Quote:

Quote:

Dan, who paid for the camp? That's key.



I'll have to go ask my wife?



Whichever of you paid, I KNOW there was a fee for the kids to attend. Sadly there is nothing free any more. And they defend it with the logic that the school is there for readin', writin' and 'rithmatic and anything extracurricular the parents have to pay for.

Now I know about inflation and all, but the high school I went to (1969 grad) charged tuition (private, catholic, all buys school) and my worst year of the 4 was $220. And my family had a hard time finding it. The school then had 2000 boys in 4 grades.

NOW... the school has merged with the girls school down the road because the schools are consolidating as families have less kids, thus enrollment goes down. The enrollment is around 600 in 4 grades. That drives the price up. And the tuition..... $5000. I did not put in too many zeros. $5000. For HIGH SCHOOL!!!

But parents pay it to keep their kids out of those AWFUL City of Cleveland schools, where rather than fix the broken windows, broken by punks throwing rocks, they close off the rooms and sit the kids with 3 kids in 2 desks. Can't fix the windows. Not in the budget!! The rooms are cleaned every OTHER day. Lunch is no longer hot foods. All cold, packaged stuff. Teachers show up, do the least required, and go home. No cares about truancy. If they don't show, I still get my paycheck.

It makes me both sad and angry the way kids are pushed through schools with those ridiculous "NO child left behind" programs. They are given C and D grades to get them through, and half come out of after 12 years of school unable to read or make change for a buck.

But there is no quick turnaround. You can't suddenly make teachers care about kids who refuse to take the earbuds out of their ears during class.

People need to take off the rose colored glasses and REALLY look at this country. We are 1 generation away from being on economic par with a 3rd world country. Crime is out of control. People have no jobs, yet somehow find money to buy crack. Where does that come from? From robbing the people who DO have jobs? Where are the police? At 75% staff after budget induced layoffs....

Sad. But I'm almost done.