Thanks for sharing this. I find that debit cards are a generational thing that I cannot wrap my mind around. I am also a very visual person and need to 'see' the money I have and can spend. Somehow, swiping a card just does not compute with my brain and my budget. In fact, I do not use ATM's or have a debit card. My husband and daughter say that this is nothing to brag about and that I need to get with the times. My reply to them is that this is one new trick this old dog does not care to learn.

" A requirement for having children should be that every single parent spend a day leading a classroom. Just one day is all it would take, and I’d lay odds they’d never, ever, vote down a tax measure again."

Jennifer, if we were voting for 'babysitters' I could agree with these statements. However, we are talking about educational ability and knowledge that allows a "teacher" to evaluate a student's learning style and be able to adjust methods to assist that child. Giving more money will not make a teacher great in this area. Just as we see in real life, there are people who can make babies but are poor parents. We all probably know teachers who have a degree in education but cannot teach. This is a very complex issue for parents, students, teachers and will not be settled to the satisfaction of everyone.

I, personally, do not think that more money is the only answer to this issue. There are many things that come into play here, but 'common sense' (or the lack thereof) and ability are huge parts of solving this equation for me.