How Christian Were the Founders?

[groovedaddy]

LAST MONTH, A WEEK before the Senate seat of the liberal icon Edward M. Kennedy fell into Republican hands, his legacy suffered another blow that was perhaps just as damaging, if less noticed. It happened during what has become an annual spectacle in the culture wars.

Over two days, more than a hundred people — Christians, Jews, housewives, naval officers, professors; people outfitted in everything from business suits to military fatigues to turbans to baseball caps — streamed through the halls of the William B. Travis Building in Austin, Tex., waiting for a chance to stand before the semicircle of 15 high-backed chairs whose occupants made up the Texas State Board of Education. Each petitioner had three minutes to say his or her piece.

“Please keep César Chávez” was the message of an elderly Hispanic man with a floppy gray mustache.

“Sikhism is the fifth-largest religion in the world and should be included in the curriculum,” a woman declared.

Following the appeals from the public, the members of what is the most influential state board of education in the country, and one of the most politically conservative, submitted their own proposed changes to the new social-studies curriculum guidelines, whose adoption was the subject of all the attention — guidelines that will affect students around the country, from kindergarten to 12th grade, for the next 10 years. Gail Lowe — who publishes a twice-a-week newspaper when she is not grappling with divisive education issues — is the official chairwoman, but the meeting was dominated by another member. Don McLeroy, a small, vigorous man with a shiny pate and bristling mustache, proposed amendment after amendment on social issues to the document that teams of professional educators had drawn up over 12 months, in what would have to be described as a single-handed display of archconservative political strong-arming.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/magazine/14texbooks-t.html?th&emc=th

[Jim__]

1. Aside from the Texas creationist story, this seems to be a failure of free market theory.

Sure, Texas creates a huge demand for text books. But, doesn't free market theory claim that if other states want different text books,then the free market will insure they're supplied? But, according to all the assumptions in the article, Texas will largely determine what text books are available. Doesn't seem to fit the claims of the theory.

[ChadwickHenryWard]

2. Used to be TX and CA both.

Textbook makers used to have to balance between the two very different demands of respective state standards in the two largest markets of English textbooks in the world. However, since CA is under a budget freeze right now, they are no longer buying new textbooks. Texas, sadly, dictates the way textbooks are made for all of us.

Yep, it's a failure of free market theory. Capitalism itself is a failed theory.

[Igel]

3. No.

Just some versions of it.

You're version is, "Free market theory claims that if other states want different text books,then the free market will insure they're supplied."

My version is, "Free market theory claims that if other states want different textbooks, then for as long as the manufacturers find the production and sale of those textbooks profitable they will be supplied."



"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler."

[laconicsax]

4. The were shapeshifters who portrayed themselves as gods and set out to create order in the galaxy.

Duh.