Kids Living Behind Enemy Lines, Tale #32: Blue States' Public Schools Rob Students

The mighty Columbia River flows from Canada, southward through the middle of Washington, turns west at the Oregon border, then empties into the Pacific Ocean. It is six miles wide at its widest point and over 1,200 miles long. One cannot swim across any part of it because it flows too fast.

When I am traveling I enjoy talking to the locals; however, during my trip to Seattle two weeks ago I discovered something I was not expecting: America’s public school system is worse than I thought. My long time friend, Amy, flew from New Jersey to Seattle with her daughter, who is an executive with XXXXX, headquartered in Seattle. The daughter reserved a hotel room for me and I drove north to enjoy two days with them.^

Amy & I enjoying a delicious Taiwanese lunch in Seattle.

THE CASHIER ASKED ME A QUESTION

The evening before I was to take Amy to Sea-Tac Airport on my way back home, we went to Pike Place Chowder to buy their world famous clam chowder for my husband. The cashier, who appeared to be age 18-20, asked how far I would be transporting the chowder and he recommend I buy it already frozen. Perfect! I bought two. He asked where I lived and I replied “Oysterville, Washington, at the mouth of the Columbia River, 186 miles away.” He had a curious look on his face. “Where is the Columbia River?” he asked.

I politely pointed out that the Columbia River was huge and just 150 miles east of Seattle. It flows from British Columbia, south through the middle of the state, to the Oregon border where it turns west and flows into the Pacific Ocean, I told him. “I never heard of it,” he said. “Where did you go to high school,” I asked. He proudly replied “Thomas Jefferson High in Federal Way.” (Federal Way is a suburb of Seattle.) Obviously, this young man had been robbed of the decent education I received in Washington State two generations ago.

DIANE WAS ON A MISSION

Amy and I wanted to buy Danish. So, we went to a coffee bar a block from our hotel. Perhaps we looked out of place to the masked cashier, so he asked us where we were from. Amy said “New Jersey” and I said “Oysterville, Washington.” Apparently, he knew where New Jersey was, but not Oysterville. I replied “at the mouth of the Columbia River.” He replied “what does ‘mouth’ mean?” This man said he was from New York and looked about age 30 behind his mask. Apparently, both Washington State and New York State are robbing American children of the education that I had received.

Not one to give up, I tried one more time to find someone, anyone, in Seattle who had heard of the Columbia River. I wanted to put several items in my car, so Amy & I could make a quick getaway at four the next morning. I went to the parking attendant and asked him to bring my car around. As I was loading my stuff, I took the opportunity to ask this 20-something man “where is the Columbia River?” to which he replied “never heard of it?” I could have asked the hotel clerk, but I was afraid of the answer.

^Actually, I spent very little time with Amy’s daughter because her corporation expected her to work from 7AM to 10PM all week.