Terrible Idea (Score 1)

Personally, I believe it is a terrible idea to give each kid in Michigan an Ipod using public funds. The bill the Democrats have proposed would put $38 million of public funds towards buying every student in Michigan an Ipod to be used for educational purposes. To raise this money, Democrats have proposed a 4% tax on soda among other things. First of all, there is no guarantee that every student will actually use their Ipod for educational purposes, which would render giving them a free Ipod pointless. When Duke University gave all their Freshmen an Ipod, they obtained mixed results on the educational use of these devices. Secondly, for a state that is suffering from a budget crisis of around 1 billion dollars, it is ridiculous to make taxpayers pay more taxes to fund giving an electronic music device to every kid in Michigan. Parents who are struggling to make ends meet as it is are not going to see paying for another kid to receive an Ipod as something that is worthwhile. With the economy as bad as it is, many people are struggling to make due , and the government forcing them to pay additional taxes for this project is just mind boggling and incredibly idiotic. Furthermore, if the government is set on putting these funds to use, why don't they focus on fixing up schools, especially in Detroit, and making them better equipped to provide a positive learning environment. Also, the funds could be used towards hiring better quality teachers and educators and giving current great teachers a deserved raise. The funds could be used for much better purposes than strapping an already failing economy with a proposal that isn't guaranteed to improve the quality of learning for students.