One of the ways a lot of bad ideas get turned into bad laws in this country is the congressional practice of attaching little things onto bigger legislation. One such rider attached to the 2005 appropriations is the brain child of the Senate's most senile member, Robert Byrd. The bill requires any school that receives federal funding to to offer a “Constitution Day” to commemorate the September 17 anniversary of the signing of the Constitution.

The federalist argument aside, this sounds like a noble, even commendable idea. Create a day in which students al lover the country celebrate and study the Constitution. However, no one who values the meaning of the Constitution, i.e. originalists, should be too cheered by the news.

Pretend you're back in school for a moment. Raise your hand if you think that most public school students will be taught the original meaning of the Constitution. If your hand is up, please report to the principal's office where your obliviousness will be recorded in your permanent record. Now raise your hand if you think that students will receive a yearly concentrated indoctrination on the Constitution as a “living document.” Those with your hands up my go to the head of the class and answer one more question. Raise your hand if you believe that is the objective this bill is designed to achieve.

And don't forget the whole federalist argument we set aside above. Raise your hand if you think the federal government should be dictating local school curriculum.

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 03:12 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment