The Soapbox: Rants and Commentary: Why the Average American is a Moron Composed by Andy Horan(soulless@cybercomm.net) February 1998 Educational statistics have shown that the United States has one of the worst academic systems around. Is this true? Or just the opinion of snobbish bureaucrats from other countries? Whether it is or not, here are some reasons it could/should be true. First, teachers get paid lousy salaries. I know this for a fact not from things you read in the papers, or what you see in the movies. My fiancee' has a degree in elementary education. She is excellent with children (as any of my friends/family will attest who have kids). I'm not worried at all about my children. I know she'll be fair with them, and teach them well. However, she is currently making just under $30K a year in her technical support position, in a field she only has a few years experience in. When her parents say to her, "Hey, have you found yourself a teaching position, yet?" she replies, sardonically, "I'm making more than a teacher's salary now, so what is the point?" From what I understand, even teachers with tenure make less than some union workers. Which brings me to my second point. Why, should we bust our asses in school to try to get to the college we want and deal with all the pressure/competition to get there. Hey, here's John Q. Public, our neighbor, who makes $30/hr digging ditches! And he's a union worker, and he gets all KINDS of paid days off/benefits, etc. Not to mention, I know I've been driving past a construction site, and seen more than a few people drinking coffee, even if I've passed that site 20 times that day, they are still drinking coffee. (Now, I know there are plenty of hard-working men who actually do their jobs, this is not pointed at everyone, but it does appear to occur alot.) Now for the third point. The quality of our schools. It sucks. Let's face it folks. I have well over an IQ of 150, yet I can guarantee you, I learned alot of what I needed to know out of school, then in it. (And yes, I make quite alot more than a teacher's salary. I test computer software for a living.) Alot of the textbooks are old, and so is the research materials in the libraries. Not to mention that when I was in High School, the computers were only used in computer classes. Even now, you don't find them in every classroom. I'm sorry, but there should be a terminal on every student's desk, so they can get familiar with the most incredible technology mankind has ever had. Computers aren't going away folks, they're everywhere. And alot of schools don't even have computers. The reason? I'll tell you. Misspent tax dollars. Here we are, paying all these taxes into our states, and our Governor's find more interesting ways to what they would deem "surplus". Case in point, here in NJ, before Christy Whitman, we had Governor Kean. His crowning achievement? A beautification program! That's right, he spent the blood/sweat/tears of his populace to plant flowers! Of course, he didn't plant them himself. People were hired to plant these. Where do you think they were paid out of? The same "surplus" tax dollars! Another idiocy that NJ has is the toll system on the Garden State Parkway. Now, the tolls were supposed to be taken down once the Parkway was completed. I know personally it is long since finished, because I've driven the entire length of it for over a decade! Since we're on stupidly-spent tax dollars, I'll get on the Federal government for my third point. We spend TONS of money in places where it shouldn't go. We've all heard the stories of the government's defense budget. "I need a number 10 metal screw for this F14, stainless, 1 1/4" inch long. Go get it, private!" "OK sir, I'll need you to sign this PO for $500." And in this society of computers and digital data transfer, do you have any idea how much money the government wastes on PAPER?!? Everything in triplicate, for Christ' sake! Okay, on to my fourth point. CENSORSHIP. That's right, and this isn't the first place you've heard that more foul curse word than F**K! What the heck are we living in anyway? A country full of Nazis?!? There has been PLENTY of book banning, much less burning, of CLASSIC pieces of literature, and it hasn't stopped. We talk about free-speech, and yet because some Louisiana governor who's getting pressured by some group of religious-fanatics (a.k.a. People who never get sex), and is up for re-election, works to get these fantastic pieces of literature removed from our school libraries. Sometimes even the public ones. Assholes! If you don't like the content of the book, don't read it! If you don't like what's on the radio or TV, change the channel, or even better, turn it off! It's the PARENTS' responsibility! If someone finds that something their child is reading/watching isn't appropriate, they'll take care of it! How DARE you speak for me! And whatever happened to separation of church and state! My last point would be about the almighty dollar again. Statistics show, that if I'm going to pay for my first child's college education, I better start putting at least $25-50 away a week NOW. And I'm not even MARRIED yet, much less expecting our first child. Because we have so many colleges with such high rates. If the government wants to regulate something, let it f**king regulate the prices on post-HS education! I'm sure the reader could think of a million other tangents to go off on here. The point is, the American education system is in DIRE trouble, with no hope in sight. I feel myself pretty damned lucky. If the American education systems falls into the abyss, as it appears to be, I am marrying a certified teacher. My kids, should this arise, will learn at home. Hey, it was good enough for Abraham Lincoln. Back To Rants and Commentary

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