14 Years Ago (orig. pub. 1994)

I'm happy to be convoluted and correct rather than convoluted
and wrong. This series of monologues on my part, the Proviso
Board's words and actions for theirs are a convoluted way to
engage in a dialogue. The known and unknown, factual and
false, perceptions and misconceptions about the quality of
education in our public high school are all playing a role. I
have, for my part, tried to make it clear that these are my
views of the situation based on the available information. If
the board has better information they haven't communicated it
very well.

They put their best effort behind the referendum; it failed.
They were told by the voters not to look to them for more
money at the present time. It was a simple question; asked
and answered, but evidently, subject to interpretation by the
Board of Education at District 209. Had the question been
should 209 be allowed to tack an additional 10% to their levy or
whether 209 could further indebt the district by $15.2
million, (in anticipation of tax caps that are being considered
in response to past taxing practices which seemed excessive)
I think they know what the answer would have been as well.
What is truly convoluted is harboring any notion that
the outcome of the referendum would have differed even if
100% of the eligible voters had cast ballots.

While I can sympathize with the societal problems Ms. Sykes
admits are preventing Proviso from providing an adequate
education, I don't see them as excusing the pathetic results.
High school is not a place to be teaching Fourth grade. It
isn't the place to be addressing deficiencies which have had
years to become ingrained. High school is too important to
subjegate its duty to anything other than providing a high
school level education. Factors which detract from that
cannot be allowed to replace it as the priority.

Proviso is a High School. (or is pretending to be.) That
should mean that high school level work isn't a goal, it is a
directive. The answer to students who are not equipped to
handle work at that level is not to lower the standards to
fit. If the feeder districts are not meeting their
directives, it is incumbent on the Administration to demand a
correction at the lower level. As long as less is tolerated;
less will continue.

By not calling these primary districts on the issue, Proviso
is allowing a fraud to be perpetuated on the taxpayers of
those districts. Worse, it forces the citizens whose
districts manage to provide a quality primary education into
a role which rightfully belongs to the Board and
Administrators of Proviso District 209. The parents of
students who desire more than excuses and dismal results have
little choice but to look elsewhere for the education which
is unavailable in their public high school.

Proviso can offer an inferior product and demand the public
pay for it. (For some arcane reason that is how the system
works.) They shouldn't expect parents to accept it if there
are other alternatives. You can't say that parents are
unwilling to pay more for better education. They're already
disproving that claim to the tune of roughly $16 million per
year. (4000 students paying $4000 per year for private
schools.) That's a pretty high price to pay so that Proviso
can continue to remediate. Parents pay because Proviso, in
trying to be both a primary and high school at the same time,
is failing at both.

I would say the majority of Proviso residents would concur
that Proviso as it exists today is less than optimum and
losing ground. Whether fact or perception it must be
corrected. That majority is an angry bunch. The anger simply
had no direction. Now, thanks, in no small part, to an
arrogance which believes raising taxes and selling bonds will
correct the difficiencies in the face of sentiment to the
contrary from voters and non-voters alike, anger is beginning
to focus.

People are starting to look. Now instead of feeling that
things at Proviso aren't too good but resigned to the
situation, they are looking at it and seeing that it can't
continue. They are looking at better districts and are
beginning to wonder how things got so bad here. They are
seeing other districts with money problems which have refused
to lower standards because of them. They are finding that
there are societal problems everywhere but other districts
aren't using them as an excuse. They are beginning to think
of alternatives other than flight or private schools.

They are beginning to look at the words and actions of those
who, by election or appointment, are supposed to be acting in
the best interests of the district. They are looking for ways
to provide input; to make their feelings known. They are
finding me. They are wanting to have an intense discussion of
their own, adjunct to your contention that you are
responsibly carrying out your function and that they are
somehow slacking in theirs. Come to the feeder districts and
listen to what they want to know. You will find that
regardless of marital status, parents do care about their
kids and are tired of being told that they do not.

They really are interested. They want to know what busses and
tort immunity have to do with the quality of education. They
want to know how a continual lowering of expectations has
improved the quality of education at Proviso. They are really
interested in the notion that losing at the ballot box still
allows you to raise taxes. They are intrigued by the ease
with which their voice is ignored. They want to know,
after years and years of wallowing in its depreciated role,
how the Board and Administration can attempt to shift the
responsibility for its failure onto societal problems, apathy
and those selfish parents who wanted their kids to have a
quality education.

