Thursday, October 22, 2009

Shoot Me Now.........

The leaves slowly begin to turn, the smell of burning leaves fills the air, the crispness of the cold windburns the cheeks, and the school board settles in for a long winter nap. In preparation of the nap the faithful turn on City TV and watch a school board meeting. (A definite cure for insomnia) As the viewers settle into their cozy chairs with blankets tightly around their legs, hot chocolate in hand, they turn on what has to be the most boring show in the world. Doesn’t even one of the board members wants to stand up and shout, “What the hell are we doing, and why does it matter!”
Perhaps the most absurd of the actions is the part about rewriting the policy manual. Who ever put Polhamus in charge of that ought to have their head examined. He bored them to death at DCC and now he has a media audience to bore to death. For the hundredth time READING A POLICY INTO THE RECORD IS A ROBERTS RULE OF ORDER PHRASE THAT DOES NOT MEAN TO LITERALLY READ IT INTO THE RECORD!!! Phew finally got that out of my system.
Recently I contacted a former state board member and former board chairman of a local Virginia board and related what was happening at the meetings. The conversation went like this after I explained what they were doing.

Board Member: “Your kidding, he’s really reading all the policies?”
Centurian: Yes, as far as I know he reads a portion at every meeting.”
Board Member: “And the other members don’t say anything?”
Centurian: “Obviously not or they don’t know any better.”
Board Member: “ So he believes reading into the record means you have to physically read the policy?”
Centurian: “He thinks so.”
Board Member: “Has anyone ever told him the phrase simply means that the policy just needs to be entered into the official minutes of the meeting?”
Centurian: “I assume someone has told him that.”
Board Meeting: “Jeez don’t invite me to any of his meetings…..”
Centurian” “Believe me nobody goes unless they are required to attend.”

So again DPS is known on the state level as a place where common sense takes a back seat. I’m just utterly surprised some one doesn’t just reach over and slap him. Sure hope they never want to enter “War and Peace” into the record. They may be there for days.

And as the viewer slowly raises their cup of hot chocolate and throws it through the TV screen a smile creeps over their face and they murmur, “Put THAT into the record” and clicks the channel over to wrestling. At least that is believable.