gbasden wrote:I'm not so much necessarily arguing that college should be free as being philosophically interested in Mortis' vehement reaction to the concept. He feels strongly enough about it that he's brought it up multiple times, and I'm curious.
My vehement reaction stems from people going to college with no plan, as 18 year olds often don't have and then graduating with a six figure debt and still having no plan. I've also brought up that I'm willing to listen to alternatives to free education. Something I've not heard from the occupy (and progressive) movement.
Here at OO, I was intrigued by the idea of extending public schooling and I am very much in favor of work study and apprenticeship programs, as I am a very vocal supporter of rebuilding our infrastructure as a national movement.
My personal feeling is that more students should be eligible for low interest loans to attend college with some amount of the loan being forgiven once the student successfully graduates. I'd set that amount at like 50 -70% of the tuition cost of a decent public school, perhaps.
With a plan for additional requirements of academic excellence toward "needed" decrees, I could see drastically expanding federal loans for public institution but rather than subsidizing the loan they instead remove them from independent bankers. I don't know what the plan would be but I could see being agreeable to this. That's a far cry free college. There are options other than free college.
Now that I think about it, I don't even mind forgiving loans for underpaid public service jobs, like for teachers. For instance, (without putting thought into it), as long as you teach at public school making less than the mean, the gub'ment pays your student loan, X% is progressively cut from your loan payment as you make so much above the mean."
Defiant wrote:For me, I see it as an investment. Someone who has gone to college and done well will be 1) less likely to be unemployed 2) make more money 3) pay more taxes over their lifetime - more than enough to pay the cost of that education. Plus, we'll (hopefully) have better educated people, which is usually a good thing.
I don't mind treating higher education as an investment but investors don't just give their money away to everyone who asks. (I don't think that's what you are saying but it's why I stop at federally paid for school for everyone.)
Fitzy wrote:Making college "free" isn't a magic wand. It would require a massive change in the way we think about college.
That's what I haven't seen from progressive demands or from progressive leadership. I don't mind a demand to go to the table to have debate about a massive change in the way we think about post secondary education.