I must say, that I don't normally write about anything political, because I generally think that politics are crap, and are a complete waste of time.  Now I know that's true, because my daughter has now entered high school.  I'm shocked, horrified, and dismayed at what I've experienced getting her enrolled in worthwhile scholastic endeavors.  

She has joined the orchestra, as she had in middle school, and is also playing on the volleyball team.  The dollar value on these things is over $700, just to participate.  That's disgusting, and horrifying.  I've asked around to many people of many different ages, from all parts of the country, and when I tell them that we have to PAY for these kinds of things, they are shocked, as was I when I wrote the checks for these things.  What I found was that it costs $27,000 to have a volleyball team, and that the school's part of that is ZERO.  The orchestra, we've found, has to pay for their own paper, copier, maintenance, and *EVERYTHING ELSE THAT A SCHOOL SHOULD PROVIDE FOR ANY STANDARD CLASS IN GWINNETT.  

THIS IS RIDICULOUS. 

Since when is edcuation defined solely as book learning, and not art?  I once had a student I worked with who was terrible scholastically.  He had to work very hard to make grades in "scholastic" courses.  But in art, he always had straight A's and his work was amazing.  He was truly gifted at this.  Yet this is not a "scholastic/educational" endeavor worth funding in Gwinnett.

AGAIN, RIDICULOUS.

Since when is education only definined by what you can learn from a book?  Why are these other kinds of artistic endeavors--- or athletic endeavors--  that kids are truly gifted at, not a priority to the Gwinnett Public School System?????  

So the question comes, "What do poor people do?"  Are athletic or artistic endeavors unreachable for those people?  Are those who are truly gifted left out because they cannot afford to participate?  Has athletics and artistic endeavors become and elitist endeavor that only the rich can participate in?  It doesn't matter, right?  Those who are poor and could actually use the scholarships in these kinds of things to fund college later in life will not be able to get them because they don't have enough money to participate in high school sports.  

THIS IS THE MOST RIDICULOUS, ABSURD, STUPID, THING I'VE YET COME ACROSS IN THE GWINNETT COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM.  

Poor students can't play sports because their families can't afford it--  oh, unless it's football.

I know, a Gwinnett County Commissioner would tell me that they "don't have the money."  

Well they do seem to have the money to secure land for a stadium for people to play baseball in that I'm sure cost millions.  It's a shame that their priorities are so far out of whack.  They've lost their sensibilities.

Next thing you know, they'll be charging people to drive in the HOV lanes on I-85, making that the elitist lane.  Oh, wait a minute, that's really going to happen.

On My Soapbox.
John