tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post332567379721740018..comments2024-03-28T16:15:19.319-04:00Comments on Saideman's Semi-Spew: McGill Students Still Suck at MathSteve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-70271918365846175192011-11-13T11:47:26.427-05:002011-11-13T11:47:26.427-05:00As a European, I do think free education and corpo...As a European, I do think free education and corporate taxes are realistic. I can go to school for free and not live in debt.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-80796326520285062312011-11-09T12:46:25.902-05:002011-11-09T12:46:25.902-05:00Professor Saideman,from what I've read of your...Professor Saideman,from what I've read of your blog, you don't seem to have the strongest grasp on what self-interest means, perhaps because you are in Political Science and not Economics.<br /><br />As an individual trying to maximize their wellbeing throughout their lifetime, Expected Utility should be a function of individual after-tax earnings, public goods available,and a whole lot of other factors, including genetics, family and friend dynamics, etc., where the function relates to individual preferences.<br /><br />So as individuals, students are saying that we are willing to sacrifice some portion of our future earnings in order to increase the public goods available to everyone. In this case, we are willing to pay higher taxes on our future income (future income because we will have high incomes as educated individuals) in return for the social benefits of increased access to higher education, to the general macroeconomic benefits of increased access to higher education, and the ideological/moral individual benefits that we accrue from doing the right thing.<br /><br />So we are not going against our self-interest, because our self-interest is in creating accessible, high-quality public education that works to educate engaged citizens and further future economic growth. That is our self-interest, and it is yours too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-72554243415665234212011-11-09T07:47:26.662-05:002011-11-09T07:47:26.662-05:00As a McGill undergrad transfer student from the St...As a McGill undergrad transfer student from the States, I pay (or rather, my folks pay) roughly the same to attend McGill as an international student as I did for one-year of education at a relatively insignificant, no-name state university (certainly not a school with the level of clout/reputation as McGill). And I was an in-state student, receiving "subsidized" rates.<br /><br />I'd be more than willing to trade tuition with any disenfranchised Quebecker!<br /><br />I'll be attending class on Thursday (at this point, what's one more picket line to cross?) because frankly, my education > others' (flawed) principles. Not all of us are idealists! Some of us realize that the money will need to come from somewhere and relying on the GoQ for anything these days seems foolhardy. My tuition already 'subsidizes' 5-6 Quebec students as it is...G.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-81322104531986346432011-04-09T14:26:45.720-04:002011-04-09T14:26:45.720-04:00I really am glad a McGill professor himself has ad...I really am glad a McGill professor himself has adressed this issue, and is taking a strong realist stance. It would be 'ideal' to have McGill still provide us with top notch faculty and resources while charging provincial students a meager 2000$ in tuition. Is it realistic? NO.Tazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16124068672241509999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-22974988979370167512011-04-05T23:00:50.107-04:002011-04-05T23:00:50.107-04:00The latter. I would love to tax corporations and p...The latter. I would love to tax corporations and pay education but i am realisticSteve Saidemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-67318795572930627332011-04-05T22:52:53.120-04:002011-04-05T22:52:53.120-04:00Do you mean it is not going to happen because it s...Do you mean it is not going to happen because it shouldn't or because there is no political will?<br />The money is there, it's just not being shared properly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-18560147469827462032011-04-05T22:41:43.353-04:002011-04-05T22:41:43.353-04:00Politics is the art of the possible. Students can...Politics is the art of the possible. Students can protest enough to stop tuition maybe. But getting more money via taxes on corporations is not going to happen. The choice is between tuition and funding crisis.Steve Saidemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-17827608562561207862011-04-05T22:31:50.336-04:002011-04-05T22:31:50.336-04:00The province has money that they could spend on ed...The province has money that they could spend on education, they could tax big corporations for example. Many potential sources of money are stated on tuitiontruth.ca. And why not expect more money from Quebec? Funding education is fundamental, making sure that every Quebecker can go to university without worrying about money issues should be a high priority. On the other hand giving big corporations tax breaks shouldn't be.<br />The question we should really ask ourselves is whether education is an investment, a way to make a person more marketable hence a privilege or whether education is a right.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-9336101300488363152011-04-05T20:17:12.645-04:002011-04-05T20:17:12.645-04:00I can do the research to find conflicting studies,...I can do the research to find conflicting studies, but am too lazy to do so. The reality is that the province (as other provinces/states) are going to support universities less. The question is: where to find the additional dollars? It is not going to be in the form of increased taxes (which would fund other campaign promises). So, where will the money come from? Expecting more money from Quebec is like expecting the province to quickly and adeptly deal with the road/bridge problems. Oops, too late.Steve Saidemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-91616215651435060122011-04-05T20:01:35.379-04:002011-04-05T20:01:35.379-04:00http://ssmu.mcgill.ca/tuitiontruth/?p=584http://ssmu.mcgill.ca/tuitiontruth/?p=584Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com