–Salary for attending school: 2nd paper

The debt hawks are to economics as the creationists are to biology.

In the post, Salary for attending school I suggested and discussed paying all students — elementary school, high school and college — a salary. Warren Mosler wrote to me, suggesting that a combination of salary and high school vouchers might be appropriate. Salary offers several advantages, which the earlier post described.

Additionally, vouchers might help make an otherwise unaffordable school, affordable. Beyond cost savings, the voucher adds a new dimension to school attendance. Depending on the size of the voucher, it can create competition among schools. Public high schools, being free, do not require a voucher . So would giving someone a school voucher encourage that person to select a private high school over a free public school? Does this “coupon” have the same psychological function as a retail coupon? (People are reluctant to “waste” a coupon).

And if a voucher does encourage private high school attendance, is this bad? What effect does this have on public schools? These questions have been debated for years, and I’m not sure if there has been resolution. Teachers’ unions oppose vouchers, but that is not a good measure, since teachers unions tend to oppose anything that hints of teacher evaluations. (Parents could use the vouchers to vote with their feet, regarding school quality.) “Cream skimming” is said to be a significant high school voucher problem, though that is said about any system allowing students to choose schools.

One thing I like about high school federal vouchers: The federal government, which never is cash strapped, would take some of the educational cost burden off state and local governments, which always are cash strapped. While I have questions about high school vouchers, I do propose federal funding of all elementary and high schools, with a continuation of local supervision.

This brings us to the possibility of college vouchers. For reasons clouded by history, elementary and high school education is free; college is not. There are state colleges, supported by tuition and state taxes, and private colleges, supported by tuition and donations. The federal colleges are military, i.e. West Point, and are funded by the federal government, with no tuition.

What, I wonder, would be the effect of federally funded, free colleges, comparable to the free elementary and high schools and comparable to the military colleges? What is the unique characteristic of the 12th grade, that makes it the last free grade? Why should the military schools be the only federally funded colleges? Why not continue to provide free public schooling through the 16th grade and beyond?

Again, I question vouchers, but instead I suggest federal funding of free universities, as one step toward providing additional advanced education to economic growth.

Many people claim U.S. education is in something of a crisis. New ideas are needed. My suggestions:
1. Pay a salary to all students (Salary for attending school)
2. Federal government support for elementary and high schools.
3. Federal government support of colleges.

What are your thoughts?

Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
http://www.rodgermitchell.com

No nation can tax itself into prosperity

–One step toward long-term economic growth: Government offer free college education

Mitchell’s laws:
●Those, who do not understand the differences between Monetary Sovereignty and monetary non-sovereignty, do not understand economics.
●The more federal budgets are cut and taxes increased, the weaker an economy becomes. .
Liberals think the purpose of government is to protect the poor and powerless from the rich and powerful. Conservatives think the purpose of government is to protect the rich and powerful from the poor and powerless.
●The single most important problem in economics is
the gap between rich and poor.
●Austerity is the government’s method for widening
the gap between rich and poor.
●Until the 99% understand the need for federal deficits, the upper 1% will rule.
To survive long term, a monetarily non-sovereign government must have a positive balance of payments.
●Everything in economics devolves to motive,
and the motive is the Gap.

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In SOLUTION FOR THE GAP, I suggested that the long-term solution for unemployment was not for the government to be the “employer of last resort,” as Modern Monetary Theory (aka neo-chartalism) suggests, but rather for the government to be the “educator of first resort.”

That is, the government should pay not only for elementary, middle and high school, but also for college and advanced degrees. Further, I suggest that the government pay a wage for college attendance, to encourage the impoverished who might otherwise have to decide between work and education.

Low skilled jobs are disappearing from the economy. (See the lists, below.) Those without an advanced education will be at an increasing disadvantage. Merely putting people to work in such jobs can indeed address a short-term money problem, but it can exacerbate future economic problems.

Someone earning a living wage as a Walmart greeter, may be less motivated or have less opportunity to attend college, and so forever be relegated to low-paying jobs or increasingly, no job at all.

While many people do not wish to attend, or do not have the aptitude for, college, the government should do everything possible to facilitate college attendance, as a way to prepare for the future economic growth of America.
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U.S. Department of Labor

The 30 occupations with the largest employment declines, 2008-18

Most significant source of postsecondary education: On the job training for all 30

Farmers and ranchers
Sewing machine operators
Order clerks
Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
File clerks
Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks
Telemarketers
Office and administrative support workers
Packers and packagers, hand
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers
Machine feeders and offbearers
Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers
Information and record clerks, all other
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders
Computer operators
Machinists
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
Miscellaneous agricultural workers
Data entry keyers
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
Switchboard operators, including answering service
Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service
Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators and tenders, metal and plastic
Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders
Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders
Postal service clerks
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders
Photographic processing machine operators
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The 30 fastest-growing occupations, 2008-18

Most significant source of postsecondary education See list:

Biomedical engineers: Bachelors degree
Network systems and data communications analysts: Bachelor’s degree
Home health aides: Short-term on-the-job training
Personal and home care aides: Short-term on-the-jobtraining
Financial examiners: Bachelor’s degree
Medical scientists, except epidemiologists: Doctoral degree
Physician assistants: Master’s degree
Skin care specialists: Postsecondary vocational award
Biochemists and biophysicists: Doctoral degree
Athletic trainers: Bachelor’s degree
Physical therapist aides: Short-term on-the-job training
Dental hygienists: Associate degree
Veterinary technologists and technicians: Associate degree
Dental assistants: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Computer software engineers, applications: Bachelor’s degree
Medical assistants: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Physical therapist assistants: Associate degree
Veterinarians: First professional degree
Self-enrichment education teachers: Work experience in a related occupation
Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation: Long-term on-the-job training
Occupational therapist aides: Short-term on-the-job training
Environmental engineers: Bachelor’s degree
Pharmacy technicians: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Computer software engineers, systems software: Bachelor’s degree
Survey researchers: Bachelor’s degree
Physical therapists: Master’s degree
Personal financial advisors: Bachelor’s degree
Environmental engineering technicians: Associate degree
Occupational therapist assistants: Associate degree
Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors: Postsecondary vocational award
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Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
http://www.rodgermitchell.com

No nation can tax itself into prosperity