The EVOLUTION OF A CENTRIST CONSERVATIVE

Recently a friend of mine mentioned that I seemed to have changed political directions since college. My views have changed a little, I guess. 3 years in Law school really impressed upon me the need for restraint in government. We studied over and over and over the messes made by overzealous, unrestrained legislatures and executive powers. I'll admit that many of my professors were conservative, but I never felt as if the information we were getting was entirely one sided.
In addition to the time in law school, my views have been shaped by paying taxes, owning a small business, and raising and educating kids. I feel that small business should be encouraged, and that currently it is somewhat penalized. We pay many of the same taxes as the big corporations, but receive many fewer benefits. I worry that our new president doesn't see the difference between Corporations and Corporate America.
Educationally speaking, I think No Child Left Behind is a monumental debauchle that has left All Children Behind--because the focus on Test scores has left all children lacking in essential programs like gifted and talented, music, physical education and art. We have never, as a nation hoped to turn out students who can do basic math and read at a base level. We Americans teach children to reach for the stars in whatever field they choose and we let them get a feel for what they're good at by giving them opportunities to stretch and try new things.
I am all for accountability. It is a good thing. THE NCLB accountability, however, penalizes fantastic schools who make the best use of every penny they have when they don't make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). There are 40+ areas of accountability and if even 1 of those areas is inadequate the school is deemed to have not met AYP. THis is ludicrous. In effect it penalizes schools for their location. In S. Utah, for example there is a huge migrant population. They move in throughout the year and because they're registered at the school, they must be tested and meet these AYP standards despite the fact that they often don't speak enough English to be tested sufficiently. This is just one example. So many others abound. My children's schools have regularly met AYP in all but 1 area of NCLB and been considered a "failing" school. But they are given no credit for eeking out an amazing choir with no money or after school programs that enrich everybody's life. Instead teachers teach to a test, a lowest common denominator, and our energized, excited kids get ignored because teacher has more pressing needs. I guess you can tell I'm a little passionate about this subject.
So maybe I have changed a little, but not substantially. I'm still a closet quasi-feminist. I still strive to be eco-friendly. And I still think Conservative talk show hosts are arrogant and vitriolic. Maybe not so different after all.