Each incident like this makes me realize that things have only gone downhill since I was in school.

When I went to school there were pregnant teens, drug and alcohol problems, suicides, kidnappings, attempted murders:

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/faculty_archives/principalship/d/148duncan.html

I don't recall us having any civil rights, praise be unto Reagan and his War on Drugs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_v._T._L._O.

Maybe you're a baby boomer and lived in the schools supplied by the Greatest Generation. If you're anything near my age (37) then I honestly doubt things are much worse now than they were when we were in school.

To be safe against marijuana testing, you should probably wait a month:

http://www.concept420.com/how-long-does-marijuana-stay-system.htm

You "friend" was lucky that it didn't show up in the test. :)

If you can avoid bitching about high taxes then you should come to Europe. The average European is way freer than the average American in actuality, if not in theory.

Or, as Sun Tzu said:

23. Throw your soldiers into positions whence there
        is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight.
        If they will face death, there is nothing they may
        not achieve. Officers and men alike will put forth
        their uttermost strength.

24. Soldiers when in desperate straits lose
        the sense of fear. If there is no place of refuge,
        they will stand firm. If they are in hostile country,
        they will show a stubborn front. If there is no help
        for it, they will fight hard.

  .
  .
  .

36. When you surround an army, leave an outlet free.
        Do not press a desperate foe too hard

Okay, I admit a lot of what Sun Tzu wrote was common sense, but it's good to write such things down. :)

Hm... an interesting idea that, making those who use schools - children - pay for them.

The average college graduate in the USA already starts with something like $20k of debt. This does not seem to have any ill effects that anyone can discern, so it does make logical sense to extend this to those free-loading high school students at the very least.

Since megacorporations warmed to the idea of turning children into consumers via well placed franchises, I am sure it would be easy to convince MasterCard and Visa to give "KinderCard" or "Visa Princess" cards to elementary school children. Other types of financial constructions are surely possible, since the banks are no longer free to be creative in home loans any more, they can turn their attention to this vital new sector.

The false dichotomy between lower taxes/crappy schools and higher taxes/good schools finally solved, thanks to your libertarian genius!!!

Indeed. Wikipedia explains proper usage:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sic

Woosh!!!