After spending six weeks and $400 of needless nuisance fees and charges, I was forbidden by the U.S. State Department from accompanying my Filipino wife into the U.S. Embassy where she was asked two pointless questions, then denied a 2 week tourist visa needed to accompany me back to the U.S. for a brief business related trip. The U.S. State Department is so broken it encourages illegal immigration by denying legal tourist and work visas. That's why there are 14 million illegal aliens who waltzed across the Texas border to work illegally and supply drugs to the likes of Rush Limbaugh. I don't care what DHS has on me. If they want me they can come and get me, I won't be coming back on my own.

Why is it that every argument for alternatives to school focus on the single aspect of public schools needing to teach to the average student. A lot more than memorizing the times table happens in schools. Also, since most schools in America have barely a 6 hour day, what's preventing all the anti-public-schoolites from "unschooling" or "home schooling" their kids at some point during the other 18 hours each day? Just once I'd like to see someone with an alternative to public schools show me how their idea will scale, because that's what is required for public schools to function. Home schooling works because only those for whom it works do it. I assume the only reason "unschooling" is demonstrating any level of success is because there is a similar bias based on those using it. Take any of these methods and roll them out across the city of Detroit. Show me those numbers and then I'll tell you whether your idea is better or worse than public schools.

In my 20 years of programming experience, as both a consultant and captive employee, most failures proved to be caused by incompetent/incoherent management, a sales force that sold something totally different than what was being built., or a poisoned corporate culture that resulted in a team at each others' throats. If you want to test me, then I think it's only fair that I get to test you. If you want to talk to my last 3 employers, then I should be permitted to talk to the last three employees you terminated. Needless to say, I'm now quite happily self employed.

Having elected George Bush TWICE proves America has already reached the pinnacle of stupidity.