EDITORIAL:

Ask and you shall receive.

Apparently this is how the “In God We Trust” motto ordeal started at the City Council meetings.

A divided council voted 4-2 on April 7 to approve the use of the motto in City Hall and start a committee to work on a design to display it there.

The action originated with Bakersfield City Councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan.

Huntington Beach Councilwoman Cathy Green, who led the push for the motto, said citizens also called to request the phrase be put up on the city building.

She told them, “Sure, no problem. It is our country’s motto.”

But other council members took issue with the vote, arguing it promoted religion.

Councilman Joe Carchio, who co-sponsored the measure, said it was not pushing religion, but patriotism.

“I think you’re kind of reading too much into this religion thing,” he said. “It doesn’t make any difference if it says God or it doesn’t say God. It could say ‘In God We Trust’ or anything else. It’s the motto of the nation.”

Other supporters argued it would also promote morality.

The question that arises from this: Is this the best way to send a positive moral message?

The phrase is already floating around on all our $1 bills, currency that often pops up in less-than-moral situations.

If patriotism is the goal, Councilwoman Jill Hardy said it best.

“I don’t really understand how this one’s patriotic ...” Hardy said. “Why not post ‘Proud to be an American?’ If that’s really the goal, shouldn’t we say what we mean?”

And now the Ocean View School District is considering the motto.

Aside from the more obvious issues at play here, such as raising an argument over violation of separation of church and state, there is the issue of time. Time spent arguing over the appropriate use of the motto in the secular world.

If we know this causes unnecessary controversy, why spend time on it at all? Don’t our political leaders have better things to do, like improving traffic and our schools?

Putting the words “In God We Trust” over their heads won’t help our City Council, for instance, reduce crime or find more parking for downtown merchants.

Likewise, the motto won’t help our school officials teach our children how to do better on their standardized tests or keep the state’s budget cuts from resulting in the firing of our teachers.

Public servants should spend less time on mottoes and more time on conducting business in a manner befitting the principles behind the words “In God We Trust.” Or better yet, if all it takes is a phone call to our political leaders to get them to so quickly act then we encourage you to dial them up and tell them to work on something more concrete. If they’re so concerned about words on a wall, how about tackling graffiti?

Ask and we shall receive?

In God many of us trust. We’re not so sure about our political leaders these days.