10th Amendment blues

The premise behind the implementation of Constitution Day is a true one: The majority of Americans are ignorant of the rights and responsibilities set down by the Constitution. \nNo doubt Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., by attaching a few Constitution Day clauses into a big-budget bill, was attempting to eliminate the epidemic of ignorance. The amendment mandated that all schools receiving federal money teach Constitution-related material Friday. But Constitution Day, in its short time span and with interventionist attitude, is ineffective and potentially dangerous to the rights our Constitution stands to protect. \nHigh schools and universities enthusiastically complied with the federal mandate last weekend. Bloomington's town hall panel Friday and the School of Education's Constitution Forum Saturday both encouraged awareness of the Constitution's structure and its relevance to daily life. The official Constitution Day Web site peddled star-spangled plush bears named "Uncle Sam" and pocket-sized constitutions with cute cover illustrations. An annual celebration of the Constitution is great, if it supplements a consistent focus. But one day simply isn't enough.\nHowever, direct intervention is not the right way to encourage Constitution education. Distributing knowledge about the Constitution to American citizens is far from damaging -- the more discussion of the Constitution in classrooms the better. But establishing a direct relationship between receiving government funding and the obligation to teach a specific subject matter sets a dangerous precedent. \nSchool boards surrendered jurisprudence over class curriculum to Congress Friday -- for what most agree is a good cause. But if Congress decided tomorrow, for instance, that evolution is the only acceptable perspective for an educated mind, could it then cite passage of Constitution Day to justify forcing all schools to exclude intelligent design from their curricula? Certainly not within the next three years, with a president in power who supports classroom airtime for intelligent design. And if Congress comes to that decision in a decade or two, so what? Most scientists, for whom intelligent design is creationism veiled in scientific jargon, would be glad to see intelligent design disappear from classrooms. Who cares then? Why, the Constitution, as a matter of fact.\nAccording to the 10th Amendment, unless the Constitution specifically delegates a certain power to the federal government, that power falls to the states or to the people. Education is one of those powers. To create a citizenry well-versed in the Constitution, Congress must give us the opportunity to build a foundation firmer than a day's worth -- and respect states' constitutional rights in the process. \nSen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., has sponsored a bill that would implement history testing more often. It's not moving quickly through Congress, but it stands in positive contrast to Constitution Day's short attention span and its seemingly innocuous conquest of American school systems. \nWith the passage of Constitution Day, the lock protecting state school systems from direct federal intervention is being quietly pushed to the breaking point. States and school systems are more vulnerable than ever to future Congresses' conceptions of the educated American. Constitution Day enthusiasts would do well to bookmark the 10th Amendment in their pocket Constitutions, and beware.