These fucking tariffs.
While still hanging over Canada's head, I don't get the fucking point. Trump got Canada to appoint a “fentanyl czar” and agree to launch a joint strike force to combat organized crime and money laundering. I'm pretty fucking sure, the USA could get Canada to do this with a friendly phone call. Other than to jerk off to other people's stress and make America look like shit, what was the fucking point?
I hope Canada is telling its businesses to look elsewhere for trading partners. I hope Canada bulks up their ports and stops looking south for any sort of partnership.
_______
Arizona has the biggest voucher program in the USA and the results are interesting. Charter schools dominate the list of best schools in the state, but they primarily seem to help those who were already doing fine.
The vouchers seem to be primarily subsidizing (wealthy) people who were already sending their kids to private schools. A 7K voucher towards a private school that costs 14K, leaves a 7K gap a lot of families can't fill. And, when vouchers are available, the schools often raise their prices.
Private schools don't have to bus students around. It is a lot easier to get to school when the local high school offers to pick you up than it is when you need to get their yourself.
This all adds up to the higher the income the more likely a family is to use a voucher.
https://www.propublica.org/article/arizona-school-vouchers-esa-private-schools#:~:text=A%20typical%20voucher%20from%20Arizona's,tuition%20and%20fees%2C%20ProPublica%20found.
The vouchers are a strain on the state's budget. In AZ, self-sufficient neighborhoods pay for school via local property taxes, the state only steps in areas that aren't self-sufficient. This means places like Scottsdale (a wealthy suburb) would get no help from the state, but when a wealthy parent takes their kid out of the school and uses a voucher, the state now has to foot the bill.
https://www.propublica.org/article/arizona-school-vouchers-budget-meltdownNot to mention, we as a society lose insight into whats going on in the schools. Private schools don't need make their performance metrics public.
Vouchers can be used an unaccredited schools. There is the issue of tax payer money going to religious institutions. This feels like a backdoor into further pushing religion via public money. And, the issue of grift and lack of accountability is scary.
American public schools have improvements that need to be made, and they can't undo all the problems someone faces at home. But, they can probably do better than a "school" in a shopping mall that no one is checking in on, doesn't provide transportation, doesn't provide lunches to poor kids, and doesn't have certified teachers.
