Last Friday as I drove into Des Moines, I heard the House passed a crime bill allowing public schools to post the Ten Commandments. It also provided $1.5 billion to fight youth crime, established harsher penalties for gun crimes and allows prosecutors to try 13-year-olds as adults.

Despite the widespread support that bill enjoyed in the House, I have some objections to it.

First, how does the extra money actually stand a chance at reducing crime?

Most police are writing traffic tickets and harassing legal-age bar patrons. When I saw a speed trap set up on I-235 last weekend, I almost wanted to stop and ask the officers what they were doing to curb the meth problem in Iowa. How will more money help the situation?

Tougher sentencing guidelines will do little to deter youth violence. The recent shootings have shown us that kids don’t care about the consequences of their actions and show no remorse. Since the pair in Colorado committed suicide, I don’t see tougher laws doing much.

No matter what people say about trying kids as adults, most adults will modify their stance if their children are in the gallows. Though most of us know the difference between right and wrong by age 13, some people have trouble making that distinction even when they’re old enough to hold high public office.

My real objection to the bill stems from the part allowing the Ten Commandments to be posted in public schools. Anyone who slept through U.S. history knows the provision violates the separation of church and state clause in the Bill of Rights. Our esteemed legislators are blinded by religious conservatism and are trying to foist this piece of Christian propaganda on us.

If you’re not the religious type, you’ll understand where I’m coming from. It seems everyone with a Bible is determined to convert you. But even if you go to church every Sunday, you should realize this legislation is a bad idea.

This nation was founded on the ideals of great personal freedom, including the practice of religion. This bill is nothing more than an attempt by the Christian right to further propagate their views on the rest of us.

Before you know it, the Land of the Free will be categorized with theocratic nation states like Afghanistan and Iran.

And since at least one school shooter in the past was considered a decent Christian, I doubt more religion will alleviate the problem. I’d like to see what percentage of FBI-profiled shooters attend church regularly.

But even if this Ten Commandment rubbish passes Constitutional muster, it must be realized that every other religion will be banging on the doors demanding to be let in. Instead of having a captive audience soaking in the Ten Commandments, you’ll find little Johnny reading a posted copy of the Koran.

Since I am not religious, I could not care less, but I’d hate to see some short-sighted ardent Christian shoot himself in the foot by throwing open the door that allows his child to be exposed to every religion out there.

If those on the religious right want to play the game, they should at least do so intelligently, or they’ll find themselves up against other religions that are numerically larger and financially more prosperous.

However strong my aversion to religion, I have a vested interest in safe schools filled with carefree children. Unlike GOP presidential candidate Gary Bauer, who thinks “if more American children read the Ten Commandments and are taught what they mean, they will predictably engage in less crime.”

You can have a good social conscience without religion. Besides, I thought the Ten Commandments were pretty straightforward. Perhaps we need some clergymen to interpret their meaning for us laypersons. “Though shalt not kill” always confuses me when I get slow service at the drive-thru!

The real problem of juvenile violence comes from a disillusioned youth, not inadequate gun control measures.

I seriously doubt banning certain types of guns will solve our problems, since for all the hoopla about assault weapons and handguns, the pair in Colorado used a legitimate sporting weapon — a shotgun.

Before you try and ban all guns, you must realize that drugs are illegal, but still very easy to obtain. The only difference is it is difficult to use a firearm in the privacy of your own home without getting caught.

Clearly, there should be a better monitoring system in place to prevent criminals from purchasing firearms.

But as long as a person’s background check comes up clean, he should be allowed to buy any type of firearm he chooses in any place he visits, as often as he wishes.

These one-a-month limits with waiting periods are very poor tools to reduce crime. Something better is needed.

The answer lies with how kids are raised and educated. And you don’t need religion for that.

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Aaron Woell is a senior in political science from Bolingbrook, Ill.