Dictator for a Day.(Excerpt)(Fiction)

I'll state the rules again, said Sam to his class of students. "You are a dictator. You can pass one law while you are dictator. One law and one law only. And it has to be a law, not merely a good intention. You cannot simply decree that people love one another or that diseases come to an end or that nobody gets hurt in car accidents. You must defend your choice mindful of the laws of nature and the laws of economics. Now who would like to begin?"

"I would pass a law requiring all students to graduate from high school," a girl's voice suggested.

"Why?" Sam asked.

"High school drop-outs cause a lot of problems. They commit crimes. Then they have trouble finding jobs and they end up on welfare."

"So everyone would have to stay in school. Do you think it would be hard to monitor compliance?" Sam asked.

"Not really."

"What would you do with people who were absent? What about kids leaving after attendance got taken? And let's suppose everyone complies with the law. What are you going to do about the kids who don't want to be there and ruin class for the others? Of course what you'd really like is a law that forced all students to stay interested in their classes. But that is against the rules. Who else has a proposal for the perfect law?"