Keeping academics out of the government really explains your whole view point perfectly because no thought went into your statement whatsoever.

No, this is false. That way lies fascism. Anyone with expertise, academics included, has a responsibility to call out elected officials who are acting badly or advocating bad policies.

Elected officials have a responsibility to the people, one of which is to not punish private citizens for speaking their mind.

I mean holy fuck. Abuse of power doesn’t get much more obvious then this.

First off, the first amendment says otherwise.

Second, in this case, it was an expert on the opioid crisis pointing out that the lt. governor had made policies that made it harder for people with opioid addiction to get help or be safe without being prosecuted. And that naturally this had the effect of people not pursuing treatment that could potentially land them in legal trouble. She wasn’t commenting on the personal life of Dan Patrick, she was commenting on his policies and the consequences of those policies on a subject that was the topic of her lecture and her field of research.

What do you mean?

Many many disciplines in academia discuss current events, society and politics. Universities (and those they educate) provide valuable research and data that governments should use to help guide their decisions and policymaking.

Also, in a free society government shouldn’t be able to crack down on academics (or anyone) for being critical. Thats is free and healthy democratic society 101.

Your note reads a lot like “let’s not let any of the measurably smart people be our leaders”. Might want to work on that elevator pitch.