Sadly there is a lot of confusion between the concepts of the public and private realms of human existence.

The unfortunate stir we caused with our recent editorials about the recent lean finely textured beef forum held on campus is symptomatic of this problem. We very clearly stated we have no beef with the beef and that our complaint was against our governor, a public figure, putting on a show for corporate farming, which is a private interest, instead of holding a genuine public, town-hall style discussion like it was advertised to be.

Many confused our criticism of our public governor’s behavior as an attack on private beef production, when it was anything but. It’s been said by our detractors that it is okay for our public governor to “stand up” for private farming, especially here at Iowa State, because this is a public land grant college whose job is to teach farming.

Land grant schools were created in President Abraham Lincoln’s era as a response to the industrial revolution, to integrate the rise of science and technology and the increasing food demands of a growing population, with the classical liberal education fundamental in President Thomas Jefferson’s era. The Morrill Act that started the public land grant schools says it all.

The purpose of public land grant colleges is “without excluding other scientific and classical studies and including military tactics, to teach … agriculture and the mechanic arts … in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life.”

After reading that, consider the diverse subjects listed and ask yourself why Congress passed that law in 1862. Do you think it was so Americans could learn how to get big and rich (a private affair) or so they could learn how to be good citizens and successful so that all of America benefits (a public good)?

“Public school” means more than a school funded by tax money; it also is meant to imply a school to prepare citizens to serve some public good or duty, whether it be holding public office like the governor, or being a private farmer who feeds the public. When our elected public officials represent private corporate interests at a public school, in actuality a corruption of the land grant ideal has occurred.

So while we love our farmers and we love beef, we need to keep the public and the private interests separate so they don’t ruin each other. The farming industry, which makes more money than the state budget, certainly doesn’t need any governor’s help to promote itself — especially not when the governor needs to be busy tending to public matters, like making sure you get a good public education that isn’t corrupted by private interests.