Clay Aiken, the Raleigh native famous for being an American Almost-Idol, used his Web site to offer some thoughts on the recent election that dramatically altered the makeup of the Wake County school board. Here is Clay’s analysis, in its entirety:

What happened to Wake County Schools?!?1 Now that i have a kid i am so much more invested and I am EXTREMELY disappointed that so many selfish idiots ran and won seats on the school board. i hope we can get rid of them as soon as possible before they ruin my school system. Idiots.

Yes, why tinker with a school system that can instill such critical thinking skills, not to mention a free-spirited approach to grammar, in its students? (I wonder which of Clay’s local English teachers would like to take credit for showing him how to alternate question marks and exclamation points for emphasis?) But I digress. The more pertinent question is, Why did Clay’s comment end up on the front page of the News & Observer last week? Editor John Drescher later explained the rationale:

The front page should be a lively mix of stories including traditional news as well as stories on the arts, religion, culture and sports.

There’s a place too for stories of humor, quirkiness and inspiration. Some stories should make the front page simply because people will talk about the story, what we call a “talker.”

That was the case with the Aiken story.

But as Drescher noted, even Clay’s mother thought it was a bad call:

Among those objecting was Aiken’s mother, Faye Parker.

“I find it so interesting that you and your reporters waste time on the opinion of others that are posted on a private site,” Parker, who lives in Wake County, wrote in an e-mail. “If Clay Aiken was not a celebrity, would you give a ‘hoot’ about his opinion?”

I’ve got to go with Mom on this matter. Most celebrity utterances should be ignored. Being famous is not the same thing as being smart, insightful, thoughtful or helpful. Political comments of the same fine quality as Aiken’s are routinely made by dozens of average citizens on the N&O’s Web site every day. But the paper doesn’t highlight them on the front page (thank God).

Besides, Drescher himself inadvertently revealed the soft underbelly of his argument. The story was indeed a “talker” — but by his account, it was because “riled” readers “didn’t think the story belonged on the front page.”

In other words, what was most being talked about was the N&O’s bad judgment. Not the kind of “talker” Drescher had in mind, I imagine.

The relationship between the chancellor of Washington’s troubled school system and its teachers has deteriorated badly over the issue of tenure, the Wall Street Journal reports. How troubled are D.C.’s schools? According to the Journal:

The chancellor of Washington’s school system, Michelle Rhee, is wrestling with one of the most expensive, worst performing school systems in the country. The dropout rate has hit 40%, and the cost per student is $14,000 a year. Buildings are crumbling and thousands of parents have abandoned the system, which serves about 45,000 students.

But fixing the system involves weeding out underperforming teachers — and that requires an end to the tenure system, which the powerful teachers’ union opposes. As a result, the standoff

… has turned into a grudge match between Ms. Rhee and Randi Weingarten, head of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers, which has intervened directly in the local contract dispute. Ms. Rhee “has so poisoned the environment that I am not sure that we can ever get back to a good situation here,” said Ms. Weingarten.

Well, here’s Step 1: Focus on what’s best for students, not what’s best for teachers.

… that 20 percent of tax revenue in New York state comes from Wall Street. Now that government officials have capped pay at some financial firms and discouraged bonuses, the money that would have gone to individuals will instead stay on the corporate books as profit. However, corporations are taxed at significantly lower rates than individuals — meaning that cash-strapped New York (which already has a $3.2 billion state budget deficit) will sink even deeper into the hole. If you were a New York resident, would you be OK with a tax increase to make up for the revenue shortfall caused by the pay limits imposed on rich people? (Source here.)

… that in the first nine and a half months of his term, President Obama authorized the CIA to launch at least 41 drone missile strikes in Pakistan. In contrast, it took George Bush his final three years in office to reach that same level of strikes (which are considered by some to be violations of international law). Estimates of the number of people killed in Obama-sanctioned missile strikes, a significant number of which were civilians and children, range from 326 to 538. Examine your feelings about Bush and Obama, then adjust accordingly. (Source here.)

… that if football players didn’t wear helmets during games, they’d suffer fewer head injuries. Players in the Australian Football League — who play American-style football, but without helmets or extensive padding — suffer far fewer blows to the head. Studies have shown that helmet-wearing NFL players are 25 percent more likely to suffer head injuries than their bareheaded Aussie counterparts. (Source here.)