TBC

You have a very warped view of compassion and forgiveness if you think letting drug dealers run amock in schools is part of it. You obviously care more about them than you do the kids whose lives will be ruined by these people. Then again that is exactly the problem with secular dogma (everyone else's fault and no personal responsibility). Envy of those who sacrifice to send their kids to private schools and then angry that they won't tolerate the intolerable. Why am I surprised.

Runner... I am compelled to call you 'foolish' for your latest comments. I'm sorry, but I have no option.

Am I to suppose that you would cut off their hands, bury them to their necks and stone them to death, to achieve 'justice'?

Really, you are blind to your utterances aren't you?

These foolish children were dealt with by the courts, and sent off to gain an education, to try to make sure they became useful citizens, finally.

Even the Pope forgives his priests for buggering children by the gross dozens across the world, are you going to denounce him for being 'secular'?

Revolting as the Catholic church is, it's hardly 'secular' is it?

In order for us all to enjoy as carefree a life as possible, we have to look out for our neighbours, and in turn trust that they will look out for us too.

It's called, 'living in a community', and one of its greatest promoters is someone who you might, apparently, know nothing about, Jesus Christ.

Of course, his message was not a new one, or else we would not have reached his time would we?

Now, caring for people does not mean you condone their actions Runner.

But it does mean that we try to equip those who have limited skills to survive, with more.

Including children who sell drugs, and those who shoot at other children... (anyway, a few more years and those kids would be 'our heroes' in the armed forces).

You must be a fringe dweller Runner.

Come on in, and join the community, and enjoy a little 'difference', even if you do not approve of it.

Besides, it is the friction formed between the poles of behaviour that drive the community forwards, and sometimes backwards too no doubt, but mainly forwards.

Thanks for the link, Opinionated2. Like mine, yours obviously has an axe to grind. Between the two, though, we may get a clearer picture of what is happening with funding. As with mine, the numbers don't lie - but in both cases, the numbers are carefully selected and 'quarantined' to support the overall argument. Mine dealt with actual funding while carefully ignoring increases; yours dealt with increases while carefully ignoring actual funding.

Like I said, between the two, we might get a clearer picture. One thing is clear, though: without the public-private partnership and cost-sharing between the government and private sector in faith schools, those schools couldn't exist. Without the faith schools, though, the state authorities would have to fork out an awful lot of money to fund places for their new students. Like it or not, we are stuck with private schools for some time to come.

The Blue Cross: I agree with Okotonoko on facts regarding part government funding of private schools. This funding is provided for both religious and non-religious students in addition to the contributions paid for services supporting disabled students. Private schools within Australia have always taken on a high ratio of the population's students. Okotonoko is correct on all points he/she has stated.

I agree with the concept of religion kept out of the state school systems for a number of reasons; and if the thread's here tomorrow will disclose.

Having had children in both systems, along with their friends, in both systems, I am somewhat objective, and wish to say that certain students of both private and public systems within the state I reside, have all endured physical attacks.

My son's school mates last term viewed a group of youths from a state school pulling up out the front of his high school, randomly threatening kids waiting for buses with knives and a machete. The '22' was lying in their boot to give the kids a scare. Interestingly, quite a few were farm kids, standing by the kerb right in the firing line. These kids, according to parents and older students, seemed quite unfazed and unaffected by the incident.

On the other hand, violence occurs within private schools, including the schools in our State. Obviously it occurs within any schools, whether it be State or Private.

Best to stick with facts and not emotion

tbc

'These foolish children were dealt with by the courts, and sent off to gain an education, to try to make sure they became useful citizens, finally.'

You are obviously unaware how pathetic and weak our court system has become. You also fail to show any compassion for the kids trying to do the right thing and having these thugs bully them. With opinions like yours its no wonder the zoos are being abandoned. Please spare me your new found 'compassion' and judgemental attitude towards others. You have no idea how compassionate I am or am not. A favorite tactic of the idiotic left is to somehow pretend they have a mortgage on compassion. Giving drug dealers ten or twenty changes rarely works and I am not prepared to risk my kids with them. You might.

Runner... you've lost it mate!

"Please spare me your new found 'compassion' and judgemental attitude towards others"... Runner, you seem to be very good at judging and very short on compassion my friend... just read your words back to yourself, as for my compassion... I was born with it comrade, I didn't try to squeeze it from a book of auld wives tales and jumbled myths knicked from older religions.

"You have no idea how compassionate I am or am not"...indeed I do have a very good idea, from what you scribble here, a lighthouse shines your path.

"A favorite tactic of the idiotic left is to somehow pretend they have a mortgage on compassion"... come come, such emotive terminology Runner... do tell us just who holds the mortgage on compassion... you perchance?