Now we probably have more education and urban dwelling, but our people are largely undisciplined, far more self centered and uncohesive. The draft is coming and that will be very interesting. You will know the draft is coming when the policy against gays in the military is recinded. Economic instability of the magnitude we are moving into typically means a war.

School policy in such an environment will change also. People will want their kids to have a better chance of staying alive in the new reality. Priorities are about to change.

This bail out nonsense – which isn’t going to “save” the economy at all (not that we shouldn’t do some bail outs) is a really big event. And it will affect public schooling – quickly. Envision $10+ gas.

Hunkering Down means changing a lot of things. Re-engineering the labor flow as well as purchasing and consumption in school operations. Change is coming – hours and days of operation, class offerings and class size, discontinuation of programs, campuses and relocation of operations… I suspect the teachers are going to be put through a very unpleasant time of wrenching change. And as far as the students go: Triage.

I’m often entertained by the ‘Manhattan Project’ analogies used to underscore the “can do” spirit of Americans, as through present day Americans have anything in common with WWII era Americans. It’s like comparing disciplined athletes with the likes of Homer Simpson. Too many enchiladas at the diversity party and other political self indulgences can sure devastate a nation’s fiscal (etc.) waist line.

Hey gringo! Shut up and pass the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ ADA green sauce!

Oops! Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend. Please excuse me. Pleeeeeeeeeeease!

Re-engineering the work flow would help but the Urban Public Schools are likely incapable of significant change in the time they have to do it.

All this means the newer schools and the Charters will have additional advantages they didn’t have in more stable times.

You will see more change and upheaval in the The sun will always rise in the morning but the Can-do attitude we saw during the upheaval of WWII is nowhere in sight. And whatever is coming will be just as profound. What is not being spoken of is a series of radid cascading failures through the nation, collapse of the auto makers, airlines, banks, retail chains and other large economic systems and industries.

Who would have thought that failure to intercept and control Saudi-born enemy soldiers – Mohammad Atta’s merry men – would have led to this economic havock with a single enemy strike budgeted at less than a half million dollars?