o take state examinations to evaluate their competency. He also believes parents should be given a better interpretation of their children's grades by report cards that include: checklists, anecdotal comments, how attendance affects grades, how the grade point average was computed, what curriculum path the child is on, and increase the frequency of reporting (Lieberman 87). The United States government should also give better funding to schools that need repairs and new materials because our children are our most important asset of all.The nation's illegal drug industry is not only thriving among school age children, but across the entire population of the United States. The United States is the single largest market place for illegal drugs (Zill). About 13 million Americans claim to occasional drug use of cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, and other drugs, but about five million people have serious drug habits, spending over $500 a week to support their habits. These two groups of users spend $60 billion a year on illegal drugs (Zill). In 1999, "Americans spent $63.2 billion on illegal drugs, $37 billion on cocaine, $12 billion on heroin, $10.2 on marijuana, and $4 billion on other illegal drugs (Who are America's Drug Users?). This extremely large sum of money is collected in stash houses down south from Mexico to Columbia. All this money pays the salaries of shippers, processors, and bribes of government officials. Countries like Columbia and Mexico are almost dependent on the demand for drugs from the United States. The illegal drug industry stays intact because of its huge profit margins. Zill states that, Processed cocaine is available on the streets of Columbia for $1,500 per kilo and sold on the streets of America for as much as $66,000 per kilo. Heroin costs $2,600 per kilo in Pakistan, but can be sold on the streets of America for $130,000 per kilo. Methamphetamine are often even cheaper to manufacture costing approximat...
