More Facts Obama Didn’t Mention Regarding His ‘Free’ College Tuition Plan
By Joseph R. Carducci, January 10, 2015.
As with any typical liberal agenda item, the devil is usually in the details. Such is certainly the case for the bombshell Obama dropped on us the other day, saying how he wants to make community college nearly as universal as high school and he wants the first two years of such education to be free. Of course, it is only going to be free to those ‘willing to work for it.’ I’ll leave you to unravel how something can be free, if we are working for it.
At any rate, Obama also left out many important details about the program. Don’t look for any of the following details to be included in his State of the Union speech since he obviously wants to try and garner support for his plan. Here is just a sampling of what our President left out:
First, it isn’t really free. Not to taxpayers, for sure, who will need to pick up a tab estimated at more than $30 billion annually once it reaches predicted levels. The idea here is that Obama’s plan will pay for 75 percent of the average tuition cost for community college, with states (hopefully) stepping in to pick up the remaining quarter. Also, don’t forget that word average. Attend a school with a higher than average cost and you’ll still be on the hook, just like if you attend school in state that pays less than the 25 percent, or even nothing at all. By the way, Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz has already confirmed this program will cost at least $60 billion over ten years (more if it reaches full capacity faster).
Federalizing community colleges will lead to much more red tape. Today, Obama actually said “there are no free rides in America.” Glad he finally realizes his own program will not be free. But the other side of all this is a load of red tape and regulation and paperwork as community colleges tie themselves closer and closer to the federal government. Think about what happened with the No Child Left Behind Act, with the massive amounts of paperwork it required, and then get ready for the same thing.
Many high schools aren’t properly preparing their graduates for college. There have been several studies finding that a large percentage of community college students had to take remedial courses (a 2004 study discovered 68 percent of such students taking these courses). Plus, they had to take 2.9 of these courses, on average. So, get ready for nationally funded six-year high schools.
Community colleges also have a poor track record. Believe it or not, less than 20 percent of first time, full-time community college students complete their two-year degrees within three years. Of those who do eventually transfer to four-year colleges, only 72 percent of them will finish or still be in school after another four years. Pretty great averages, right?
Free tuition will make it less valuable. If the price of something is subsidized, that price will ultimately go up. Just look at the price increases in four year tuition as a result of the huge increase in government grant and loan guarantee program spending. So, ultimately, this is going to cost us more and more, at a time when can already least afford it, given the huge level of national debt ($18 trillion+).
What do YOU think? Great idea for a new Obama initiative? Is he just trying to do something to possibly save his legacy? Or is this just another distraction?
http://downtrend.com/jrc410/more-facts-obama-didnt-mention-regarding-his-free-college-tuition-plan/
