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Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to donate $120M to needy Bay Area schools

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21–30 of 74 posts

Re: Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to donate $120M to needy Bay Area schools

#21
post #13

From a Scandinavian point of view this seems like such a detour. Why wait for billionaires to be so kind of fund schools when you could tax wealth and fund public and universal education? Why do the American people chose this way time after time?

The US has public and universal education.

Just at a standard which would make many former soviet states cringe.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to donate $120M to needy Bay Area schools

#22
post #13

From a Scandinavian point of view this seems like such a detour. Why wait for billionaires to be so kind of fund schools when you could tax wealth and fund public and universal education? Why do the American people chose this way time after time?

Because you don't have to rely on a political apparatus to spend the money wisely.

By the way, nobody has to wait for billionaires anywhere, if you want to help out in education, get up and do it.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to donate $120M to needy Bay Area schools

#23

In light of this announcement, it's worth reading the New Yorker's fantastic piece exploring how Zuckerberg's previous $100 million investment into the Newark public school fared. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/05/19/140519fa_fact_...

Amazing that the money is all gone (or committed) with a large chunk being spent on consultants billing "a thousand dollars a day."

It gives me more appreciation for Bill Gate's approach, which seems much more cautious, albeit slow.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to donate $120M to needy Bay Area schools

#24
post #22
post #13

From a Scandinavian point of view this seems like such a detour. Why wait for billionaires to be so kind of fund schools when you could tax wealth and fund public and universal education? Why do the American people chose this way time after time?

Because you don't have to rely on a political apparatus to spend the money wisely. By the way, nobody has to wait for billionaires anywhere, if you want to help out in education, get up and do it.

By the way, nobody has to wait for billionaires anywhere, if you want to help out in education, get up and do it.

That is so obviously not the point. Education needs a bunch of investment in teachers, buildings and equipment, and your volunteering is going to make minimal difference to that.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to donate $120M to needy Bay Area schools

#25
post #13

From a Scandinavian point of view this seems like such a detour. Why wait for billionaires to be so kind of fund schools when you could tax wealth and fund public and universal education? Why do the American people chose this way time after time?

Americans spend over $14k/kid on education already, more than Sweden which is below $12k, and almost twice the OECD average.[1] I'm guessing that all developed countries have already reached a point of diminishing returns in their spending on education.

The reason money from billionaires is interesting is because it's less limited by the regulations. It can be spent in ways public money cannot be used. It didn't work in Newark though, as others in the thread pointed out.

[1] http://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/48630868....

Re: Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to donate $120M to needy Bay Area schools

#26
post #13

From a Scandinavian point of view this seems like such a detour. Why wait for billionaires to be so kind of fund schools when you could tax wealth and fund public and universal education? Why do the American people chose this way time after time?

Why such a huge accent put on taxing wealthy people?

Large portion of tax already goes into public education. Money is never enough, thus someone donating more money to education never hurts. But I fail to see connection between 'if we need more money, tax all those wealthy citizens'.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to donate $120M to needy Bay Area schools

#27
This is about as wateful as spending 3 billion on SnapChat! I haven't read the stipulations, if any, but feel most of it will be fretted away on administration. I never thought Mark was a brilliant person, and still believe he stole every original thought since he stole Facebook from the spoiled boys. Only in America? Yes--at a certain point--the rich do not know how to spend money. I'm for a government that taxes their money. If they don't like it move to Ireland. Yes--I know they moved, but when I'm president--when Ireland is attacked they would not be able to look to their home country for help. Sorry--but you wanted the divorce Deare.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to donate $120M to needy Bay Area schools

#28
post #13

From a Scandinavian point of view this seems like such a detour. Why wait for billionaires to be so kind of fund schools when you could tax wealth and fund public and universal education? Why do the American people chose this way time after time?

(Fellow European here) Because: - Obama is a socialist - Trickle-down economics is the only thing that works - Taxing wealth is hating the rich (so basically being a nazi) - Taxing the wealthy doesn't give them a tax cut like donating money to schools or charities does - Because taxing job creators just encourages the moochers and takers (Rinse and repeat ad nauseam until it becomes a way of life)

I think people didn't get that your comment was a caricature / ironic.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to donate $120M to needy Bay Area schools

#29
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because you don't have to rely on a political apparatus to spend the money wisely. By the way, nobody has to wait for billionaires anywhere, if you want to help out in education, get up and do it.

By the way, nobody has to wait for billionaires anywhere, if you want to help out in education, get up and do it. That is so obviously not the point. Education needs a bunch of investment in teachers, buildings and equipment, and your volunteering is going to make minimal difference to that.

Salman Kahn would beg to differ.

Anyways, you can also donate money to a educational institution yourself.

Re: Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to donate $120M to needy Bay Area schools

#30
post #13

From a Scandinavian point of view this seems like such a detour. Why wait for billionaires to be so kind of fund schools when you could tax wealth and fund public and universal education? Why do the American people chose this way time after time?

Because that would be SOCIALISM! /s
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