4 NOV 05: DUMB AND DUMBER?
A study released Thursday dares to rank the "smartest" of all 50 states. Of course, if you're surprised to learn there are more than 48 states, you're hurting your state's score....
The survey comes from Morgan Quitno Press of Lawrence, Kansas. That's the city where I went to college -- and considering Kansas ranks above both Alabama and Georgia in the survey, people around Columbus should pay very close attention. Assuming, of course, they want to learn something....
The actual title of this survey is "Education State Rankings," because it's based on studies of public school systems. It considers everything from high school dropout rates to class sizes. So does a small class mean better education for students - or simply that all the deadbeats left?
Based on 21 different factors, the Morgan Quitno survey concludes Vermont is the smartest state of all. That's exactly what this country needs - something else to inflate Howard Dean's ego.
So where do our area states stand in this survey? The answer may disappoint you. Georgia is the 40th smartest state of the 50, while Alabama is 43rd. If you read that and said to yourself, "Wow, they're both in the bottom ten" -- you just proved the survey is accurate.
I heard a parent say on TV news the other night Alabama has a reputation for not having very good schools. But I think that varies from district to district. Auburn City Schools tend to have a good reputation - while some Russell County parents are still talking about that school strip search awhile back.
One flaw of this survey to me seems to be that it focuses only on public schools. If a higher percentage of students attends private or home schools, a state might actually be smarter - especially since it's hard to flunk out of your own family at age nine or ten.
As it happened, Phenix City's school board held a tense gathering Thursday. The issue was NOT test scores, but reorganizing the district to have "middle schools" instead of one junior high and one intermediate school. The concern here is obvious -- since most of these children aren't used to shuffling, from owning iPods.
Some parents are concerned the creation of two middle schools in Phenix City will lead to segregation, since the schools are on opposite sides of town. But aren't these parents overlooking something? The Phenix City district has only one high school, where they'll all eventually go.
(Of course, some Phenix City families resolved the segregation question a long time ago. It's called Glenwood School.)
One Phenix City parent says children need to be exposed to a variety of cultures, as they grow up. That's absolutely true - and we can thank the Wal-Mart SuperCenter for making that possible 24 hours a day.
The proposed reorganization never came to a vote Thursday - because Phenix City School Board President Eddie Lowe refused to gavel a special meeting to order. He wants more time to inform people about what's at stake. All Mr. Lowe had to do was e-mail me a fact sheet....
But back to the survey: to be fair, we should note some of the states which placed below both Georgia and Alabama in the Morgan Quitno rankings:
+ 44. Alaska. At least Alabama residents are smart enough to stay away from all that cold weather.
+ 46. California. That's really no surprise - since people there elect movie stars as Governors.
+ 50. Arizona. If they can't figure out how to build a fence along the Mexican border....
THE BIG BLOG QUESTION simply cannot resist getting your input on this. Which state really is smarter - Alabama or Georgia? Please leave a comment explaining your answer. Does next weekend's Auburn-Georgia college football showdown have anything to do with your decision?
E-MAIL UPDATE: Our Thursday mention of new fees at the St. Luke Ministry Center brought this response, from a blog reader in the Midwest:
Obviously the answer why basketball players are charged and joggers aren't is racism since basketball is predominately black and most joggers are white.
Just joking ...
You may be joking, Buck, but there are plenty of people in Columbus who might agree with you. I'll let you know if you get quoted at a Rainbow/PUSH news conference.
Now for other items we caught on the rebound Thursday:
+ Which driver for "Pop-A-Lock" had what looked like a tall can of beer on the roof of his car, in the Historic District? Is this driver doing "pop-a-tops" on the side?
+ Third Brigade Major Steve Warren revealed Fort Benning soldiers in Iraq have received updated instructions on when they'll be coming home. He said he could NOT reveal details, for strategic reasons -- so you'll have to study the soldiers' smiles very carefully.
+ National Public Radio reported two big shareholders are demanding the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain be sold to another company. That's the chain which owns the Ledger-Enquirer - so if you angry WRCG TalkLine callers can pool your money, this could be your big moment.
+ WRBL's Blaine Stewart revealed online that the station has dropped his weekly "Restaurant Report Card." So what was the final grade on it from his bosses - 70? 80? 92?
+ An evening jog revealed Phenix City has installed giant lit snowflakes above its Riverwalk. Compared with Columbus putting up wreaths last week, Phenix City is behind the times again....
CORRECTED: + The jog also uncovered something different near downtown Columbus. The Oscar Meyer "Weiner-mobile" was parked at 8th and Broadway. But somehow I expected that vehicle to be bigger than it was. Maybe it's promoting chili cheese pups at Krystal?!
(I'm assuming the Weiner-mobile is in town for Saturday's Albany State-Fort Valley State football game. To have it parked around the horses at the Callaway Gardens Steeplechase might send a very wrong message.)
+ The Level Plains, Alabama police force was laid off indefinitely, because the town lacks money to put gas in patrol cars. That sigh of relief you heard came from police departments in nearby towns such as Enterprise....
+ Instant Message to BellSouth: How bland and generic can your new phone book be? You show simply an eagle and a flag on the cover. Have you run out of Columbus landmarks for picture-taking?
(And by the way -- where have you gone, Irvin Zyskind? After all these years, he's no longer the last name in the Columbus white pages. I'm not sure if he moved out of town, or got tired of people calling him out of curiosity.)
SONG OF THE DAY: Former Vice Presidential Chief of Staff I. Lewis Libby pleaded NOT guilty to felony charges in Washington. Libby appeared on crutches with a broken foot - so he'll have trouble dancing to our new version of "Boot Scootin' Boogie:"
To invade Iraq, some folks took it to the line -
Then someone went too far, talking with The New York Times.
A reporter went to jail for weeks, before it all went down.
They formed a grand jury, which heard from Karl Rove.
Then somebody else got the shove -
Let's boot Scooter Libby!
Oh, who named Valerie Plame?
Whoever did, it's a shame -- boot Scooter!
Don't say any day/ who's with the C.I.A.
No names, Libby.
Bob Novak knew jack,
Then turned his back - to boot Scooter Libby!
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UPDATE 2....