we could worry about. (And I think personally we run into a disproportionately large number of them in hsing circles and that may warp our perceptions about the real influence they have. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking. )

But moving to which political candidate I can get enthused about. . .

Which one, if any, has any idea that learning is separate from schooling? That education is an important thing and was long before unions or Christianity or science classwork.

Who is willing to stand up and say he sees the connections between putting up with cruelty in the classroom (today's FCAR list had a pip of a post from a parent wondering how to help his gifted son who is deeply distraught over the unrelenting pressure of the FCAT -- one tiny example of the dehumanizing circumstances we put children through every day) and calling that progress because more kids manage to survive meaningless testing (or drop out but never mind about them.. . ) and what other cruelties we are willing to put up with.

War, yep, that's one. People freezing -- to death! -- in the United States. Every winter. It happens every winter and we put up with it.

Homelessness and hunger and lack of healthcare -- and we put up with it.

Which candidate can learn from any of this and lead us to value learning so we can do better by our fellow citizens.

I'm not talking about giving everyone a spanking new house or free food or anything "radical" like that. I'm talking about ideas like the original suggestion that community colleges could be better utilized.

Yep, they could be. But not in the oh-so-limited worldview that hopes every Mom out there can get her AA so she can be a nurse some day.

There has to be more to out abilities than this sort of paltry response!

Which political candidate is brave enough to be bold, to have big ideas, to inspire long-term thinking, and value learning and education for all they bring to us -- not just determining the teachers' salaries when they can drill the kids well enough on this year's crappy test.

Nance