The shocking horror of free community college - By Mark Morford

[madokie]

Do you know the estimated cost to the federal government for Obama’s unexpected, sort of amazing, not even all that radical plan to send any qualified American (read: lower-income and the underprivileged, because that’s who this program would benefit most, unquestionably) to two years of community college, for free?

It’s about $60 billion, spread over 10 years, with a bit more coming from participating states. That’s a paltry $6 billion a year, or about what the Pentagon spends every five seconds on toothpicks, on liquor stores, on shoelaces, on about 10,000 other bulls–t programs, weapons, operations, experiments, failed wars, nuclear submarines, toilet paper and beef jerky and the poisonous nuclear byproduct that Dick Cheney calls “blood.”

In other words, it’s a relative pittance, for an unquestionable social good. So why are Republicans already sneering at it, threatening to derail is, calling it too expensive and suggesting that the federal government can’t afford it? Because the program is a poor idea? No. Because they’re hateful, obstructionist cretins? Well, yes.

Do you think that’s too harsh? That is not at all too harsh. Do you think I’m exaggerating? I am not at all exaggerating. Here’s a fun factoid: The Department of Defense is, by far, the most shamelessly wasteful government agency on earth, defending America from almost nothing and squandering a staggering 20 percent of our GDP to do it. To be fair, it’s sort of difficult to know exactly how wasteful; the General Accounting Office has long called the DoD’s laughable chaos of a megabudget “inauditable,” due to roaring mismanagement. America!

http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2015/01/12/the-horror-of-free-community-college/

[liberal_at_heart]

1. I like the community college proposal but it is only a piece of the puzzle.

Federal and state governments must start increasing funding for both K-12 education and to universities. Decades ago the federal and state governments were the main source of funding for universities. Now tuition is the main source of funding, and at a great financial burden to students.

[flygal]

2. I like the German system

Not only is all college now free, but there are students who are done with "high school" after 10th grade and they go on to a tech/training school and work part-time. The work is along the lines with what they are studying and at a reduced rate (like apprenticeship). There are many kids this age who are just done with high school and this is a good chance for them to see what the real work world is like. Some end up going back for the Abitur (high school diploma needed to study at a university) but there are decent paying jobs even with the "Real School Abschulss" after 10th grade thanks to the "community colleges".