$1200 is what I pay in private education for my toddler before taxes start. I am not rich and this is a very large part of my paycheck. No one helps me with this, no subsidies, no nothing, but I'm supposed to pay even more for someone else's college at gunpoint of federal agents under the taxation system.
I'm with you on _wanting_ children to succeed. And adults. I have tutored GED for adults who didn't finish high school, and I did it for free. More money doesn't necessarily mean better education. I pay all of my toddler's education (taxpayers won't help me like they will with K-12 kids). And like most HNers I'm paying out more taxes to fund these programs than the average person. I'm doing my part, now I want the government to handle my money responsibly before I hand them more.
Why do you pay $1200/month for the private education of a toddler, considering this is a significant fraction of your paycheck? I'm assuming there's some special circumstances here, but as a non-American I can only guess.
Also we are allowed to do two things at once. There is no reason that a country of millions of people has to focus on one thing at a time that has the potential to benefit everyone.
I say this as someone who has zero skin in this game. I went to private school as a child. I paid off my student loans, I cannot have children. I will in my lifetime not directly benefit from publicly funded education k-12 or college -- I still want this policy.