Rightly or wrongly, the demise of indoor malls across America has been well chronicled in the last couple of years. Rushmore Mall in Rapid City, South Dakota, which is being threatened by a nearby one–a more trendy, outdoor shopping venue–is no exception.
Ironically, Rushmore Mall could be converted into a very trendy technical high school campus. It already has the promenade that young people find so alluring. The stores would make excellent classrooms, laboratories, and offices. It’s centrally located right off I-90, with acres of parking and space to lease for technology company relocations.
Supporters of IM 25 correctly argue that “The cost of a technical education in South Dakota is driving away our young people and our future workforce. Without enough skilled workers, our state’s companies can’t take on more business and new companies won’t even consider relocating to the state.” Yes, but science and technology schooling is far more central to education itself than to economic development.
Sadly, people of all ages, students included, hardly know the fundamental concepts of science, as double-blind testing of our citizenry would certainly reveal. Look at the high wages that repair people now charge clueless consumers whose products fail. Welfare and other safety-net payouts to the working class mean that the do-it-yourself mentality isn’t as strong as it used to be in past generations.
Vote No on IM 25 folks actually do get some things right. We should generally be “South Dakotans Against Higher Taxes” and (hopefully) “It gives NOTHING to preschools, K-12 public schools or four-year universities.” By and large, bolstering preschools weakens families. And K-12 public schools and four-year universities have, in recent decades taken a decidedly leftward turn, with both faculty and staff having become Democratic Party operatives. Liberal professors now train liberal school teachers. Of course, any paper trail admitting this has been wisely kept out of public discourse.
Disclosure: My top 3 favorite full-year courses came in junior high school: wood shop in 7th grade, metal shop in 8th grade, and electric shop in 9th. More such emphasis in secondary education prepared me in many ways for higher education and life itself. These courses serve as natural feeder paths into college and industry and apprenticeships as well.
Photo shows a flashmob (Prima School of Dancing) at Rushmore Mall
