Universities fall in love with money, forget debate

It will be the death of them

Consider a simple ratio. During the COVID 19 pandemic, did academic medical centers (a) buy more local hospitals or (b) hold more debates on COVID19 policy?

The answer is of course, they bought more local hospitals and medical practices! I roughly estimate the ratio of hospital/ practice acquisitions to be 100 to 1 or 1000 to 1 vs. debates on COVID19 policy. Academic medical centers are spreading across America like a forest fire, buying up practices to accumulate billions of dollars in ‘non profits.’

Consider that for a minute. Academic medical centers enjoy tax exempt status because they are meant to serve the public interest. They are not corporations indebted to their shareholders. And, with this great privilege, during the most consequential series of health policy decisions made in human history— shutting down the world, closing global borders, depriving children of 18+ months of school, vaccine mandates and masking toddlers— universities spent their energy continuing the relentless expansion of clinics, and ignoring the debates of the day.

Now lets consider a second ratio. Who hosted more debates on COVID19 policy: (a) random podcasts or (b) universities? Again, the answer is clear— random podcasts and the ratio again may be 100:1.

What are we to make of this?