Crazy Ideas: Fairness doctrine for Universities

Ward Connerly writes:

Personally, I oppose the "Fairness Doctrine" for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it presumes the ignorance of the public and our inability to discern facts from horse manure. But, most significantly, broadcast stations are not owned by the government and should not be considered as government activity. With so many different sources of information - newspapers, major television networks, cable television and talk radio, for example - it is difficult for any one source to give us a "snow job." But, there is one area of American life where I believe something equivalent to a "Fairness Doctrine" ought to be applied: the college classroom.

Despite the clamor for "diversity" on college campuses, one of the most homogenous facets of American life is the college faculty and the perspectives that they teach in the classroom with regard to controversial subjects such as "affirmative action." In fact, college professors have one of the most protected monopolies in our nation. They are protected by tenure, "academic freedom," and our respect for their right to impart their knowledge without infringement by the trustees, the university president or anyone else responsible for university governance.

I am not proposing to abridge the freedom that these classroom dictators enjoy. This would be an instance in which the cure would be worse than the disease. But, unlike someone sitting on the couch with a remote control in hand, a student has little choice but to sit and listen when his or her professor spews forth about the inherent evils of "American imperialism" and how our nation is responsible for many of the things that are wrong on our planet, or why "equity" and "social justice" are being denied to women and "minorities." In short, it is widely acknowledged that there is little intellectual diversity among university faculties.

In other words a Fairness Doctrine for universities. Perhaps an easy way to make sure it reflects the balance of the country would be to force the professoriate of universities that accept federal funds to have roughly the same ideological balance as the Senate or House of Representatives. When nine out of ten professors at almost every university and college (other than b-schools) is to the left of Cynthia McKinney there is a problem. And since the academy is the home of the intellectual life of the nation, it must be diverse in order to survive and in order for the nation to thrive.

While considering one crazy idea, why not consider another?

Who are the most (self) important persons in the United States government? The House and Senate, of course. And how do we ensure that all the most "important" professions and jobs in America, like bridge building and ditch digging and bus driving and working in a government bureaucracy, are performed by persons whose minds are unclouded by illegal intoxicants? Mandatory drug testing. Mandatory drug testing for the Senate and House is another crazy good idea.

In the words of Pooh Bear, "Think, think, think..."

H/T: RealClearPolitics

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