There is a growing trend of government taking an interest in the attitudes and opinions of people at large – everything from ensuring familiarity with the food pyramid to attitudes toward people of other races, varying sexual preferences, and the opposite gender.  So called "hate crime" laws attach additional penalties to crimes based on the perpetrator's motivations.  This paper will address the notion that government should have a role in the intellectual lives of its citizens; that what people think is a public concern.  Public education will be examined as the chief way in which government enters the realm of ideas and the philosophy behind state involvement will be linked to Plato's view of the mind.