I pledge allegiance, to the picture of the flag, of the United States of America.

At the beginning of every University Wide Council meeting held on the Boca campus, attendants at the meeting say the pledge of allegiance to a picture of an American flag. That’s because FAU doesn’t have enough flags for every room.

All that’s going to change by August 2005, thanks to a new Florida law that was passed unanimously by both the House and Senate, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Before people start thinking that I’m unpatriotic, I want to explain that I’m a pragmatist. This new law is anything but practical; in fact, it’s borderline silly. It’s a bad idea because badly-needed funds are going to be directed away from things that a university needs, to, instead, a symbol that everyone already knows (and has on their cars).

To comply with the flag law, Florida’s community colleges and state universities have to purchase more than 5,300 flags so that a United States flag is in every classroom. To purchase the flags, colleges and universities are expected to raise money on their own.

Busy fundraisers will have to shift their focus from drumming up donations to benefit the school with new buildings, new programs, and new professors to make sure they have enough flags to comply with the law. Flags can range from $8-$27. If they can’t get the money, then the institutions can tap into the state resources. The one saving grace is that colleges and universities aren’t allowed to touch state money for at least the first year.

FAU alone would need to raise from $4,800 to $16,200 for the more than 600 flags that they need. That’s money that could go to improving the libraries, hiring a part-time professor, or it could even have gone to a scholarship. But because of the new law, it’ll be flag money, instead.

It’s pretty sad to think that such a law passed unanimously without any forethought. Legislators are taking valuable time and resources away from universities, who will need their fundraisers to pick up the slack since the state contribution is often lacking.

Then there’s the maintenance cost of putting up the flags. That should be a hell of a task, considering that they can’t keep the elevators in Fleming Hall operating properly. And all of this fuss for what? It’s ironic – the very thing that is wrong with this one law symbolizes what is wrong with America.

I love this country, I just hate its politics. And it’s this simple-minded idea that we need to spend time making sure the symbolic things are emphasized – a flag in every room, “One nation, under God,” the Ten Commandments. But when it comes to daunting tasks that this country needs and that state universities need, politicians suddenly become pragmatists and decide that students can afford to spend more money on tuition and so on.

If the politicians would just give a damn about the changing needs of citizens rather than push their religious or cultural beliefs into the political arena, things would get done. Otherwise, over the next decade or so this country is going to find itself swirling down the drain.

Hell, if it’s a flag that the UWC needs to pledge to, I’ll be more than happy to spring for it. And not the cheap $8 one-I’ll put down a ten-spot.