To the editor:

Doug Burger’s letter to the editor, “Liberalism,” (Public Forum, July 26) raised an intriguing question: “does one become liberal as they become better educated, or does one seek higher learning because they are liberal?” Assuming that Burger was referring to contemporary liberalism and not to John S. Mill’s liberal political theory that would be considered largely libertarian today, I would like to shed some light on this question.

As a graduate of Baldwin High School, I sought higher education at Kansas University despite the problem that I would have been considered a conservative by today’s standards. Apparently I am thus an exception to Burger’s second possibility. After years of thought-provoking and mutually beneficial discussions between my fellow conservatives and my more liberal counterparts, I earned two degrees from KU, yet shockingly remained a conservative.

This leaves two potential scenarios: Either I also am an exception to Burger’s first possibility or I still lack education. Thanks to Doug Burger, I now realize that perhaps I was a student left behind.

Robert Elder,

Baldwin