I became incensed when I read the letter “Need a ‘baby tax'” (June 5) about how some people believe the elderly and others without children should be exempt from paying school taxes.
My parents were immigrants and didn't have much money when I went to school in the 1940s. If school taxes had not paid for my education and that of my siblings, we would not have learned to read and write. We would not be productive members of society.
Children in the “old country” at the time my parents immigrated couldn't go to school unless their families had money. My father worked very hard at low-paying, menial jobs. My father couldn't sign his name, but he was proud that his children were educated.
There are several teachers in our family and many of them are university professors. Without the opportunity of public education, they never could have achieved their goals.
My school tax dollars, and yours, enhance society. They keep people in school so they can better themselves.
Children are our future and educated children make for a better future. Please don't complain that it's unfair that you have to contribute to our educational system.
I'm quite sure that most of the people who complain have benefited from an education paid for by school taxes. It's likely they wouldn't have been able to receive that education without the benefit of others' taxes. How can you complain about something that greatly helped you as it helps countless others to create better lives and a better society?
Isabelle Gordon
Lower Burrell
