Do you ever wonder who gets together to come up with these things? The author sure does. Most of the state-themed quarters are pretty innocuous, even a nice changeup from the norm. They make the general claims and identify their state by what most know it. Texas has a lone star on it, Delaware has the first state, Washington references its natural beauty. The real issue arises when states make outlandish claims. In the crosshairs today is the great state of Iowa. Their quarter, minted in 2004 shows what appears to be a one room schoolhouse. A teacher is outside with some students, and they are planting a tree. In the background are rolling hills, and above the schoolhouse are emblazoned these words: "FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION."A couple of things really stick out here. First, the rolling hills seem to me a bit off for a place like Iowa. I've been there. It's flat. I must've missed the hills. I'll give them benefit of the doubt here.
The real issue though is the foundation of education part. I understand that Iowa stresses education, and they place relatively high in test scores, but for goodness' sake people! You were the 29th state. In the early years of this nation, you were considered "The West!" Maybe their education never prompted them to understand what foundation means. I like definition 5a the best: "A body or ground upon which something is built up or overlaid." Now I could maybe buy some of the foundation thing based on standardized testing, but when a place like Harvard was founded (and named Harvard) roughly 200 years before you became a state, the foundation tag just seems a bit off.
Personally, I would've gone with "fueling the future" (However ridiculous the actual proposition is) and had a picture of a person jamming some corn on the cob into a car's fuel tank. It would've been awesome. I was here all along Iowa, and you missed your chance to ask. "Foundation of education." Honestly!
Personally, I would've gone with "fueling the future" (However ridiculous the actual proposition is) and had a picture of a person jamming some corn on the cob into a car's fuel tank. It would've been awesome. I was here all along Iowa, and you missed your chance to ask. "Foundation of education." Honestly!
Next in the crosshairs: Indiana.
4 comments:
nice corn reference.
corn is always funny.
especially when combined with "jammed".
You leave Indiana out of this you big bully--besides, nobody knows or ever will know what a Hoosier is anyway.
But I can tell you that the state tree is the tulip tree, and that's a comforting thought.
"Fueling the future" would've been so sweet, with a guy in over-alls and a straw hat with no shirt or shoes cramming a full ear of yellow corn into a little VW or something...
I think there ought to be a state whose motto is, "Everybody wants to be a (fill in the blank)."
Or, "Cornhuskers got it goin' on."
Or "If you ain't a Buckeye, you suck."
Also, if there were a state whose motto was, "Maine: Because we're better than you is why." that would be fun.
Or along those same lines, "Massachusets: our collective I.Q. is like 135. Eat it, Kentucky."
As it is, I think if we had more commercials for states on tv, that would also be good. That way people would even begin to view a state as a conglomeration of products to be consumed rather than a place to live fruitful lives of service and love.
Tim, I'd never thought of the mud-slinging insult laden quarter. That's absolutely brilliant! Time for a new set of quarters. Watch out Ohio, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Illinois. I'm comin' for ya.
I am at work laughing my butt off, along with several of my co-workers....Thanks
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