Too f-ing far.

       I was made privy to knowledge that I ordinarily remain ignorant of; my daughters' school supply lists.  One daughter needs 7 (seven) dozen pencils, and the other 5 (five) dozen; in unbroken, new packs.  Pencils come in packs of 10 (TEN).  The reason they need so many, I have been told, is to supply the kids who don't have any.  The list always asks for a ridiculous amount to be supplied and then they send them home with most of them at the end of the year, so I don't think they are being used to redistribute the wealth, but seriously, why 7 dozen?
       Last year they needed dry erase markers, so when asked, they could write on the board.  God forbid they use one that someone else had touched!?  But the king of all stupidity, the straw that broke the camel's back, is the ruler.  (pun intended)  One child is required to have a wooden ruler.  You can tell me my child needs a ruler.  You can even say it needs a straight-edge on it.  But to specify the material?  What the f#@% difference does it make?
       If an inner-city teacher specifies plastic only, out of fear that the metal on the edge of the wooden ones could be sharpened, I would understand.  If a mechanical drawing class requires an architect's scale, I get it. But this is crossing the line.  I will only be nannied so far.
       Mind you this is not the same for each child.  Different grades require different tools.  I get that.  No problem.  But your child's list depends on your child's teacher, (not state, not district, not school, not grade) and that is another point where I call B.S.  The teacher's individual preference should not decide how much my child's school supplies cost.  The argument is, of course, teaching is facilitated by standardization.  Fine, but it starts with the teachers.  The teachers for each grade need to get together and decide, grade-by-grade what is needed.
       Of course I have the option of placing my children in a private school, and paying twice for the privilege.  Also I could home-school them, at the expense of social growth.  But why should any of us put up with such petty intrusions.  I'm not angry about this despite how petty it is, I'm angry BECAUSE of how petty it is.
       There is a basic issue at the heart of this.  This issue is one that is touching every corner of our country.  A consummate lack of accountability.  When I didn't bring in enough pencils, I suffered.  My bad planning was related to my parents via a note sent home to be signed, and I learned to be responsible.
       What message is being taught here.  You (well, your parents) pay for things that are turned over to a government appointee; who will distribute them back to you on an as need basis.  No personal accountability.  Dependence on "authority", to provide for your needs.  You can't be trusted to be accountable for yourself.
       If it seems like I'm reading a lot into this; it is because I am.  But this story is just used to highlight the flaws in a system that I have been cataloging since my oldest began school.  Don't worry though, they are being taught important things like: "You have to do something nice for the Earth every day."   (and God, I wish I were kidding.)  If I want my children indoctrinated, I'll send them to church, or I'll do it myself.  I don't need public schools, that I pay for, to indoctrinate my children into a credo, to which I do not subscribe.

Re-engineering government.

        Governor Quinn recently line item vetoed the funding away from regional school superintendents.  His reasoning is that they are unnecessary bureaucrats.  While I would advise a former Lieutenant Governor not to throw stones at useless bureaucrats, I can't say he is wrong.  This really is not even a good start on eliminating useless positions in Illinois government.
       Having been victimized by it more than once, I have read many books, articles, and 'zines on re-engineering companies, workers, and management.  A quick show of hands: who here, at some point, has been re-engineered right the hell out of a job?  Everyone, I see.  That is part of my point.  We all face the prospect, daily, that some re-organization or re-engineering will put us out of work.  But then, we do not work for the State of Illinois.  The workers there, as in many bloated, corrupt, good-old-boy-network, employers feel entitled to a job.  Even if it has no duties or responsibilities.
       I would humbly suggest to our august Governor that he perform a corporate style re-engineering.  And by that I mean, start at the top.  Ask first: what needs to be done?  Then: who do we have that can handle that.  Next: Assign those people to those positions.  Then proceed to the next level down.  Include in your assessment any existing or emerging technology.
       Illinois spends more than any other state, per student, on education.  Now if we had the best educated students, I would not mind one bit.  The sad fact is we have very dismal student outcomes.  Some seventy plus percent going on to college and only 26% that do not require remedial courses on arrival.  How does this happen.
       The teachers union points the finger at the bloated administrative level, and calls them unnecessary.  The Administrators say the cost overage lies with the cost of new equipment, like computers, that the students need.  The state, who mandates these, say the teachers unions and administrators earn too much.  They all point in a big circle at one another and all are right.  Despair.com has a poster depicting a drop of water hitting a pool.  It says: "No single raindrop believes it is to blame for the flood"  That is truly the case here.  All of these groups are right.  They are all to blame.  Illinois teachers do earn too much relative to the outcomes experienced.  The no-bid contracts to supply electronics exceed the cost of simply giving each student a computer.  The administrators are both unnecessary and overpaid.
       I use the schools as an example only because they are in the news.  I would much rather overpay a teacher than a sign holder on a construction crew that makes more than said teacher.  Also I would rather have too many teachers than sign holders.  I do not mean to pick on the education system.  It is a symptom of the problem, not the cause.  We have more districts than any other state.  We have more levels of government than any other state.  This does not buy us better efficiency.  quite the opposite.