Civics from Hell

So, apparently, do a lot of other people, such as the readers of Rolling Stone. P.J. O’Rourke’s Irrational Affairs column is reportedly the magazine’s most widely read-an amazing feat, considering the left-of-center political agenda of the vast majority of Stone’s writers, and presumably, its readership as well.

In fact, some of the best chapters in Whores originated in the pages of Rolling Stone-the text most teenagers are actually reading in Civics 101, while the teacher (probably the same one you had) drones on about the unique structure of bicameral legislatures and the delicate balance of power between the three branches of government.

Maybe your kids are learning something in the public schools after all.

Matthew B. Kibbe is director of federal budget policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Nothing written here necessarily reflects the views of the Chamber.