Academia vs. America

DallasBlog.com | William Murchison:

“The legal factories demanding the right to protect students from exposure to the idea of a career in military justice thumb their noses at mainstreet America. The Supreme Court had to settle this thing? Why couldn't common sense, tinged with some latent affection for our country, have done the job? Because at too many institutions of the higher wisdom you prospect for weeks without striking a vein of common sense. Leftwing ideology -- plenty of that, nevertheless.”

Ed Cognoski responds:

Federal law requires schools to accept military recruiters on campus if the school accepts federal financial assistance. The Supreme Court ruled that this doesn't amount to an abridgement of freedom of speech or association. Fair enough.

The Constitution expressly limits the powers granted to the federal government. But there are no Constitutional prohibitions against the government bribing states and even private parties into voluntarily adopting federal mandates in order to receive federal funding. Congress coerced states into passing speed limit laws, seat belt laws, even metric conversion laws, all by threatening to withhold funding collected in federal gasoline taxes. Standardized school testing is the price states pay to receive federal education funding. Hospitals must restrict abortions to receive taxpayer funding. And, now, law schools must accept military recruiters, even if doing so violates the schools' own anti-discrimination policies.

Grant government an almost unlimited power to tax and spend (with strings), and, for most practical purposes, government's power to impose its will is unchecked. Acquiescing in this government power grab is inconsistent with conservatives' professed belief in limited government, local government, and individual liberties. It's not that conservatives aren't aware of the danger associated with the power of attaching strings to federal funding. They refuse to accept it when it's their behavior that's at risk of being controlled. Conservatives promote school vouchers and faith-based initiatives, but insist that the funding should come with no strings attached -- the religious associations should be allowed to maintain their independence. On the other hand, consistency of principles is all too willingly sacrificed when an opportunity to put academia down presents itself. Apparently, conservatives aren't above using government to enforce politically correct behavior.

If common sense is rare in academia, it's just as rare on the pages of certain Dallas Blog contributors. Rightwing ideology -- plenty of that, nevertheless.