Re-education camps

Are we re-educated yet?
When I voted in Ohio's May 2 primary, the new digital scanning machine at my Clifton polling place ate my ballot, paper-jamming the machine. Several times. Mystified poll workers finally gave up, manually fed my ballot through a mail-like slot in the side of the machine and said they'd have to call the Board of Elections for instructions.

Since then I've been impressed with the Board's Web site that is trying to re-educate Hamilton County voters in advance about the new voting system. You could download sample ballots, even practice in advance on the new machines at the main Post Office. But with new systems and new ID requirements, I've been getting a bad feeling about likely long delays, come Tuesday's election day.

I get similar feelings about airport security checkpoints. The new rules on liquids already have slowed search lines at big airports, and the Transportatation Security Administration is frantically trying to re-educate us on how to pack carry-on bags before the Thanksgiving holiday mobs show up. A few weeks ago on a flight out of CVG to New York, I got called out for putting my 3-ounce shaving stuff in a clear gallon-size zip-top bag instead of the required quart-size bag. Doesn't a larger bag just make it easier to see the items? Screeners also had to huddle with a supervisor because my wife's small cosmetics were stashed in a small clear zippered plastic cosmetic bag -- but it wasn't a food-type zip-top bag. Finally the supervisor graciously waved us through.

Are the new systems just exchanging one set of problems for a different set? Have you noticed wait lines at Kroger's do-it-yourself checkout scanners are starting to get as long as the live-cashier lines? Sunday, I went to a Kroger in a different neighborhood, and after I finished scanning my items, the electronic cashier voice asked me if I overlooked anything still in my shopping cart? I hadn't, but I confess I looked around for Big Brother? Is that recorded question neighborhood-specific?

Who cares about the candidates or smart shopping or wait times? The real question is -- Have we the untidy masses been re-educated?