June 10, 2003
		The Mercury News publishes something idiotic and I think, "It can't get any dumber than this."  Yes it can.   And it does.  A dufus who specializes in Latino issues named Joe Rodriguez landed a job with editorial board.  One would think he would be livid with the state of government schools and their ineptitude, especially for poor, inner city schools that his community finds itself subject to in uncomfortably large numbers.  Their abject failure to perform even a below average job at its one and only task - educating students - is not a target for Joe's wrath.  No, he's steamed that the state of California would require that students approaching their senior year pass a competency exam in English and Math.  The nerve! He writes specifically about one young woman who has tanked on the math portion four times and is questioning her abilities.  His brilliant recommendation: lose the test.  That's right, let's kill the messenger.   The insanity continues. I reply to Mr. Rodriguez below.  I was hoping to engage in a debate about the merits of his solution, but he's too busy eliminating those nasty tests from schools, lest we damage someone's self-esteem. By the way, the state decided to delay further competency tests shortly after my letter.  Ignorance is bliss.
		Dear Mr. Rodriguez, Your article about Sandra Yanez defies description.  I can only shake my head in wonderment at the folly of your thinking.  A girl fails to pass a dumbed-down test and her confidence is suffering.  The liberal solution: it's the test's fault.  Let's get rid of it! The reality is that she's mired in a criminally negligent government school system run by corrupt administrators.  They have a state-mandated monopoly, a captive audience, and a steady revenue flow.   There is no incentive to improve the service, because revenue is completely disconnected from performance (and you want to eliminate the means to measure it).  If I were to devise a system to unleash a generation of dolts on American society, I'd be hard-pressed to improve on the present model. But no.  Let's not cast blame on Sandra, her parents, or the day care prison she is attending.  It must be a lack of revenue.  If only we spent more money telling the Sandras of the world that they're doing wonderfully, all would be well. Do you really believe the stuff you write?