In his Feb. 27 piece, "The New Conservatism: Don’t Bother With College," http://loyalopposition.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/27/the-new-conservatism-dont-bother-with-college/ New York Times writer David Firestone says GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum called President Obama "a snob" for urging students to go to college, that he called for a reduction for a reduction in the number of people who seek higher education, and that students who attend a four-year college will emerge fully indoctrinated as liberals.
Perhaps this is another case of what the meaning of is is, but if the purpose of attending college is to learn things you don't know yet, to expand a person's body of knowlegde, to consider information, ideas, philosophies and worlds previously unknown, to open students' minds to new fields of study and expose them to people who have had access to broader knowledge and experiences the students haven't had, then, yes, attending college is a very liberalizing experience. It isn't intended to be an echo chamber, cheering section or rubber-stamping exercise for ideologies and beliefs the students or their parents already have.
To me being liberal equals being openminded. And I am truly conservative about bashing the liberalizing mission and experience of college/university life. Particularly if it means maintaining a highly educated and strong nation. And I am truly conservative about Santorum's attempt to expand ignorance as a national policy.
