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As featured on p. 218 of "Bloggers on the Bus," under the name "a MyDD blogger."

Thursday, August 04, 2005

So let's teach communism in schools, then

Before leaving for yet another vacation (and I hear he's taking a break during to vacation to visit his "vacation vacation" ranch), The President said in an interview with several newspapers that he believed Intelligent Design should be taught in the classroom, side-by-side with evolution.

Recalling his days as Texas governor, Mr. Bush said in the interview, according to a transcript, "I felt like both sides ought to be properly taught." Asked again by a reporter whether he believed that both sides in the debate between evolution and intelligent design should be taught in the schools, Mr. Bush replied that he did, "so people can understand what the debate is about."

Mr. Bush was pressed as to whether he accepted the view that intelligent design was an alternative to evolution, but he did not directly answer. "I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought," he said, adding that "you're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, and the answer is yes."


In other words, in a perfectly free marketplace of ideas, all theories and concepts deserve equal weight.

OK.

So I suggest we start teaching communism in economics and social studies classes, in junior high school and high school, as a viable economic theory, so people can understand what the debate is about. I mean, a few people out there believe that a full distribution of wealth and collectivist central authority leads to more societal harmony, and a communitarian interdependence, not to mention the elimination of poverty. It's a nice little theory. Hasn't worked in practice for the most part in human history, mind you, but on paper it looks just dandy. So we should teach it to all American children. Children should be exposed to different ideas, and they can sort it out for themselves.

While we're on the subject: chemistry classes absolutely should teach kids about the medicinal value of marijuana. Many prominent scientists believe mmarijuana use is effective at treating a variety of diseases and ailments. Other doctors disagree. It should be brought into the classroom so 9 year-olds can be exposed to the debate and make up their own minds. Because there's nobody better at analyzing and discerning both sides of a debate than 9 year-old kids.

P.S. This guy at Outside the Beltway is on the same wavelength.

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