Animals
I visited the Dr. Phil message board on homeschooling again today. There is one poster that is convinced that all homeschoolers are on welfare and that SHE pays more taxes because she belongs to a dual income family then single income homeschooling families do. I can't help but wonder what the next (lie) misconception about homeschoolers will be?
I know zillions of homeschoolers, some online and some in the real world, none are on welfare. That doesn't mean there isn't a homeschooler somewhere in the world that is receiving government assistance, but they are in the minority and I sincerely doubt homeschooling is the reason they are receiving government assistance. In fact the only woman I know who is on welfare sends her children to public school! (Following the logic of the poster on Dr. Phil's Board I would then have to conclude that all women who send their children to public school are on welfare - we can all see how stupid that would be).
A certified public accountant that is also a homeschool mom tried to explain that a family's income tax is based on the income earned; not how many people earn it. The poster still didn't seem to get it; but I'll attempt a brief explanation here.
Family A, the husband and wife both work the husband earns $35k and the wife earns 15K, their combined income is $50K, they have two 2 kids so they can claim 4 deductions. They also get a tax credit for putting their kids in day care (so they will pay less in taxes then Family B).
Family B, the wife is a stay at home mom, the husband makes 50K, they have 2 kids so they can claim 4 deductions. Because they can't claim a tax credit for day care they will pay more in taxes then the dual income family A.
The poster then started whining about having to pay higher property taxes because of homeschoolers (I wonder what planet she lives on?). You pay property taxes based on the value of the property you own. It has nothing to do with how many people in the household work, or if they homeschool. After that inconvenient fact was pointed out to her she started bemoaning all the "deals" homeschoolers could take advantage of because they are home and she is stuck at work. According to her I can get my hair cut for less because I am able to go Monday through Friday during the day while she is working. I do wish someone would tell my hairdresser that. She also argued that she has to pay more in sales tax because she has to buy clothes for work (boo ho). Since sales tax is based on what you buy and every family pays the same percentage of tax it us up to each individual family to shop for bargains and decide if buying X is really worth the price you pay for it. It has nothing to do with rather you are a two income or single income family.
Then of course there is her ASSUMPTION that all homeschool moms are stay at home moms. I know some homeschool families where both parents work full time, I know other homeschool families where one parent works full time and the other works part time, I know one family where the mom works full time and the dad is the one who stays home with the kids, and I know one single mom who has a lucrative full time job and is able to homeschool because of it's flexibility.
Now I will get on my pet peeve the devaluing of homemaking and motherhood. If you pay someone to baby-sit your child it's a valuable service (working mom's even think they should get tax credits for it) but if your spouse does it, it has no value? If you pay someone to clean your home it's a valuable service, but if you spouse does it, it has no value? If you pay someone to cook your meals it's a valuable service, but if your spouse does it, it has no value? If you pay someone to mow your lawn it's a valuable service but if your spouse does it, it has no value? Why does something have value only if you pay a stranger to do it? At least some people are beginning to see the value of being a homemaker and stay at home mom. In Praise of Stay At Home Moms, is a thought-provoking piece that should be required reading for every stay at home mom basher.
- Death & Taxes
I found this neat website I thought I would share. Death and Taxes is a representational graph of the federal discretionary budget. The amount of money that is spent at the discretion of your elected representatives in Congress. Basically, your federal...
- Why Homeschooling Works ~ No Or Little Bureaucracy
Homeschool Parents/Teachers are able to pick out the curriculum and textbooks that best suits their children/students. Unlike the public school system where the teacher may have very little input into what textbooks will be used in their classroom. This...
- The Importance Of Independent Homeschooling
Many non-homeschoolers ask why homeschoolers who are doing a good job are opposed to stricter regulations regarding homeschooling. Here are some of the reasons. Homeschoolers have seen time and again how petty Department of Education Bureaucrats and Public...
- Stupid Comments Of Public School Jingoist
Lately I have read with amusement the comments on some blogs by non-homeschoolers bashing homeschooling. You would think if they were going to comment on another parents educational choice they would at least take the time to find out something about...
- Sheer Ignorance On Dr. Phil Board Astounds Me.
Before I get started on my own rant about that show, I wanted to recommend Valorie Delp's post Dr. Phil Doesn't Get Homeschooling, at Homeschool Families. And Why Homeschool also had an excellent post on "that show". Considering how negatively...
Animals
Some of the Posters On the Dr. Phil Board Have Dumb Ideas About Homeschoolers
I visited the Dr. Phil message board on homeschooling again today. There is one poster that is convinced that all homeschoolers are on welfare and that SHE pays more taxes because she belongs to a dual income family then single income homeschooling families do. I can't help but wonder what the next (lie) misconception about homeschoolers will be?
