kysdemocrat

Being a mother of school age children truly gives one a unique perspective of the problems of the day and their cause.  For example, just this week I have come to understand, through my children, why it is that test scores show Kentucky’s students behind the rest of the nation and our nation behind the rest of the civilized world and also why the U.S. economy is failing.

When ask what they did in school on Friday afternoon my children began to ramble on about going to watch an assembly  by “the yo yo man” and how the office was now selling yo yos. Of course, they wanted to me to know all of the fantastic tricks this man had done with his yo yo and that they simply must have the $25 black dragonfly yo yo that he used so that they too could do these amazing tricks and also so they wouldn’t be the only kids in school not to have one. 

I was sure there was some mistake, but upon further investigation the childeren were telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Indeed the school had allowed a toy salesman to put on an assembly and were indeed now selling his $25 yo yo at the office. 

Much to my dismay the school not only admitted this but indeed seemed to be proud that they offered the children such an enjoyable time.  Mind you, this school is already under the supervision of the state, because they were in the bottom numbers on state wide tests three years ago. I suppose their answer to low test scores is having the children skip math and science class to watch yo yo demonstrations. It should also be mentioned that this demonstration was given the first week back to school  after a week long break and during a week when the children would be missing an entire day of classes to visit the circus. So basically, the children have missed two weeks of classes now. 

It is no wonder then that our schools fall behind the rest of the nation. How are our children to learn if they are attending non educational assemblys when they should be in class? What could be more distracting from school work than the office selling yo yos and the students walking the halls playing with their new toys?  

If the above was an answer as to our states education woes the answer to the nations economic problems was to come yesterday. The children having attended yet another assembly, though one for a much better cause, veteran’s day, came home with miniature Americian flags. After doing their homework we were watching a movie and the children were sitting in the floor. I noticed the oldest looking at his flag. When he saw me staring at him he said “Mom, isn’t this the Americian flag.” I responded thinking I was being clever, “No it is the US flag.”  To this he replied “But why does it say made in China then?”

 Surely enough, there printed right on the red white and blue were the dreaded words made in china.  How do you explain that to your child? How do you look them in the eye and tell them that we have exported all of the US jobs, even the making of our own flag to a country that not only owns us financially but that has imported many dangerous products into our country? I couldn’t find the words and lamely said ” A lot of things are made in China now.” With the voice of innocence he replied “But the US flag?” My heart broke as I replied “yes even that”.

How can we as a nation expect to prosper if we do not manufacture any products to sale? How can we survive if we ship all our jobs to forigen soil? How do we explain to our children that the symbol of their nation is “made in China”?

WAKE UP AMERICA!