Proviso's connection to the feeder districts is peripheral at
best. The District is not an accurate reflection of the
service area. Equating testing results with community support
rather than the educational preparation is specious. A high
school must set standards, then take steps to meet those
standards. At this point I don't see Proviso as doing
anything well. It has become a societal problem in and of
itself. We, as the society which Proviso effects, must demand
that they discontinue being a problem and take the steps
necessary to assure correction.

Think Globally, Act Locally? Orig Published c. 1994

(note: The following was written in January 1994 for a small weekly publication.The topic was local, but in hindsight the public sector has exceeded my misgivings)

What I am sure of: I am me.

After that it can get confusing. My wife and I are we; you and I together are we; We the people are we as well. I guess anybody can be we unless being refered to by them, then we are us, only they call us, them. Can I alone be we? Can I be one of them and still remain one of us? Where are they when we need them? Who are they? Who are we? Waxing philosophical can be confusing to us... or me... or... well, it can just get confusing.

Small comfort; that whoever they is, it can be just as confusing to them.

Let's assume that you are one of us. Unless of course
you are one of them, then you may want to explain what you
are doing here with us. See what I mean? If you don't then
maybe you are not who I think you are and, quite possibly
not who you think you are either. You might want to check,
just to make sure.

I'll wait....

This convoluted thought train was inspired by the Village
Council's consideration of the parking situation for the new
library. The concept of the library "buying'', from the
village, the municipal parking lot across the street, is logic that
escapes me. In the abstract sense, the library, as part of
the village, already "owns" that lot. If they can buy it from
themselves then the possibilities are astounding. The Village
could be sitting on a mine. Whether a gold or land mine would
remain to be seen.

If the library can own property shouldn't they also
own the property on which they intend to build the new
library? Shouldn't the Community Center own their little
piece? The Fire Department? Police? Water? Streets? Forestry?

The village hall could be converted into Condos! A Realtor's
mouth waters, but it just gives me the willies.

"Psst, Hey Pal, wanna buy a sewerage treatment plant"?
Revenue enhancement for the deranged?

Where would these branches get the money to pay? From the taxpayers. Where would the money go? To the Village? So that the various departments would then receive the funds to own and operate their owned little piece. But wait a minute, maybe we could
start a bidding war for the choice properties. The historical society could outbid the fire department and exile the firefighters, who would then be forced to outbid another
department. This would continue until all of the village's assets belonged to the rightful (or richest) owners. If we open it up to commercial entities the profits could go
through the roof.

"Wouldn't that playground be a perfect place for, say... a Walmart or a fast food franchise.

Feasable? Not really, just a warped extension of a warped proposal.

Shared resources are vital to life in a land-locked
village. While the Park district and schools are separate
from the village -as public entities- the library is not. The former
have taxing and bonding powers, the latter does not. Monies
for the library come through the Village cofers just as the
Police, Fire, Building, Street and Water departments. Maybe
the library should seek autonomy, but that shouldn't be
necessary. The combined assets of the village are its
strength. Cooperation between the various entities, while not
a requirement, goes a long way towards a peaceful and
mutually beneficial existence.

A library is books; books are knowledge; knowledge is
power. A parking space is a parking space. We can envy other
places with enough open area to pave. We can wish that we
had that luxury, but we can't let being tight on space
compromise the quality of our resources. Especially when
there are parking spaces already existing that could serve.

The village assets are held for the benefit of all and should
be cross-utilized as much as possible. Restricting resonable
access by all branches defeats the purpose of having combined
assets. It's called sharing and should not be viewed as a
radical concept in government.

Somewhere near the beginning c. 1993

Mr. Smith goes to Washington 1993

All over Washington minions are scurrying through the streets and tunnels. The former legislators have departed and the incoming wave of the newly elected are due in today. Lobbyists lounge in waiting while Aides, speech writers, clerks, secretaries, and the rest of the former staffs put the final touches on their resumes. Some of the more enterprising have made a pilgrimage to the airport and are gathered holding up the names of the newly elected. Their attaches brimming with neatly organized files on all of the incoming. Small skirmishes develop as they jockey for position. Lookouts scan the video terminals for new arrivals.

