aSmythe

Something similar happened in Buddhism. It started in India and was adopted by the emperor. It turned the country vegetarian. The Emperor even sent missionaries to China and elsewhere to spread the message. Then Hinduism had a revival in India. I'm fuzzy about the details. Aspects of the Buddhist philosophy remains, but the Hindu rituals came back. Much of the country also remained vegetarian. Meanwhile, the missionaries who had gone to China and elsewhere seem to have hit pay dirt. I am not sure how that happened.

Not really. "Man is a being of self-made soul". I am what I make myself. Welcome.

While school vouchers are not an ideal solution, some school choice is better than none. Remember that the government takes the money anyway. Then, it forcibly gives it state-run schools to preach a philosophy that is far more insidious than what one would find in a religous school. Also, the decision of *which* school is now made by the parents. Therefore, the philosophy imparted in schools will better reflect the philosophy of the parents. Given the choices in our neighbourhood, we decided to send our daugther to a catholic school. Certain teachers tell the kids about God and Jesus. It's all so silly that it is almost non-issue. (Really, the challenge is not in refuting such nonsense; rather, the challenge is in having my daughter continue to respect her teacher when she talks about non-religious topics.) One reason I would vote for Bush even if there was not "war on terror" is because he might take the country a few steps further toward increased parental choice in schooling.

Great thought. I could not agree more. These tax-methodology debates are distractions. Now, Bush says he is going to simplify the code. A waste of time. Reduce the rates and at some point who will care!