There’s some interesting discussion going on at Critical Mass and The Volokh Conspiracy regarding free speech issues, especially as they relate to speech at universities. David Bernstein argues here that there should be no state-run universities! Indeed? Who does he think is going to pick up the slack? I love the free market as much as the next man, but it doesn’t have a great track record of accommodating the little guy, except as a stepping stone to the mainstream. Government is supposed to provide a larger umbrella for its citizens, one that isn’t turned inside out by the shifting winds of economic fortune.