A Quotable Quota

"But Knowledge to their eyes her ample page,
Rich with the spoils of time, did ne'er unroll;
Chill Penury repress'd their noble rage,
And froze the genial current of the soul.

Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air."
-Gray

there must be a balance between long-term and short-term solutions. while it is unfair for a student with neither affinity nor interest in a given subject to be given priority over others simply owing to the community s/he comes from, it is also unfair that only expensive private schools equip children well enough (steroids?) for the race of the rats. most children do not even have the privilege of completing middle school, though perhaps they are flowers on an unseen, unsmelled course through life..
Ultimately, as the above link will illuminate, "The paths of glory lead but to the grave". however, given democracy, may all be allowed to run in the race. the problem of course, is that the track gets crowded, and if the waterboys join-in into the race, who shall serve the athletes?