There's probably not a less exciting way to spend several hours of a holiday weekend or several hundred dollars than getting new tires, but there was a sale and there you have it. Hope they last the 80k miles they are supposed to. After tires we felt like a road trip to test quietness and smoothness, so headed over to Topton. In the heat of the day Jenelle took some rest, so I cleaned the insides of cars, which might have been more urgent than tires. Then lawn mowing, tree watering, and an evening run to Home Depot/Five Guys/Wegman's.

We talked a long time over burgers about how to incent(ivize?) children to go to school. Some states are fining parents for their truant kids. Brazil cuts off Bolsa Familia (welfare) if kids' attendance isn't exemplary. An Arkansan judge sentenced parents to jail time equal to their child's absences above the limit. We talked about a two-tier, two-phase system: cut welfare where applicable, tax income where it isn't; then in phase two send parents to community service days equal to days missed if the problem repeats in subsequent years. This is probably the over-zealous ranting of two education fanatics, but interesting conversation just the same.