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We have more college graduates than ever before yet over a third of our population in the USA now lives off government handouts.
Malamute:
This is part of the reason why I don't respond to you. What happened is that the economy went from being an industrial based economy to a service based economy. So the upper classes kept their kids in college, the upper middle and middle sent their kids to college and the poor were unable to. The end result? More people in college and lower wages for those without a college degree. Service sector jobs without a college degree pay less than industrial jobs. Thus, we are in a time when your chances of being middle class greatly diminish if you do not have a college degree.
To sum up, the economic shift is partly responsible for pushing wages down of the poor (the group least likely able to go to college) and created more college grads (from the middle and upper middle classes). Thus, this contributed to the widening wealth gap in our nation.
Having more graduates enables us to be more innovative and thus lead the world with new technologies, medicines, and effective methods to administer those things. It ensures we have a framework to allow for creation (doctors, teachers, etc.) Having enough college graduates helps society remain stable.
Having more graduates may "insure" record unemployment and more debt straining the already stressed economy. Are you aware of the thousands of students drawing in debt before even starting their careers?
Being more innovative and creative is a long term solution. That's how they promoted "green" jobs and technologies that were supposed to replace lost jobs, while Obama was campaigning. But when you ask for details and figures, the prophets remain silent. In Spain for example, they created new green jobs at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lost jobs, resulting in 20% unemployment....
As for shortage of x or y: that's a crock of... In the global economy there is no shortage of anything, providing you are ready to pay and/or change some regulations.
Having more graduates may "insure" record unemployment and more debt straining the already stressed economy. Are you aware of the thousands of students drawing in debt before even starting their careers?
You just highlighted a problem I see with the educational system here in the USA. And why do you think that is?
During the late 19th century, the US decided to offer free education for all children whether they are rich or poor. The proposal was for making a generation literate to work the factories of the industrial age. Public education created functionally literate people to fuel the American economic system.
Now that we are in a globalized world, which requires educated and skilled people to fuel economic growth in this country, we should allow anyone in the US to attend college free of charge. It makes sense in this global economy.
It's time to reset the way we do things, People.
Yes, yes, YES! Anyone who wants to attain a full education and learn as much academically about the world as he/she wants should not be constrained by monetary concerns, especially in the modern world when we can easily afford it.
I would be happy if they just made student loans a dollar for dollar tax write off.... not just the "interest" (which is only available to those making less than 75k AGI anyway)... the WHOLE THING.
A large corporation can write off loan payments on a yacht purchase as a "business expense," yet the loans I take out to pay for my education, and the payments I make on same are not deductible against my income to reduce my taxes significantly. Oh yeah, the corporation can also default on their loan for said yacht, yet the consumer is never allowed to default on student loans.
This is part of the reason why I don't respond to you. What happened is that the economy went from being an industrial based economy to a service based economy. So the upper classes kept their kids in college, the upper middle and middle sent their kids to college and the poor were unable to. The end result? More people in college and lower wages for those without a college degree. Service sector jobs without a college degree pay less than industrial jobs. Thus, we are in a time when your chances of being middle class greatly diminish if you do not have a college degree.
To sum up, the economic shift is partly responsible for pushing wages down of the poor (the group least likely able to go to college) and created more college grads (from the middle and upper middle classes). Thus, this contributed to the widening wealth gap in our nation.
Of course the poor are able to. The problem is the culture of the poor, which tends to be roughly the same whatever the race, single parent families, poor work ethic, putting less value on education, excessive drug and alcohol use, tend to make getting into college problematic.
As a former member of the working poor, now a teacher in a poor small town in rural arkansas I can tell you developing an overreliance on government programs isn't helping much either. Government checks become a crutch that helps druggies to continue being druggies and continuing their irresponsible behavior. These are traits easily passed onto their children.
I would be happy if they just made student loans a dollar for dollar tax write off.... not just the "interest" (which is only available to those making less than 75k AGI anyway)... the WHOLE THING.
A large corporation can write off loan payments on a yacht purchase as a "business expense," yet the loans I take out to pay for my education, and the payments I make on same are not deductible against my income to reduce my taxes significantly. Oh yeah, the corporation can also default on their loan for said yacht, yet the consumer is never allowed to default on student loans.
America sure has its priorities out of whack!
Which america would that be? My america pretty well has it's priorities mapped out ok.
Michael Dell
Barry Diller
David Oreck
Bill Gates
Ty Warner
Mary Kay Ash
Henry Ford
John D Rockefeller Jr
Steven Spielberg
Mark Zuckerman
Steve Jobs
Ted Turner
Shall I continue?
You can add Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods to that list.
And I'm sure you can explain the stupid choices with examples. Please go ahead, I will look forward to it.
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