The U.S. motto is “In God We Trust.” It is printed on money, carved in stone in monuments and displayed on plaques in buildings across the nation.

Apparently, this motto requires an official reaffirmation from the House in order to maintain “In God We Trust” as a readily known bit of our American way.

I’ll start off by wondering why we need a House vote for this.

Is this motto so important to our future that we need to make certain no one is unaware of the motto at any given moment of the day?

Does the motto in some way assist in alleviating the financial difficulties plaguing the nation?

Is this motto so representative of the American way that not focusing on it could dilute the very understanding of “In God We Trust”?

The answer to all three of those questions is simply “no.”

The motto wasn’t even a part of our country’s inception. It was adopted as an official motto in 1956, though it has appeared on coins since 1864.

The history behind this is from the Civil War; due to both sides reading from the same Bible and a unifying notion being necessary.

President Abraham Lincoln, during his second inaugural address, said, “Both [sides of the Civil War] read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other.” Lincoln’s use was to point out how religion should not be used to rally support to a particular side of war causes.

Salmon P. Chase, Treasury secretary for Lincoln, wrote in a letter to James Pollock, director of the Philadelphia Mint, that no “nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins.”

Fast forward to July 11, 1954, where Congress gave us Public Law 84-140, which now mandated “In God We Trust” appear on all currency and coins.

It is a nice motto, motivational and inspiring for many that call the United States home.

A fair number of folks today object to having an official motto that appears to establish a religion in our government; a no-no if you are familiar with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. But the motto does not do so, and the House is not inept enough to openly make such an establishment move.

So, again, why did they feel the need to reaffirm that it is the U.S. motto today?

The answer is that the House is currently led by Republicans, and many Republicans in this political atmosphere — and from days of yore — tend more toward allowing religious influence of ideas into the methodology of running this nation. Making certain their supporters know religion still plays a ready part in their way of life is basic political maneuvering; that is what this nonbinding resolution is.

In the 1984 case of Lynch v. Donnelly, the Supreme Court established that religion in general may be used by the government, so long as there is no distinct attachment of religion altering the acts of government.

It is no secret some politicians readily utilize religious beliefs to guide their decisions, despite the potential Establishment Clause conflict arguments. So why does the House feel now is the time to waste taxpayers’ time piddling about with the motto when there are legitimate issues tearing apart this country?

Well, to put it simply, many politicians don’t really have the good of the nation in mind. They are more concerned with keeping their positions of power and hoping someone else puts their neck on the line when it comes to important issues.

This is yet another reason the people of this country need to vote out those politicians who feel the need to waste time with insignificant topics, rather than devoting their efforts to helping get this country back on its feet.

As to the Establishment Clause arguments, well, those are also irrelevant. All of the people out there raising a fuss about separation of church and state should wait for real problems and let inspirational mottos or songs continue to be a part of the rich history of this country.

Get angry about the negligence of politicians as they pander to groups instead of addressing pertinent issues. Protest the corporations that do little to assist the needs of the many and the persons with political influence that support them.

But recognize what the problem is with decisions of those with political power. See beyond the obvious disagreements and strike at the heart of what is really wrong: There are too many politicians putting their own wants before those they claim to represent, and as we the people continue to see how they cast our wants, our needs, aside, we need to vote out every last one of them who are not working in our best interest.

“In God we trust” is a fine standard to believe in, and there is no reason to let poetic sentiment with such influence be stricken from our American way. But understand no one is forgetting those remarkable words, and it does those words a disservice to let them be used to garner political favor.