Off The Cuff

Supreme Court Rulings Today

In the Supreme Court rulings today, they rejected school assignment plans. This affects Seattle and Louisville, Ky. As appears to be the usual case, it was a split 5-4 decision. The Court believed that those particular school systems went too far in trying to maintain the "racial diversity" they required.

Frankly, when it was necessary to change where children went to school because the black kids only went to black populated schools with black teachers and white students went to white populated schools with white teaches, it was a mostly great idea to bring the one to the other. Kids should be able to have better educations than the black kids were getting the way it was originally.

However, now days the schools are pretty much not-so-hot nationwide or so it seems. There are places where they are coming together with what is called "Magnet schools" that I have found to be excellent in most every way. They teach a curriculum that is forward thinking. They choose to see children as needing a higher form of education than sticking with "See Spot run" type elementary schools. If you can get the kids interested in school, they won't hate it or be bored. Challenge the child and you have a winner.

In another decision, they blocked the execution of a mentally ill prisoner with another 5-4 vote. I have to say that I must agree with that one. No mentally ill person should actually be executed because they simply do not understand the reality of what was done nor what will be done. It is not right. Grats to the Court for that decision in a state that would rather kill than seek other forms of punishment.

A 5-4 decision to abandon a 96 year old minimum price ban came out today as well. Manufacturers were setting minimum prices in agreements so that they would not have competition. The ban having been released, they are allowed to go back to that as long as it does promote competition in the products. If they have accusations of price fixing by a pact it will be evaluated on case by case basis from now on.