Progressives' Failure to Propose the Best Plan

[DGS49]

Sanders and Progressives Unveil Bill to Cancel Student Debt

This latest bit of idiocy will accomplish a perverse bit of politicking for Senator Sanders (and others): It will shore up Trump votes from fair-minded people of all political stripes around the country. It is so wrong-headed, wasteful, and utterly unfair that only a delirious Prog could even countenance it, let alone support it.

But as I've said before in this space, there is one "free" college initiative (if you ignore the fact that the Congress has no legitimate power to play in this playground) that would be supported by Democrats, Independents, AND Republicans. That proposal would be to provide "free" college, on a MERIT basis, in State colleges only, to the top 25% of high school grads in each state, as measured by a competitive battery of "objective" tests (no essays on how wretched my up-bringing has been).

I am inspired by the noble academics in - of all places - New York City, who have maintained a merit-based program to fill elite public high schools with students who have demonstrated their abilities in a written test. As one can imagine, the Progs in New York (led. by the Mayor) are spitting mad at the continuance of this program that DOES NOT provide guaranteed spaces to Blacks, Hispanics, girls, or any other class of "oppressed" students.

So IT IS POSSIBLE to do such a thing.

I am an old, white, veteran, Conservatarian man, and I would JUMP on board such a program, exactly as described above, even though it is unconstitutional.

Free college...at STATE schools...to the top students in the State. How could anyone oppose that?

 

[rightwinger]

Employers should pay for the debt

They are the ones making money off of it

 

[Dekster]

I kind of support the program but I would rather see a different ideation in which existing public school classrooms are made available for college instruction. Really for the program to work, we have to keep people as close to home as possible to keep the room and board part of the mix manageable.

 

[Auld Phart]

Employers should pay for the debt

They are the ones making money off of it

and employers should pay off your car loans, because without a car, they wouldn't be able to get to work.


Right?

 

[Third Party]

Employers should pay for the debt

They are the ones making money off of it

People make their own choices-good and bad.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

I kind of support the program but I would rather see a different ideation in which existing public school classrooms are made available for college instruction. Really for the program to work, we have to keep people as close to home as possible to keep the room and board part of the mix manageable.

Why would you need to do that? There are literally thousands of colleges and trade schools that have their own facilities. iN my small town, there are several public and private universities. Who needs room and board? The only people who do are the kids wanting to go away to school. I did, as did my daughter, as we had military scholarships. My wife, other daughter and son went to schools in their local communities.

 

[Toronado3800]

Employers should pay for the debt

They are the ones making money off of it

and employers should pay off your car loans, because without a car, they wouldn't be able to get to work.


Right?

My current employer has essentially paid my last 180 mortgage payment and bought me 3 cars (I don't finance cars so saying "pay off" would imply something different).

 

[Dekster]

I kind of support the program but I would rather see a different ideation in which existing public school classrooms are made available for college instruction. Really for the program to work, we have to keep people as close to home as possible to keep the room and board part of the mix manageable.

Why would you need to do that? There are literally thousands of colleges and trade schools that have their own facilities. iN my small town, there are several public and private universities. Who needs room and board? The only people who do are the kids wanting to go away to school. I did, as did my daughter, as we had military scholarships. My wife, other daughter and son went to schools in their local communities.

My city of 40K+ has two universities. One is private and therefore would not be part of the plan and the other is a community college that wouldn't have the capacity to handle all the students. In a state funded plan there would invariably have to be a mechanism to smooth distribution, especially for the less than top students which would require relocation. It isn't as if a lot of these university towns have as much local demand as the university houses. Charlottesville VA, for instance, has better than 50% the number of students at UVA than the city even has. Nearby Blacksburg has around 75% of the number of people at VA Tech as the city has residents. The plan for free education is being overlaid onto the existing public system so yes people will have to travel and live away from home. Expanding capacity at the local level will enable fewer people to need to do that and therefore need assistance with room and board still.

 

[Unkotare]

I kind of support the program but I would rather see a different ideation in which existing public school classrooms are made available for college instruction. .....

When?

 

[Dekster]

I kind of support the program but I would rather see a different ideation in which existing public school classrooms are made available for college instruction. .....

When?

Now.

 

[Unkotare]

I kind of support the program but I would rather see a different ideation in which existing public school classrooms are made available for college instruction. .....

When?

Now.

So your plan is only for the summer? And when will these schools perform needed maintenance?

 

[Moonglow]

I kind of support the program but I would rather see a different ideation in which existing public school classrooms are made available for college instruction. .....

When?

Now.

My youngest son is in high school, takes AP classes and is getting college credit for some of the classes thus reducing his time at a college age attending college. I liked taking the CLEP test which covered the whole semester and thus in four hours you can cover the material that is usually spoon fed in a semester...

 

[Moonglow]

The school system is group paced which the higher scoring pupils are suppose to help the lower grade students. I never thought that idea would work..Twelve years is too long to graduate public school.

 

[Dekster]

I kind of support the program but I would rather see a different ideation in which existing public school classrooms are made available for college instruction. .....

When?

Now.

So your plan is only for the summer? And when will these schools perform needed maintenance?

Never. We just build new ones beside it and bulldoze the existing ones when they have reached their end all Japanese style urban planning like.

 

[Dekster]

I kind of support the program but I would rather see a different ideation in which existing public school classrooms are made available for college instruction. .....

When?

Now.

My youngest son is in high school, takes AP classes and is getting college credit for some of the classes thus reducing his time at a college age attending college. I liked taking the CLEP test which covered the whole semester and thus in four hours you can cover the material that is usually spoon fed in a semester...

We have a fairly aggressive duel enrollment program locally. A well-motivated kid (and cooperative parents) can graduate high school and enter college as second semester sophomore or first semester junior in terms of credit hours.

 

[Dekster]

I kind of support the program but I would rather see a different ideation in which existing public school classrooms are made available for college instruction. .....

When?

Now.

So your plan is only for the summer? And when will these schools perform needed maintenance?

Never. We just build new ones beside it and bulldoze the existing ones when they have reached their end all Japanese style urban planning like.

Bye.

Have a nice life

 

[Unkotare]

Of course, the notion of just assuming local college programs could be jammed into often overcrowded local high schools, which usually have evening and weekend programs as well as after school clubs and activities occupying those facilities is unworkable and ill-considered.

 

[Anathema]

Free college...at STATE schools...to the top students in the State. How could anyone oppose that?

Very easily... by reminding people that the Federal Government has no legitimate power being involved in loaning money or in the education system.

 

[Moonglow]

Of course, the notion of just assuming local college programs could be jammed into often overcrowded local high schools, which usually have evening and weekend programs as well as after school clubs and activities occupying those facilities is unworkable and ill-considered.

When I got out of the army in 1986 I moved to Rogers, Ark. I decided to attend the local college it was in an insurance building with people actually conducting business while we used the conference room.

 

[DGS49]

I don't think classroom space where the students live would be much of an issue. There are empty schools all over the country, and other buildings that could be re-purposed if there was a will to do so. Here in Pittsburgh we have a giant empty mall that will shortly be torn down for other development. It would be PERFECT for classrooms.

What is a University? Teachers and students. Everything else is incidental.

As for the Constitutional issue (which I alluded to in my introduction), it could work like every other unconstitutional program works. The Feds would provide incentives, tax credits, funding and other assistance to make it work.