There Ain't No Such Thing As Free Extracurricular Activities
12 February 2008
Editor, Washington Post
1150 15th St., NW
Washington, DC 20071
Dear Editor:
A contradiction mars Lisa Lombardozzi's opposition to Fairfax County Public Schools' plan to reduce its budget deficit by charging parents for their children's participation in extracurricular activities (Letters, February 12). Her expressed resistance to new school fees "imposed on already overburdened taxpayers" unintentionally highlights the justification for the proposal. Fairfax parents are indeed overburdened taxpayers. IF the Schools continue offering extracurricular activities, these must be paid for either directly by Fairfax families in the form of fees, or indirectly in the form of taxes.
Either way, Fairfax's overburdened taxpayers cannot escape this burden. Payment in the form of fees at least focuses the costs of such programs on the families that benefit most from them.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Editor, Washington Post
1150 15th St., NW
Washington, DC 20071
Dear Editor:
A contradiction mars Lisa Lombardozzi's opposition to Fairfax County Public Schools' plan to reduce its budget deficit by charging parents for their children's participation in extracurricular activities (Letters, February 12). Her expressed resistance to new school fees "imposed on already overburdened taxpayers" unintentionally highlights the justification for the proposal. Fairfax parents are indeed overburdened taxpayers. IF the Schools continue offering extracurricular activities, these must be paid for either directly by Fairfax families in the form of fees, or indirectly in the form of taxes.
Either way, Fairfax's overburdened taxpayers cannot escape this burden. Payment in the form of fees at least focuses the costs of such programs on the families that benefit most from them.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Posted by Don Boudreaux on
Tuesday July 1, 2008 at 6:31am