will have to endure a tragedy of loosing a loved one to an asthma related death. I feel blessed to have such a supportive community, Respectfully, Norlean Litwinka

Using the “I don’t use it so I shouldn’t have to pay” logic, I shouldn’t have to pay FICA taxes because Social Security won’t have enough to pay me back when I’m ready to retire. Using that logic, I shouldn’t have to pay the portion of taxes that cover snow plowing in the town because I would choose not to go anywhere when it snows.

I for one would be proud if my tax contribution could help fund a world class educational system that produces young people that make the world (and the town) a better place.