Saturday, March 15, 2025

American colleges hooked on federal cash

Gerald Ford once said: "A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."

The idea here - central to conservative theory - is that once you're dependent on the government to provide you with support, you've given up a portion of your freedom and self-sufficiency.  if external circumstances or a new government turns off the spigot, you're in a world of hurt.

Colleges are now in the "find out" stage of FAFO as Trump demands they adhere to new federal standards: "Colleges Are in Trouble and Suddenly Realizing They Have Few Allies."

No more antisemitism.  No more DEI.  Don't like it?  Stand on your principles without federal support.  Looking at you, Columbia. 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have that as quote as:
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have.”
And being from Thomas Jefferson

But it seems that he didn't say it and the first know record of it is from 1952.
https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/government-big-enough-give-you-everything-you-wantspurious-quotation/

So I guess the proper attribution would be Anonymous. 🤔

Eric said...

Yeah, I looked it up because I couldn't remember who said it and the Jefferson site said "nope, wasn't him."

Anonymous said...

I myself could have sworn that it was the ole' Gipper himself, Ronald Reagan who said that.