Compulsory

When I took children's literature, I went to Powell's books on a Saturday morning, pulled up a chair and read this book:

It has remained with me.  I was very impressed with it. 

Today, I found it at the library.  I checked it out and Inmate#1 read it out loud in the car.  It has been passed around our house.  I tried to stress that the things that happened in this book weren't that long ago.  Many of them were during my lifetime.

One word that recurs in this book is "compulsory."  This word is bothering me.  Does it seem to anyone else that this word is becoming more familiar in American life?

I took one of my kids to the doctor the other day.  They asked for his race and ethnicity.  At the time, this didn't really bother me, but then I remember the conversation I'd had with the Warden a number of months back about how schools are also supposed to report the race and ethnicity of each and every one of their students.  It's not a choice.  It is COMPULSORY.  This BOTHERS me!  If the schools don't report it, they lose out on their governmental funding.  If someone refuses to report, the principal then has the responsibility to guess and report it.

A little note to Josh:  I know how you feel about this, and I'm good with you thinking what you want.  It still bothers me.  I can't put my finger on it.  I guess it's the whole government in my business thing.  Maybe it's the rebel in me, but I still don't agree with it at all.