The scene at the gate might go something like: "Good Morning Mr. Smith, I am Paul Gramoldowitz, I was your predecessors special assistant. I know you are a little tired from your flight in but I wanted to welcome you and escort you to the suite we have set up for you. I already have aides combing the finest areas for housing. There is an abundance of prime real estate available. I have taken the liberty of setting up your reelection office and have arranged time for you to sit down with all of the people you need to talk to. Why don't you catch a quick nap. We have a busy day ahead. Every lobbyist in Washington has called, but a man in your position can't talk to just anyone. Stick with me, I'll get you through these shark infested waters. I know you probably have a million questions but I have to run. When we meet later I will lay out your strategy for you. Don't worry about a thing Mr. Smith I have everything under control. You're in my town now, anything you need you just let me know. Ah, here's your suite, bye now."
Mr. Smith manages a few buts to no avail, his mind is numb but he can feel it spinning. Yes, a nap would help. I can straighten out "what's his name" later. He lays down on the bed and drifts off, dreaming of saving the country from ruin.

The knocking may have been going on forever, was he awake or still dreaming? He stumbles to the door, opens it to find a well dressed man carrying a briefcase and a large manila envelope. With a quick "Good day Mr. Smith" the man is by him into the room. "I see Pauly is taking good care of you. This envelope contains our first installment for your reelection fund. It also contains a summary of upcoming legislation and how you are to vote. But I'm sure Pauly has already filled you in. I can see you are busy so I won't keep you. I'll see you at the club later."

The next hour is a blur as a constant stream of well dressed people come and go. By the end of the hour the junior congressman is a very rich, well connected man with a bright future. He has just been rewarded for all of the long years he toiled away in public service. "So this is what incumbents fight so dirty for. But wait a minute," he wonders aloud, "what about the senior citizens and kids and hard working people back in my district?" "No time for that" says Pauly, "we have to be at the club to meet the rest of your supporters. The limo is waiting."
Only in Hollywood? Maybe so but how do you explain the evaporation of freshness so quickly after the campaign? All of the Don Quixote candidates that were going to fight for us. They have been promising to rid our government of fat and waste for generations. Instead they leave office with a growing debt and more taxes, never to be heard from again. The fat, waste, redundancy, inefficiency, and arrogance remains. Everybody lining up for their piece of the pie, eating their fill and riding off into the sunset.

The public good? "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." My country consists of a quarter billion people. Do I have to ask each of them what they need? What my Country can do for me is to open up the process. In the past when threatened, those now considered Heroes stepped forward to show the way. Now the crowd in denser and the heroes seem to be beaten down before they reach the light. We need less secrecy in Government and more common sense. In 1769 a Patriot calling himself Junius wrote, "There is a moment of difficulty and danger at which flattery and falsehood can no longer deceive, and simplicity itself can no longer be mislead". While great ideas languish in the shadows, mediocrity is being showcased. We see the private sector's responsibility growing in solving basic needs problems that the war on poverty was supposed to eliminate. While the American people continue to do more with less the government seems to do less with more. Plato wrote in The Republic, "When there is an income tax, the just will pay more and the unjust less on the same amount of income." We read and hear regularly about large companies closing plants and taking huge tax writeoffs. The greed that is consuming the wealth of our nation leaves the average citizen scratching their head.
"We hold these truths to be self evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The "American Dream"? The veterans of World War II and Korea are waking to it now. People close to retirement and a pension are finding themselves out of work and out of luck. After spending their lives pursuing that pension, the company's bottom line and our screwed up tax laws make unemployment their reward. And there is no-one to blame. Corporate America and the Government have insulated themselves so well that no-one is accountable. The result is a country that has mortgaged it's future, with a shrinking manufacturing base, an arrogant rich and an equally arrogant poor. The middle class struggling, not to move up, but just to maintain what they have.

The Declaration of Independence said it best, " That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness". The coming years pose some major problems to be solved by my generation of "baby boomers". Those considered anarchists in the 60's must now shoulder the burden passed to them. To alter our form of government to meet the challenge of the future. To "clean out the barn", with an eye towards the next generation of anarchists, leaving hopefully a brighter future for all. So, towards that end I encourage all the new Mr. Smiths to steadfastly hold to the promises made, however daunting the task. To aid you, consider the words of James Madison; "I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."