It’s understandable that the legislative debacle known as Obamacare dominated the headlines recently. But something important has gone largely unremarked on though I believe it will have a disastrous impact on the country, especially Catholic and Christian colleges.
Obamacare essentially eliminated the private lending channel for college loans and, I fear, will end up being anti-Christian. For those keeping score at home, the government’s original stated intent into the college loan industry was a “government option.” They argued that it wasn’t a government takeover at all. How’d that work out?
So now that the federal government has taken over the student loan industry, let’s go over what, I believe, will inevitably happen now. I really don’t see anyway around it.
Look into my crystal ball and peer into the foreboding future with me:
At some point some administrator at some religious university will say something that will be construed as outrageously offensive by liberals or anti-gay or even racist. Let’s say some place like Liberty University or Bob Jones University.
It’s an inevitable as the tides that someone from a religious university will say something that liberals will freak out about. They’re professional freak-outers. It’s what they do.
Around the clock coverage will incite some congressman to flank himself with the twin pillars of demagoguery Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and propose that because of the terrible racist or anti-gay demagoguery coming from that university they propose that no federal money should go towards funding colleges like this one.
The Republicans, too scared of being seen as defending racism or homophobia, will grumble but eventually acquiesce. And the aforementioned college will be seriously harmed as students will find it difficult to procure loans for that school.
Colleges will then be deathly afraid of offending the government. They’ll start donating money hand over fist to elected officials in order to stay in their good graces. You know, protection money.
And then somewhere down the line some genius in the Senate will say that because of the separation of church and state no loans can go to religious colleges at all.
The Supreme Court already ruled that states can withhold state scholarship money if the student pursues a theology degree so this shouldn’t really be a jump at all.
When the government controls the funding of universities it controls the universities and that is never a good thing. As you know some Catholic colleges have already seemed to be more concerned with pleasing government officials rather than defending their faith but it will only become worse when these schools depend on those officials for their livelihood.
Exit question: How Catholic will Catholic universities be allowed to be when the government controls the funding?
