Back-to-$chool Time! +Curtis Kekoa III August 2, 2005 Just recently I took a trip to my local Walmart for, basically, whatever my heart desired since the place had just about everything under the sun.  And normally when I go to Walmart, I bypass - mentally and emotionally - all the junk and hoopla by the entrance which beckon patrons to buy more of this and that.   Of course, I can't blame Walmart for doing this - it should, it's a business.   When it's April, reminders of Memorial Day adorn Walmart's walls along with charcoal, patio furniture and coolers.  After Memorial Day, Independence Day takes center stage as well as Chinese-made American Flags.  And as soon as the Fourth passes, the back-to-school rampage kicks in complete with frustrated parents and their out of control children who whine and cry until they get what they want. I don't send my children to a government school - I homeschool them like any normal, loving parent would.  So, I wouldn't have been aware of "back-to-school" if Walmart didn't notify me of it - and goodness-gracious me, was I notified.  I couldn't "bypass" the back-to-school bit like I could everything else.  Frankly, the back-to-school advertising was done very well, and I'm sure the bulk of it was pointed towards the children rather than parents.  Good for Walmart to do such a thing: take advantage of the fact most parents are slaves to their children who get what they want when they want.  Otherwise, mom and dad get the wrath of their children.  And leave it to Walmart to be so kind as to make sure mom, dad and kid don't forget a single back-to-school item for that first day of school.  Lest the kid become a pariah for bringing a box of 64 Roseart-brand crayons instead of the government-mandated box of 48 Crayola crayons, Walmart provided supply lists directly from each area-school for each grade, conveniently and conspicuously located at a kiosk made especially for School Supply List distribution. Being the fanatic I am about government schools coupled with the fact I don't send my kids to one, I thought it would be amusing to check Walmart's prices of the supplies on just one list:  4th Grade, Rocky Mountain Elementary School, Northglenn, CO.  Here are the prices after running the Gauntlet: 1 - Yellow pocket folder  - $1.44 2 - Blue pocket folders - $2.88 1 - Purple pocket folder - $1.44 1 - Black pocket folder - $1.44 2 - Plastic pocket folders - $1.64 2 - Blue spiral notebooks - $7.84 1 - Pair of sharp scissors - $5.97 1 - Pencil Box - $1.17 1 - Box of markers (skinny preferred) - $6.97 2 - Box of colored pencils (24 count) - $4.94 3 - Packages of #2 pencils - $4.41 1 - Pink eraser - $2.74 1 - Box of tissue - $2.32 Boys Only 1 box of gallon size zip-lock bags  - $1.17 (17-count) Girls Only 1 box of quart size zip-lock bags - $2.68 (40-count) Recommended Backpack - $19.88 Mechanical Pencils and Lead - $5.56 1 box of baby or disinfectant wipes - $4.47 (70-count) Knowing you're sending your kid into humanism's playground to have his mind destroyed:   PRICELE$$ Add tax of 8% to the whole deal for a total of $85.27.  Feels good, doesn't it?  One assumes that with our brave president's multi-billion dollar "No Child Left Without A Mind" Act, the public schools could pick up the tab.  No.  And this total is modest for it doesn't take into account items such as paper, clothes, shoes or that cell phone so the kid can go back to school in style.  And don't forget the mercury-filled immunizations "required" by government schools.  The total goes up even more for those families with multiple children.  Sheesh - I'd rather take my family of five out to dinner - twice. Happy shopping.
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