I know zillions of homeschoolers, some online and some in the real world, none are on welfare. That doesn't mean there isn't a homeschooler somewhere in the world that is receiving government assistance, but they are in the minority and I sincerely doubt homeschooling is the reason they are receiving government assistance. In fact the only woman I know who is on welfare sends her children to public school! (Following the logic of the poster on Dr. Phil's Board I would then have to conclude that all women who send their children to public school are on welfare - we can all see how stupid that would be).
A certified public accountant that is also a homeschool mom tried to explain that a family's income tax is based on the income earned; not how many people earn it. The poster still didn't seem to get it; but I'll attempt a brief explanation here.
Family A, the husband and wife both work the husband earns $35k and the wife earns 15K, their combined income is $50K, they have two 2 kids so they can claim 4 deductions. They also get a tax credit for putting their kids in day care (so they will pay less in taxes then Family B).
Family B, the wife is a stay at home mom, the husband makes 50K, they have 2 kids so they can claim 4 deductions. Because they can't claim a tax credit for day care they will pay more in taxes then the dual income family A.
The poster then started whining about having to pay higher property taxes because of homeschoolers (I wonder what planet she lives on?). You pay property taxes based on the value of the property you own. It has nothing to do with how many people in the household work, or if they homeschool. After that inconvenient fact was pointed out to her she started bemoaning all the "deals" homeschoolers could take advantage of because they are home and she is stuck at work. According to her I can get my hair cut for less because I am able to go Monday through Friday during the day while she is working. I do wish someone would tell my hairdresser that. She also argued that she has to pay more in sales tax because she has to buy clothes for work (boo ho). Since sales tax is based on what you buy and every family pays the same percentage of tax it us up to each individual family to shop for bargains and decide if buying X is really worth the price you pay for it. It has nothing to do with rather you are a two income or single income family.
Then of course there is her ASSUMPTION that all homeschool moms are stay at home moms. I know some homeschool families where both parents work full time, I know other homeschool families where one parent works full time and the other works part time, I know one family where the mom works full time and the dad is the one who stays home with the kids, and I know one single mom who has a lucrative full time job and is able to homeschool because of it's flexibility.
Now I will get on my pet peeve the devaluing of homemaking and motherhood. If you pay someone to baby-sit your child it's a valuable service (working mom's even think they should get tax credits for it) but if your spouse does it, it has no value? If you pay someone to clean your home it's a valuable service, but if you spouse does it, it has no value? If you pay someone to cook your meals it's a valuable service, but if your spouse does it, it has no value? If you pay someone to mow your lawn it's a valuable service but if your spouse does it, it has no value? Why does something have value only if you pay a stranger to do it? At least some people are beginning to see the value of being a homemaker and stay at home mom. In Praise of Stay At Home Moms, is a thought-provoking piece that should be required reading for every stay at home mom basher.
It's one of history's oldest questions: "What's a mother to do?" And, in this provocative new book, Mary Eberstadt of the Hoover Institution offers a simple and straightforward answer: stay home with the children. She has concluded that most of the problems of today's youngsters -- from biting toddlers to depressed middle-schoolers to out-of-control teenagers -- can be blamed on out-of-the-house moms and absentee dads. "Divorce and dual income, dual income and divorce," she writes. "The refrain hums like a mantra through the literature" of dysfunctional youth.It's astounding to me that in today's politically correct world they only two groups you can bash with impunity are stay at home moms and homeschoolers.
- Death & Taxes
I found this neat website I thought I would share. Death and Taxes is a representational graph of the federal discretionary budget. The amount of money that is spent at the discretion of your elected representatives in Congress. Basically, your federal...
- Why Homeschooling Works ~ No Or Little Bureaucracy
Homeschool Parents/Teachers are able to pick out the curriculum and textbooks that best suits their children/students. Unlike the public school system where the teacher may have very little input into what textbooks will be used in their classroom. This...
- The Importance Of Independent Homeschooling
Many non-homeschoolers ask why homeschoolers who are doing a good job are opposed to stricter regulations regarding homeschooling. Here are some of the reasons. Homeschoolers have seen time and again how petty Department of Education Bureaucrats and Public...
- Stupid Comments Of Public School Jingoist
Lately I have read with amusement the comments on some blogs by non-homeschoolers bashing homeschooling. You would think if they were going to comment on another parents educational choice they would at least take the time to find out something about...
- Sheer Ignorance On Dr. Phil Board Astounds Me.
Before I get started on my own rant about that show, I wanted to recommend Valorie Delp's post Dr. Phil Doesn't Get Homeschooling, at Homeschool Families. And Why Homeschool also had an excellent post on "that show". Considering how negatively...