You have no doubt heard that after the $787 billion stimulus package and promises of more for housing and infrastructure, our president wants to halve the national deficit in a year. This will be done by cutting the War in Iraq (Let’s hope he knows more about regime change than I.), soaking the rich (They don’t buy or invest, anyway.), and cutting government programs (I wish I could trust him to cut social services instead of strategic defense.). I received an email from Barbara Boxer explaining the $787 billion bailout had to be passed because it would have taken too long to get it perfect. She closed with, “I will continue working with the Obama Administration and my Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle to enact legislation to stimulate growth, create jobs, and make American businesses more competitive in the global economy.†We used to have a word for that, but we can’t use it anymore because it hurts the feelings of its practitioners.
Anyway, at the local level, Swain County Schools has decided to discontinue its School of Applied Science, Math and Technology. 160 out of the system’s 600 high school students were enrolled, and only one had dropped out in three years. Administrators, however, felt it best to drop the popular program even though two more years of funding had already been promised. Small class sizes and mandatory program administrators were considered unjustifiable.
Government’s direction in all of the above, of course, makes perfect sense if we want a society of ignorant, dependent masses.
