Why do our school taxes continue to soar?

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Next May, when it comes time to vote on your school budget, remember that an increase in school spending will have a dramatic effect on your property taxes. One of the greatest problems is the out-of-control school bureaucracies, with some superintendents getting paid as much as $500,000 per year and maintaining huge administrative staffs. One district has a superintendent who even gets a car with a driver to take her from her house to work, all at taxpayers’ expense! It’s time to end the stranglehold that educational unions have on hard-pressed taxpayers.

On another topic, for the second time, our own Hofstra University hosted the second presidential debate. I was there, and watched proudly as the school welcomed the candidates and the observers.

This time, unlike the first debate, President Obama was prepared, and proved that he is a master orator and a powerful debater. He came out swinging against Mitt Romney’s economic plan, stating, “Governor Romney doesn’t have a five-point plan. He has a one-point plan, and that plan is to make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of rules.”

Romney quickly fired back, at times cutting Obama off and bringing up the president’s own economic record. Romney then continued what he started in the first debate, and promised that, if elected, he would not cut taxes for the wealthy, but would look to ease the tax burden for the middle class.

Despite the president’s strong performance, I think Romney held his own, and I applaud him for going after the president on his response to the tragedy at the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. What happened was a disgrace, and it’s about time someone took responsibility.

Unfortunately while both candidates were arguing over the president’s weak and confusing statements on Libya, moderator Candy Crowley, the left-wing CNN correspondent, intervened, interrupting Romney and siding with Obama.

Crowley was a terrible choice for moderator. She has always been a partisan, and her true colors showed last week.

The president really needed a huge win to stop Romney’s momentum, and he didn’t get it. Romney held his own, with no major gaffes or missteps.

Al D’Amato, a former U.S. senator from New York, is the founder of Park Strategies LLC, a public policy and business development firm. Comments about this column? ADAmato@liherald.com.

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