The logic is that if someone does not have a university-level degree, then they cannot possibly have valid ideas of their own. Since the law only allows for the forcible acquisition of patented ideas if a patent has been filed, should an individual choose to share ideas online, particularly in an unorthodox forum (unorthodox from the perspective of a 60-year-old white male) then there is an excellent chance that such ideas, even if they originated with an American citizen, could wind up in the hands of our enemies, and I, for one, have a problem with that.
That said, I'd like to direct your attention to all of the posts on 8kun's /x/ board that have "You Wouldn't Patent the Sun" in the subject line.
Recent publications include a method of getting heat out of static piezoelectric effects (no mechanical actuation) how to achieve fusion ignition, how to generate both tachyons and entangle temporally offset organic molecules acting as Bose-Einstein Condensates, what's really causing Havana Syndrome, a novel approach to treating both cancer and migraines, and more. Also recently exposed is a disturbing method for causing every Tesla in the world to either crash or catch fire at the same time which may be under active exploit by a Russian entity.
Although it's semi-rhetorical, I have to ask the question, why does the United States NEVER look outside of Universities for talent and why would they expect to be able to keep secrets when they basically force 90% of people to give their ideas away since patents are not accessible to most people? Why give people who require remedial reading in college a free ride into a Ph.D program while people like me are shut out? Can’t they see that these insane policies are actually harming our national security?