In a world full of bad ideas, a legislative proposal manages to stand out. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) is introducing the “Woke Endowment Security Tax Act,” a measure that would impose a six percent excise tax on endowments of ten private colleges and universities, specifically the institutions that receive a certain dollar amount worth of endowments.

The move is a response to the proliferation of far-leftist “woke” ideology and rising antisemitism on college campuses. According to a statement released by the senator, “This tax will take money from wealthy colleges pushing woke ideologies and redirect it to more pressing national concerns.”

The tax applies to (1) secular institutions with endowments of at least $12.2 billion and (2) secular institutions with endowments of at least $9 billion that also operate a state contract college.

And what would those “pressing” concerns be?

The revenue generated by the tax would be allocated to fund Ukraine, Israel, and border security. The universities affected include Harvard, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, and a number of others. It is estimated that the tax would rake in a whopping $15.4 billion for Uncle Sam.

The objective of this legislation is to penalize these universities for allowing woke ideology to permeate their learning environments and not doing enough to deal with the rise in anti-Jewish bigotry prompted by the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

There are several issues with this idea.

Firstly, the notion that the state should possess the ability to summarily tax organizations and institutions that fail to align with a particular political view, or decide to run their operations as they see fit, should be terrifying to anyone who values liberty and limited government. It is not the role of the state to use its power to coerce the ideology of a private enterprise, no matter how odious the viewpoints might be.

Moreover, there is the issue of using this punitive tax to fund wars overseas. The United States has already been sending billions upon billions of dollars to other nations each year for military entanglements. Summarily taxing certain institutions to offset some of these costs when there are plenty of Americans who are facing dire financial circumstances is not only authoritarian, it is a slap in the face to the nation’s citizens.

This idea also illustrates a lack of long-term thinking. If this measure were to pass, it would open the door to future politicians doing the exact same thing. Does it make sense to hand over a weapon like this that the Democrats would undoubtedly use when they get back in power? Didn’t we learn our lesson when the Obama administration weaponized the IRS against conservative organizations? What is the point of making it even easier for the left to wield state power as a political weapon?

Lastly, there is the practical component. Universities use these endowments to provide scholarships to students in need of them. Levying an extra tax on them, especially for purely ideological reasons, would limit opportunities for students while stifling academic progress.

Is it reasonable to be concerned about the dominance of left-wing ideology and increasing antisemitism on college campuses? Of course it is. But a “woke tax” is not the solution. Using authoritarianism to fight against authoritarianism only breeds more authoritarianism. In the end, it is we the people who lose, regardless of which party we vote for.