Vote early and often, I always say. So yesterday, I meandered down to the Wake County Board of Elections and voted, because county residents can cast ballots before Election Day at nine locations as a part of the state’s one-stop absentee voting program.

“Government has failed at levels — it is just that simple.” That was my mindset entering the polling station, “it is time to vote all the politicians out and start over.” I felt like Richard Pryor’s character in the 1985 film Brewster’s Millions, “What are you gonna vote? None of the above!”

Perhaps I am like many other Americans — I’m just fed up with the way things are going. And unfortunately the “proposed” solutions offer little hope for improvement. Even more perhaps, I’d rather government do nothing than attempt to resolve our state and nation’s problems.

On a local level, times are no different. Take for example the Wake County Public School System construction bonds. Wake County voters are to decide the fate of the school system’s $970 million construction and improvement package. The bonds are a part of larger $1.06 billion capital improvement program. The School Board and County Commissioners’ plan will increase property taxes — a 4.1-cent increase on the county’s rate of 60.4 cents per $100 of assessed value.

The system expects to gain 7,000 new students by next year and an additional 40,000 by 2010. Total enrollment in Wake County’s public schools will jump to more than 160,000 students. The last school bonds referendum coupled to a tax increase was in 1999. It failed by a large margin.

The school construction referendum should be defeated — sorry little Timmy. The public K-12 education system in this state and on a national level is flawed. Better yet — broken. The entire scheme needs reform and the only opportunity citizens have to express their dissatisfaction is to vote against the bonds.

I agree with the anti-bond lobbying committee, Wake Citizens for Quality Education, “vote yes on the bond and face huge debts, increased taxes, more reassignments and less choice in schools; vote no and force fundamental reform in the [public school system].”

And actually, reform is rather easy — simply cut the multiple and redundant layers of bureaucracy, leadership and administration. The number of players with their hands in the money pot is astronomical — principals, assistant superintendents, superintendents, the locally elected school board, county commissioners, the appointed state school board, the statewide elected office of State Superintendent, the Governor’s education advisers, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, the Governor, the General Assembly, the federal Department of Education, Congress and the President.

Where is the leadership and who is ultimately responsible for poor performance?

Unfortunately, education is the bastard child of politics. No politician really wants to improve the system. What local issue will elected officials use to scare people into voting?

Pro-bond groups like Friends of Wake County would like you to believe there is no alternative. “There are more than 128,000 students in the Wake County Public System. Our children’s future is on the line. Let’s not hurt them just to punish the politicians.” We have to “hurt” the politicians because they are to blame for the current situation. They refuse to implement change except when struck with scandal or lack of money.

My favorite argument from the Friends of Wake County is that “our schools are severely overcrowded; more than 1,000 mobile and modular units are in use.” There is nothing wrong with a mobile unit — a large segment of the N.C. population lives in manufactured housing. The arrogance and ignorance is astounding. When I was in school (not too long ago) the best classrooms were the mobile units. They were quiet, had plenty of space and most importantly, they had air conditioning.

The public school bureaucracy is a bloated behemoth and in dire need of change. I voted NO on the school bond question.

Don’t worry though. I’ll do my part — I’m donating a trailer to the cause.

Contact Andrew at viewpoint@technicianonline.com.