Anonymous wrote:I thought about taking my kids to the Palm. But then I got turned off by some of the other diners, snapping their fingers for the waiter, saying "Gimme the lobster," letting their kids run around the restaurant because "we're regulars and they know how much we tip."

Instead, we opted for the neighborhood potluck. Everyone's invited and we all pitch in. Sure, there's usually that family that lets their kid double-dip her chip, or the ones who never offer to host. But for the most part, we show our kids how much fun dining together can be.

Best analogy yet!

I thought about taking my kids to the Palm. But then I got turned off by some of the other diners, snapping their fingers for the waiter, saying "Gimme the lobster," letting their kids run around the restaurant because "we're regulars and they know how much we tip."

Instead, we opted for the neighborhood potluck. Everyone's invited and we all pitch in. Sure, there's usually that family that lets their kid double-dip her chip, or the ones who never offer to host. But for the most part, we show our kids how much fun dining together can be.

Anonymous wrote:The op has every right to find a school that offers no financial aid and send his kids there. I'm sure such a school will have great reputation and high academic standards.

Or the OP could go to the school director with this lovely metaphor. I'm sure it will be looked upon as a wonderfully supportive contribution to the school's culture. If only every school could be filled with the children of parents like OP!

Is today a middle school holiday? The juvenile arguments on DCUM are stunning.

Anonymous wrote:Diversity doesn't bring anything but class warfare, racism and crime. Look at the US, look at Europe and you see a fractured, crime filled hate bucket. Look at Japan, are they killing each other?

Excellent point. North Korea is 100% ethnically pure, and they have no crime or racism.

Anonymous wrote:Diversity doesn't bring anything but class warfare, racism and crime. Look at the US, look at Europe and you see a fractured, crime filled hate bucket. Look at Japan, are they killing each other?

You're right, of course. Just like the way you should consolidate your portfolio into a single stock and only breed with your own family. That way you can avoid introducing any weakness into the system.

Diversity doesn't bring anything but class warfare, racism and crime. Look at the US, look at Europe and you see a fractured, crime filled hate bucket. Look at Japan, are they killing each other?

Anonymous wrote:OP, part of the dining experience is richness of the conversation that comes from diners of all backgrounds and experiences. It's not just about the food that the waiters serve you, but about the way the tables are arranged so as to mix up the diners and promote enlightening conversations. The owners of the restaurant recognize that not all diners can afford their restaurant, but they want that richness that diversity brings to their table conversations, and so they offer their meals at a discounted or even free rate to some.

All diners know this going in. Some have more money than they know what to do with, and some save and scrimp to eat there. But they feel it's worth it because the food and the service AND the rich conversation from the many and varied diners makes it a completely wonderful dining experience. There is no resentment on their part that others do not pay because they recognize the value those others bring AND they're not petty morons.

You. I want to be friends with you.

Anonymous wrote:And the argument for people either choosing a high mortgage rate or private tuition is stupid. A home is a long term financial investment and a child's education is not. Apples and oranges, stop using this argument as a rational for paying high tuition costs. It's not a valid argument, and if you actually DO the math, it reinforces the argument against private education.

It's not stupid. And you're right - it DOES reinforce the argument against private education. You want the best schools for your child - they are found either in private or in the publics in the more expensive parts of town. This is true everywhere, not just in DC. I moved out of DC and where I live now, I couldn't find a house in the most sought after school districts that wasn't a falling down 100% gut rehab POS because EVERYONE wants to live there for the schools. They pay more for the house so they can go to nationally ranked publics and not pay tuition. Are you actually arguing that this is not, in fact, the case?

The op has every right to find a school that offers no financial aid and send his kids there. I'm sure such a school will have great reputation and high academic standards.

Is OP refering to Sidwell which has a budget of something like $5-6 million a year in financial aid?

Anonymous wrote:@ The Palm, Prime Rib etc.

I save money leading up to it, cut back on vacations, Christmas presents, Birthdays, whatever.

I get to said place, and discover that other patrons there are eating free. Same food, same service, but no cost to them.

Should I accept this? Oh, and my bill is larger than I thought, because I had the privelige of dining in the same room as a Diverse room.

This is reality. Enough of this PC bullshit

Take your ass back to public if you want to complain. As a family that gets significant aid, we struggle and "save money leading up to it, cut back on vacations, Christmas presents, Birthdays, whatever." to make our portion of the tuition payments. I can assure you that schools make every family pay some part. There is no zero cost.

And do you understand that for a family getting significant aid, that we also have to come up with money to pay for things during the year like camps, babysitters on random days off, in class costs - contributions for parties, teacher gifts. It may be nothing to you to drop $50 here and there but we struggle to come up with the very meager $20 that we contribute.

The worst is that yes, there are many families that get aid who don't really truly need it. They get known at the school and they cry poor when in fact their idea of "poor" is they won't be able to afford a Christmas break vacation this year for their family so they need aid. This does happen. I think sometimes parents would be surprised who gets aid. I discovered that these families basically wait until after the official period to request aid has passed, go in with a sob story, never fill out any forms and get some form of aid. It sucks.

The money you invest is a nice house in a good school district is returnable, it is a financial investment. It makes you more money. The money you put into tuition does not generate income. Not that it's not "worth it" for most people,
But it's not a financial decision, it's an emotional one. Apples and oranges. There are plenty of people on this site who have listed out all the financial details, the argument is valid. Stop making this about "private=smart" and "public=dumb" it's just not true.

? Huh. The reasoning above is indicative of a public school education

And the argument for people either choosing a high mortgage rate or private tuition is stupid. A home is a long term financial investment and a child's education is not. Apples and oranges, stop using this argument as a rational for paying high tuition costs. It's not a valid argument, and if you actually DO the math, it reinforces the argument against private education.