Sunshine!

 In keeping with my vision of a less-snarky Entropical Paadise, I would like to put forth the news of this bit of legislation coming from our friends in the Sunshine State.

Yes, I know this puts me at odds with so much of what goes on down in that pendulous appendage to the lower forty-eight, but when something good happens, I feel it bears mentioning. 

At least that's what I am trying to do. 

In a flurry of new Florida State laws set to go into effect over the coming year the lawmakers and governor have made many choices. I will steer away from some of those with which I wholeheartedly disagree, I will focus on the happy news: An education package that includes a ban on cellphone use by students during school hours. Once upon a time I am sure that visionaries imagined that encouraged a trend toward school kids having their own personal research devices were thrilled at the prospect of having a room full of Internet access. The immediate response of children with access to Al Gore's Internet was not to collect bookmarks to educational websites and content. They were in it for the YouTube. And the TikTok. And the games. Not unlike their adult counterparts. Most of all, they wanted to text each other. Not with the answers to this week's Algebra homework, but with the latest update on the happenings in the bathroom. 

So, I'm okay with that portion of the legislative agenda in Florida. The other educational themed codicil that allows those students who participate in marching band to receive physical education or performing arts credit. As a recovering member of the Boulder High School Marching Panthers, class of 1980, I might have graduated a semester early for all the time I spent hanging around in the band room. 

Okay. Then there was a whole lot of other mess much more in line with what we expect to come from Ron DeSantis and his lawmaking pals. But I'm not going into it now because I'm honorbound to try and shine a light on the good things. Even if they are very hard to find among the DeSantis Detritus.