>"Of course, I'm not a big fan of this whole train of logic, because it tries to create (even if just implicitly) group classes that pay costs or receive benefits, and I dislike any world view that attributes costs and benefits on groups larger than an individual."
I respect that position. In general, I do too. I didn't mean to come off like that. I used the affirmative action comparison, because we are all familiar with it.
>"Are you asserting that entrance to state schools disproportionately helps whites? Affirmative action standards work to boost under qualified blacks and hispanics, and hold back qualified Asians. The net effect on whites is, if anything, a bit of a penalty."
So going back to my post, perhaps I should say that currently, residents of the state of Wisconsin, who happen to be white but could be any color, get into the University of Wisconsin with less qualification than let's say . . . the typical foreign student applicant. At the same time, the foreign student will pay more in tuition. Now affirmative action was the first familiar label in my head that could be used to describe such a system. There may be others, or we may want to come up with a more politically correct term for it to use during the course of the discussion.
Again, affirmative action was a comparison I used to provide context. I didn't assert that the affirmative action program at UW helps whites, just that the ADMISSIONS program at UW helps Wisconsin residents. Who happen to be white, but could be any color for the purposes of the discussion.
>"Are you asserting that whites, taken as a whole, get more dollar value out of state schools than they pay in taxes? If so, I'll assert that whites pay a higher percent of taxes than whites make up a percent of state school student bodies."
Again, I am not asserting that white people get more out than they put in. I am asserting that Wisconsin residents, "taken as a whole, get more dollar value out of state schools than they pay in taxes". Absolutely. The amount of money the state gives the University of Wisconsin is, by design, just a token amount. Enough to claim the University as public. So very few of your tax dollars actually end up at the University. For that small amount, tens of thousands of Wisconsin residents are, every year, given an education that anyone else would have to pay 3 to 4 times as much for. Surely you can see the asymmetry there. If there were no asymmetry, in fact, there would be no debate on going private.
I respect that position. In general, I do too. I didn't mean to come off like that. I used the affirmative action comparison, because we are all familiar with it.
>"Are you asserting that entrance to state schools disproportionately helps whites? Affirmative action standards work to boost under qualified blacks and hispanics, and hold back qualified Asians. The net effect on whites is, if anything, a bit of a penalty."
So going back to my post, perhaps I should say that currently, residents of the state of Wisconsin, who happen to be white but could be any color, get into the University of Wisconsin with less qualification than let's say . . . the typical foreign student applicant. At the same time, the foreign student will pay more in tuition. Now affirmative action was the first familiar label in my head that could be used to describe such a system. There may be others, or we may want to come up with a more politically correct term for it to use during the course of the discussion.
Again, affirmative action was a comparison I used to provide context. I didn't assert that the affirmative action program at UW helps whites, just that the ADMISSIONS program at UW helps Wisconsin residents. Who happen to be white, but could be any color for the purposes of the discussion.
>"Are you asserting that whites, taken as a whole, get more dollar value out of state schools than they pay in taxes? If so, I'll assert that whites pay a higher percent of taxes than whites make up a percent of state school student bodies."
Again, I am not asserting that white people get more out than they put in. I am asserting that Wisconsin residents, "taken as a whole, get more dollar value out of state schools than they pay in taxes". Absolutely. The amount of money the state gives the University of Wisconsin is, by design, just a token amount. Enough to claim the University as public. So very few of your tax dollars actually end up at the University. For that small amount, tens of thousands of Wisconsin residents are, every year, given an education that anyone else would have to pay 3 to 4 times as much for. Surely you can see the asymmetry there. If there were no asymmetry, in fact, there would be no debate on going private.