Too Cool For School

Utah's anti-knowledge Republicans continue the crusade to dumb down the public.  After all, a stupid public is a compliant public that does what you want them to do.

At Utah's West Jordan High School, the halls have swirled lately with debate over the merits of 12th grade:

Is it a waste of time? Are students ready for the real world at 17?

For student body president J.D. Williams, 18, the answer to both questions is a resounding no. "I need this year," he said, adding that most of his classmates felt the same way.

The sudden buzz over the relative value of senior year stems from a recent proposal by state Sen. Chris Buttars that Utah make a dent in its budget gap by eliminating the 12th grade.

Yep, that's the GOP's brilliant plan to save money:  eliminate the entire Senior year in high school.  Give Utah's students a head start on those Wal-Mart associate and Burger King cashier positions!  You don't need book smarts to ask "Would you like onion rings or a drink with that?"

Needless to say, that didn't go over too well, even in anti-thinking Utah.

The notion quickly gained some traction among supporters who agreed with the Republican's assessment that many seniors frittered away their final year of high school, but faced vehement opposition from other quarters, including in his hometown of West Jordan.

"My parents are against it," Williams said. "All the teachers at the school are against it. I'm against it."

Buttars has since toned down the idea, suggesting instead that senior year become optional for students who complete their required credits early. He estimated the move could save up to $60 million, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.


The proposal comes as the state faces a $700-million shortfall and reflects the creativity -- or desperation -- of lawmakers.

No offense, but that's called "early graduation" there, genius.  It's been around for a while now.  How will that save Utah $60 million a year?  Aren't the students already smart enough to graduate early getting out to begin with?  Are Utah's graduation standards so lax that $60 million worth of kids are able to cut out early?

None of this makes any sense.  Unless you dig a little deeper...

Whether the plan proves viable, it does raise a valid point about "senioritis," said William Sederburg, the state commissioner of higher education. "The thing that Sen. Buttars tapped into is that too many seniors take the senior year off," he said.

Ahh.  Utah's tax shortfall?  High school students' fault.  The bastards, soaking up our tax dollars to slack off and text and tweet each other in class.  They should be out in the work force paying taxes so the Baby Boomers can get Social Security and Medicare.

Republicans.  The party of "I got mine.  Screw you."  Even high school is too socialist for them to support anymore.