The SCAM of higher education

 

 

"Our colleges do a lousy job with our students. They saddle them with debt, and don't tell the Humanities student at a private school that he will never get a job that pays enough to pay off his student loan..."

Oh my! Am I walking on sacred ground here? I know many have strong opinions about going to college. Just so I don't set myself up as a hypocrite, I too (as did my wife), went to college. Between the two of us, we have three degrees from the local University. That being said, what was college then, and what is college now, are quite different indeed.

First off, the cost. Fresh out of the Navy, I was eligible for the former G.I. Bill. As a married man, I received $220/month for school and living expenses. That money paid for ALL of my tuition, books, and fees at a Big 10 school, as well as part of my rent. All I needed to do to receive this money was to be a full time student and pass my classes. No problem. Since I was trying to catch up for time lost, I took 20 credits a quarter and went both summer sessions. I graduated in a bit over two years with a degree in Business Finance and a halfway decent GPA.

By now, we have all heard that our President has again overstepped his authority and is going to make a college education more "affordable". Is he going to reign in the out of control cost of higher education? Heck no. He is just telling our little darlings not to worry about it. Part of the cost will be picked up by the taxpayers. What he is not telling them, and they have not yet figured out, is this - part of the taxpayers picking up this deferred tab is them.

This reminds me of last year when our local University President proudly announced he, along with the State, were going to "freeze" tuition for two years. Wow! That is great! Not really. No costs were being controlled. None of the voluminous admin staff was going to be cut back. No salaries were going to be trimmed. No, the State was going to pick up more of the tab so the illusion the students had was the cost remained static. They did not. Again, the taxpayers get stuck with the tab.

I feel for our young people today. As obscene as the cost of education is at state schools, at private schools it is obscene times two or three. Many of our young ones still want to save the world by majoring in some liberal arts field which will NEVER land them a livable wage job. But who cares? As long as it feels good, and nobody at the college tries to counsel them on this bad move, it is full steam ahead. They graduate with more debt than some third world countries, and then are learn the fine art of flipping burgers.

Meanwhile, our President who has a math degree from Common Core University, does not give a rat's behind that our cancerous debt of $17+T is going to get even bigger from deferred higher education costs. No reform, no cost control, no nothing. Mr. "Hope and Change" had devolved into Mr. Status Quo. Many people have marvelous ideas on how to improve and make our higher education much more affordable. The Left has succeeded in making them look like heretics.

So, once again I say "Well played Mr. President!" You have used your non-Constitutional powers to come up with one more dumb ass idea. No worries however - the legions of taxpayers with money trees in their back yards are here to support you.