[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for the heads up to your always excellent analyses!

Earlier you pinged me for my views on the subject and I had bookmarked it for meditation. Frankly, I lost track of it until you posted your thoughts on the subject!

All I have to add is that the Supreme Court has increasingly misinterpreted the First Amendment establishment clause as a freedom from religion rather than a prohibition on the establishment of a state religion.

If they had kept faith with the Founders intentions, I believe the following would have happened:

1. Hospitals and elder care facilities would have remained primarily as property of the various churches. Public funding would not have required a change of hands.

2. Students would have the right to speak a prayer at football games, graduation, etc. (the Santa Fe decision)

3. The Newdow decision in California (the 'under God' prohibition in the pledge of allegiance) would have been the reverse.

4. Private religious schools would have access to publicly funded facilities for the learning impaired, etc.

There's probably more, that's just off the top of my head.

[Doctor Stochastic]

4. Private religious schools would have access to publicly funded facilities for the learning impaired, etc.

The Scientologists would leap at the chance to be publicly funded.