Tennessee lawmaker says call to end higher education was a joke
A state lawmaker who made comments calling for the elimination of higher education on his conservative radio show says he wasn’t being serious, according to reports.
As per report Republican State Sen. Kerry Roberts, in his conservative radio show on Sept. 2, said he wanted to eliminate higher education because he blamed it for people supporting abortion rights and said the act would “save America.”
Roberts said getting rid of higher education would cut off “the liberal breeding ground.” But in a Facebook post Monday night, Roberts said the comments were a joke.
“So the word for today is hyperbole,” the post says. “Knowing the definition is knowledge. Knowing when it exists is understanding. It’s a good word to know and an even a better word to understand … including reporters who have a degree from an institute of higher education.”
Roberts, 57, has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Lipscomb University, a Christian college near Nashville. He also co-sponsored legislation to develop a statewide master plan to promote “strategic future development of public universities, community colleges and colleges of applied technology”.
