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if we stop sending a bajillion $'s to every freaking country out there and underwriting the defense of several nations (including all of Europe since 1945!!!!!!!!!), we'd have enough $ to pay for every citizen's healthcare and college.
Location: Living near our Nation's Capitol since 2010
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There is NO such thing as "free" education. Do people think that Universities will suddenly stop demanding money for doing what they do? No. they will more heavily rely on the government to fork it over. The government will demand that WE taxpayers fork it over.
I do think that the current system is very unsustainable. What has happened is that schools have demanded that the government make student loans so available that almost all students have taken them out. Their prices have absolutely skyrocketed. 4, well, in most cases 5 or 6 years later, students get that piece of paper....with a price tag of $50K, 40K, $70K or more. They have mortgaged their future for that piece of paper. Since the government has co-operated with Universities to smooth the way, it is a trap. Kids get the diploma with the expectation of high paying jobs. Those jobs are not available in many cases. So, the graduates now have the saddle of a huge debt right at the time of their live when they are trying to get all the other things people want..homes, cars, etc.
The whole student loan/tuition thing is crazy. And now, we have politicians proposing school will be "free" for everyone. I can imagine folks going to community colleges to study things like "music appreciation", "ethnic studies", "comparative religion", etc....and then trying to get a job that pays enough to live on.
I think the start of a solution is to have a tighter limit on student loans, make going to a University mean more than just a piece of paper. Pie in the sky? Yeah, probably. Maybe it is time to demand real merit based admissions. Reward (with scholarships, etc) those who cannot pay. Make achievement and marketable skills a priority.
I'm not sure how one can argue that free=no value in terms of education when k-12 is free. Once upon a time, you could earn a living with a HS diploma. Now that's not possible so why can't community college or trade school also be free now that times have changed? Just my thought on the matter. Although I could also tolerate more affordable tuition.
I feel public community college and adult education programs/public trade scools should be free. Community College's and Public Adult Ed programs should offer more trade options. Feel after that shouldn't be free.
However, do feel employers should offer tuition reimbursent and some type of program to offer some assistance with loans. State gives them incentive/tax breaks if they do something along those lines.
I think federal grants and federal loam money should only go to public universities. Also private universities shouldn't receive any State or Federal money.
I feel public community college and adult education programs/public trade scools should be free. Community College's and Public Adult Ed programs should offer more trade options. Feel after that shouldn't be free.
However, do feel employers should offer tuition reimbursent and some type of program to offer some assistance with loans. State gives them incentive/tax breaks if they do something along those lines.
I think federal grants and federal loam money should only go to public universities. Also private universities shouldn't receive any State or Federal money.
Thoughts...
A lot of the stuff you mention SHOULD BE OFFERED TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS! Free of course. They did that 80 - 100 years ago. My magnet HS (public school) was a modified vocational high school. It still had 37 curriculums (excuse me - curriculae). Everything from, gosh, let's see... avocational music, to architectural design technology, to fine arts, to chem-bio, chem-metallurgy, to performing arts, probably 6 business curriculums of sorts, auto aero, and yes - air conditioning and refrigeration. All curriculae, no matter what, included college prep English and Math (which was the sole reason you had to be "invited"). I placed out of Freshman Composition at an ivy University. I'd make that optional. For instance, how many people need to know the quadratic equation thingee or have to take two years of foreign language?
So what's this have to go to college business (at great expense) when some of these curriculums had students with jobs out the door at 18 (air conditioning & refrigeration, for example). My friend was in chem-met and got a job immediately at the local chemical plant. The dude was making 50K a year (mid 1970's) well before he was 25, doing stuff you don't need no stinkin' college degree for. The guy knew all there was to know about metals - right out of high school!
The curriculum used for K-12 is a colossal waste of time, unchanged since the 1920's when my dad was in school. Most of it is useless, repetitive junk (we had American History three times - 5th, 8th, and 12th grade). Like what for? Is having work skills at age 18 a sin or something?
To me, this outdated school curriculum is literally an elephant in a room. I just don't see why people aren't demanding something else.
By the way, look up Harvard's net worth in whatever it's called funds(?) - its till. It's in the billions and I think, tax free.
State supported schools should not at taxpayer or student expense be operating a farm league for the NFL. That's another one.
Last edited by TwinbrookNine; 05-10-2016 at 08:36 PM..
I think an additional question that should be asked when contemplating the matter, is should Wall Street speculators be paying a much lower tax rate than nurses, teachers, and plumbers? By taxing speculation at a rate close to or equal to that paid by average Americans we could fund free public college, as has been illustrated by Sanders. I'm not sure that's what should be done with the money, but I do find it a hard pill to swallow that most Americans are busting their butts to take care of their families and Wall Street speculators are paying a lower tax rate than them, and using the millions they make to fund politicians to keep from raising their tax rates to levels the rest of us pay.
Last edited by freeazabird; 05-10-2016 at 08:30 PM..
I'm not sure how one can argue that free=no value in terms of education when k-12 is free. Once upon a time, you could earn a living with a HS diploma. Now that's not possible so why can't community college or trade school also be free now that times have changed? Just my thought on the matter. Although I could also tolerate more affordable tuition.
Let's see here. We've had open borders that allow immigrants here illegally to make careers out of the jobs you are talking about. The HS Diploma jobs. No sympathy here, sorry. So yes, "they took your jerbs".
Do nothing about visa over-stays and they'll take more. I don't think pandering to the typical Citizen will do much at this point. They've already been over run.
I mean we technically pay taxes for paid education why not taxes for free education
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