The Death of Education

I was watching the Bill Maher show the other night (I know, I know...liberal propaganda!)  It wasn't what Maher said though, that got me thinking, it was what one of his guests said.  Paul Begala, a democratic strategist on CNN, said that when he attended the University of Texas (probably in the 80's), he paid a mere four dollars per unit.   That's $12-$16 for a typical 3-4 unit class.  Prices since then have gone up over 600%. Seems a bit drastic, doesn't it?  The junior college I attended in the early 90's, Cerritos College, charged $6 per unit at that time.  Now it's $46.  For a junior college.  I remember taking 6 classes my first semester at Cerritos College, and it cost me $108 (approximately).  Those same classes now would cost $828.  I couldn't have afforded that, and I likely would have become discouraged and never fished my Associate's Degree program.

Begala also said that, back in those days, Texas used to invest its wealth back into education, which is what made college so affordable.  Those days are long gone, and it's not just Texas that's stopped investing in education, it's the entire country.  Unless something is done, going to college will be something that only the kids of the ultra-wealthy can afford.  Sure, there's student loans, but this is yet another thing that is crippling our economy.  Should kids today really be saddled with a loan the size of a home mortgage once they graduate?

So what can we do?  Obviously, one thing we can do is try to keep interest rates down for the loans.  I noticed that both Democrats and Republicans agree that interest rates should be kept low.  However, they don't agree how it should be paid for.  Republicans want to fund the low interest loans by cutting out certain portions of "Obamacare", particularly the "preventive care" portion.  No breast cancer screenings for women, no immunizations.  The colonoscopy I had last year wouldn't be covered either.  The Democrats wanted to pay for it by closing tax loopholes for millionaires.  I ask you, what party seems to care more about its people?  The first thing the Republicans think of to cut is preventive care?  Why?  This just doesn't make sense to me, and  I've been attacked by people on the right, calling me all kinds of names like a socialist, communist, idiot, etc for voicing my opinion on this.  They assume I collect all kinds of free benefits from the government and can't stand the idea of losing them.  The fact is, I don't get anything from them.  I have a job,  I've never been on welfare, I've never had food stamps, I pay for my own, private health insurance, and I don't ask for handouts.  Clearly, I don't come close to their definition of a "liberal."

Education should not be something that is out of reach for the poor and middle class.  I think about my two kids and wonder what kind of future is in store for them.  Are they going to be living with me and my wife until they are 30 years old, just so they can attend college?  Will I even be able to afford to send them to college?  Even though my own parents didn't really help me through college, I want to do what I can for them.  I really hope this country can get its priorities straight before then.