driving south on 57: an unexpected economic microcosm...

I made a quick jaunt to Nashvegas last Saturday under the pretense of seeking tax advice. Really it was an excuse to see the fam and vacate my RNR lifestyle in the Lou for ~24 hrs. Driving my 11 YO standard transmission with no cruise control, tape deck, or functional windshield wipers may not sound like a joy ride to you, but I love a chance to unplug for a few hours. It's quality contemplation time.

There's one spot on the drive in Illinois, where the highway acts as a divider between worlds: to the east, a minimum security prison. To the west, a junior college. Maybe it was the fact that I was thinking about my W2s. Or the recent spate of worries about what the heck I'm going to do with my house when I defend my thesis come December. But for whatever reason, on this occasion I was really struck by the scene. Are these really the two choices that people face in our society: education or criminalization? They seem to be exquisitely linked. Looking at the demographics of the current unemployment numbers (at the highest levels since 1983! Whee!) one sees that minorities with less education are more affected. Does that leave these individuals more "at risk" for our massively costly criminal justice system? It's likely. But in today's economy, is one that much worse off than the other? What with lawyers being laid off in droves, professional degrees, let alone 2 year-trained semi-truck mechanics, seem to be not worth much weight. So is this the choice of today's working class youth? Community college vs. being locked up... Fans of season 4 of the Wire would recognize that both of these are "systems" in which individuals learn the rules to engage in that particular world. Think Namond Brice.

Given that it's a good year for the GWB's of the world to get into college, we have a ways to go before there is economic parity in education. And if education level dictates economic standing, especially in hard times, there's a good chance that without a massive change in how we teach (or another choice besides the east or west side of I-57) this will continue to be a never-ending cycle.