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2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumMake college free for all
In 1877, Rutherford B. Hayes became the first president to make a strong case for universally available public education. Universal suffrage should rest upon universal education, he said in his inaugural address, adding that liberal and permanent provision should be made for the support of free schools. Hayes, a Republican, didnt worry that some poor kid might benefit from access to free stuff, nor did he believe that the children of wealthy elites should be excluded from the universal nature of the program. For him, education was the basis for full economic and political participation, and full participation was the basis for all prosperity. An education should be available to all regardless of anyones station.
Today, there is universal access to free, public schools across the United States for kindergarten through 12th grade. That didnt happen by presidential decree. It took populist pressure from the progressive movement, beginning in the 1890s, to make widespread access to free public schools a reality. By 1940, half of all young people were graduating from high school. As of 2013, that number is 81 percent. But that achievement is no longer enough. A college degree is the new high school diploma.
(snip)
An important pathway to the middle class now runs through higher education, but rising costs are making it harder and harder for ordinary Americans to get the education they want and need. In 1978, it was possible to earn enough money to pay for a year of college tuition just by working a summer job that paid minimum wage. Today, it would take a minimum wage worker an entire year to earn enough to cover the annual in-state tuition at a public university. And thats why so many bright young people dont go to college, dont finish or graduate deeply in debt. With $1.3 trillion in student loans, Americans are carrying more student debt than credit card or auto loan debt. Thats a tragedy for our young people and for our nation.
(snip)
In Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Mexico, public colleges and universities remain tuition-free. Theyre free throughout Germany, too, and not just for Germans or Europeans but to international citizens as well. Thats why every year, more than 4,600 students leave the United States and enroll in German universities. For a token fee of about $200 per year, an American can earn a degree in math or engineering from one of the premier universities in Europe. Governments in these countries understand what an important investment they are making, not just in the individuals who are able to acquire knowledge and skills but for the societies these students will serve as teachers, architects, scientists, entrepreneurs and more.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bernie-sanders-america-needs-free-college-now/2015/10/22/a3d05512-7685-11e5-bc80-9091021aeb69_story.html
There is a nice video on the link as well.
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Make college free for all (Original Post)
Uncle Joe
Oct 2015
OP
Uncle Joe
(58,342 posts)1. Kicked for the 9:01 CST crowd.
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)2. Kick (nt)
Fawke Em
(11,366 posts)3. Kick
Vox tried to write some crap today about how awful free college is in other countries by trying to say that poor kids still went in debt over living expenses.
Seriously? That's all they got?
restorefreedom
(12,655 posts)5. yes, much better for them to have debt for tuition, too
JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)4. Not rich people though.
JRLeft
(7,010 posts)6. Rich people will send their kids to schools like Stanford or USC.
Uncle Joe
(58,342 posts)7. Are rich people barred from going to public schools 1-12? n/t
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)8. K&R