Organization: Rowan College of New Jersey
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Thu, 21 Jan 1993 20:43:01 -0500
From:         Dr Nancy's Sweetie <kilroy@GBORO.ROWAN.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Countries Turning to God

In a previous article, I wrote that (in a democracy) the government follows
the people, not the other way around.  John R Laplante has replied, saying

> "Dr Nancy's Sweetie" neglects the role that education plays in shaping
> the culture -- and to a large extent, the government -- and WHO is
> in it, shapes the educational establishment.

But again, who elected the people that shaped the educational system?   If
the original changes had been against the wishes of most people, they would
have been un-done.  It only takes 2/3 of the people to repeal or add a
Constitutional amendment; if 2/3 of the people were upset about "taking the
Bible out of school", they could have done something about it in the ensuing
thirty years.

However, let's suppose that it's too late to do anything about the public
schools.  Christians command enormous wealth in the US; enough to fund private
schools for every child below college age, with no tuition required from the
students.  In effect, Christians could set up their own alternative free
schools.  But we don't.  Unlike the public schools, these would be completely
free from any church-state decisions in the court system.  Christian morality
could be taught, the Bible could be used, and since no tax dollars would be
taken the courts could not complain one bit.

If Christians as a whole really wanted to do this, we could.  But we don't.


Not too long ago, Michael Kline posted what I considered the absolute best
post about church-state separation ever sent in.  It was about a woman who
got a "public display" permit from the DC goverment and took a Nativity
Scene to the steps of the Capitol.  Since no tax dollars were involved, the
courts couldn't do anything.  Since she had a permit, nobody could complain.
Further, she as a Christian was expressing herself without being at all
unfair to anybody else.

Most public-school `solutions' depend on unfairly omitting somebody else's
religion while spending tax money.  But setting up private schools does not.
The only flaw in this solution is that I don't think you could get Christians
to work together and make it fly.

 *

I wrote that, presupposing there really is a liberal media bias, in a market
economy what sells is what people want.  (There is the problem of the near-
oligarchy we have, but I can only juggle so many variables at once.  8-)  So
apparently more people like news with a bias.  Which means that conservatives
are a minority, and that if we imagine them a majority then we are out of
touch.

Mr Laplante wrote that various researchers have documented differences between
the news and American society at large.  But that survey depends on what
people SAY -- counting newspaper sales measures what people DO.  Whether they
SAY are liberal or conservative, and whether they SAY they would like news
with a different bias, what they DO is watch network news far more than they
watch conservative commentators.

By publication reports, the "National Enquirer" prints and sells millions of
copies of their tabloid newspaper.  (For people outside the US, this paper is
full of stories about people who saw Elvis alive and miracle diets and gossip
about movie stars.)  However, on surveys that ask people what they read, few
people say they read the National Enquirer.


Michael Kline wrote that Rush Limbaugh does pretty good -- but he is the only
person doing what he does.  Mr Limbaugh comes in third to Arsenio Hall and
Jay Leno, which isn't bad.  But that still makes him third.  More people watch
the liberal Arsenio and the fairly even Tonight Show.  (From what I can make
of him, Jay Leno is into equal-opportunity ridicule.  On the election, he was
tickled pink that Mr Clinton won, because Dan Quayle hadn't been funny lately
and was not a good source of material.)

But suppose Mr Limbaugh was number one in his timeslot; his timeslot is late
at night.  Any of these commentary/humor-oriented shows would probably get
clobbered if it were advertised as, and competing with, mainstream network
news programs -- in part because they don't come across as `news'.  (At least,
they don't come across that way to me.)


The success of various conservatively-biased programs and publications, and
the second-place finish of George Bush, would seem to demonstrate that there
are conservatives in considerable numbers.  But they are apparently a
minority, and when attempting to control the government a minority will not
always suffice.


Which is why I think that attempting to use political methods is a mistake;
if we're concerned about the schools, we should set up our own.


Darren F Provine / kilroy@gboro.rowan.edu
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