Only a masochist would pay for a complete stranger to go to college.
Yet this is exactly what some folks in Washington want to do.
We’ve heard it time and time again from some of the more liberal factions of the Washington machine: “College isn’t a privilege, it’s a right, and therefore should be free.”
Bullshit!
College is not a right. It is, in fact, a privilege, and therefore should be earned.
Yesterday, Hillary Clinton unveiled a $350 billion plan designed to make college more affordable while reducing student debt burden.
She wants to reduce the cost of four-year public schools and make two-year community college tuition-free.
Silly Hillary, college isn’t free!
Like most statists, Clinton believes that with the right amount of government intervention, we can make the cost of college more affordable – for everyone. Problem is, not everyone should be in college.
Truth is, I’d be willing to bet that half the folks in college today are going to graduate with limited skills, a massive amount of debt, and a perverse sense of entitlement.
They’ll send out hundreds of resumes for jobs that pay so little, they won’t even be able to afford to make the minimum payments on their college loans. Meanwhile, those who decided to skip college altogether and learn a trade, well, they’re doing just fine.
A Horrible Idea
One of the worst things to ever happen in this country was the diffusion of this idea that everyone should go to college. This is a horrible idea.
So many folks look down on the people that build our homes, fix our cars, and produce our food. Yet these are the hard-working Americans that provide valuable services. Services, by the way, that many of us pay handsomely for.
When these kids go to meet with their guidance counselors, I wonder how many of them know that within two years of high school graduation, they could be pulling in $60,000 a year as an electrician or welder.
I wonder how many of them know that in the four years it’ll take them to get a degree in sociology, they could instead learn a trade and generate enough money to buy a home and start building a retirement portfolio.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying college is a bad idea. I’m just saying it’s not for everyone. And when we create this illusion that only those with college degrees can make a good living, we create a generation of well-read philosophers who don’t know how to install a light switch.
Of course, if some folks in the government have their way, it’s going to become even easier for this nation to pump out a generation of misguided young adults who won’t be able to wipe their asses without an instruction manual.
Oh, the Irony!
I agree that college is ridiculously expensive, and certainly efforts should be taken to make college more affordable for those who really want to attend. This is why I’m a big believer in getting the government out of the student loan business altogether.
Colleges and universities can charge outrageous fees because they know that students can get cheap money, thanks to the government. Take the government out of that equation, and all of the sudden these institutions of higher learning have to adjust to a more competitive environment — one where fancy gymnasiums and high-end dorms with movie theaters would have to take a backseat to reductions in tuition.
Hillary Clinton wants to make it easier for kids to go to college by essentially making it easier for them to afford it. But rest assured, tuition will only continue to increase as long as Uncle Sam continues to dole out the cash.
Of course, Senator Bernie Sanders actually upped the ante on Clinton by calling for the complete elimination of tuition and fees for public universities. How would such a thing be funded?
Sanders proposes imposing a tax on transactions by hedge funds, investment houses and other Wall Street firms.
Look, I get that a lot of these guys are scumbags and would sell their mothers out for a good deal, but let’s be honest: These days it seems like colleges and universities are pumping out way more hedge fund managers and Wall Street types than doctors and engineers.
Is it possible that Sanders’ proposal would just end up funding the educations of a bunch of irresponsible greed junkies? Wouldn’t that be ironic!
In Clinton’s case, she has proposed offsetting the costs of her college tuition plan by capping itemized tax deductions for wealthy families at 28 percent. Because somehow wealthier Americans are responsible for putting this nation’s teenagers through college?
Unreal!
And rest assured, dear reader, if such programs get put into action, your tax burden will only become greater, too. Because make no mistake, even if you’re not pulling in a half million or more or year, it’ll hit you, too. It always does!
