Student Leaders are off to the legislature.

APS is taking our best and brightest young leaders
on a field trip to the legislature to learn what, exactly?

According to the APS website >>link<<

The group of about 26 student leaders
and faculty advisors representing eight
Albuquerque Public Schools high schools
will travel to Santa Fe early Friday morning
to see state legislators in action...

They will miss a day of school, subs will be hired,
maybe a bus, meals, whatever.

There will be substantial amounts of time and energy
and resources invested in perhaps a dozen
of Albuquerque's most promising young people;
our future community and political leaders.

And the trip would be will worth the investment
if the young leaders go back to their schools
and galvanized their classmates into political action,

in outrage over learning that the power and resources
that they entrust to their government,
are being doled out to lobbyists who just bought
$840,000 worth of grease with legislators, politicians,
and public servants in Santa Fe.

And in outrage over learning that the legislature has
no intention of passing any meaningful ethics reform.
They never have, and they never will.

Or,

will some senior representative of state government,
perhaps Governor Bill Richardson himself,
step up to a podium and explain to those children,

the good and ethical reason why

in their lives, students are held accountable
to meaningful standards of conduct and competence,

because we believe that, that is in their best interests,
and in the best interests of their community.

But their role models in public schools and government
some of the senior most roles in their community
are not honestly accountable
to any standards of conduct and competence at all.

Not even for the measly few hours a day,

they exercise our power, and spend our resources.

Or,

will they get to go on a bus ride
and check out some really cool buildings?