Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

There's controversy over a state legislators’ proposal to post the national motto in public schools. Of course, the motto says "In God We Trust" But opponents say it's imposing religion and could be harmful to kids. If you think about it, this is an imposition of another kind: enforced secularism. There is no such thing as a vacuum in the public arena. There is no neutrality, even if it’s under the auspices of being neutral. All belief, all values, all principles can be linked to some source. And one of America's ideals is that our rights come from God. The Founder's recognized God as part of our political compact without establishing a national religion or compelling belief on anyone. This understanding is unfortunately being lost but something that all students should understand, even if they're reminded of on a daily basis.