The shocking horror of free community college

[KamaAina]

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

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!

[Scuba]

1. Excellent rant. Thanks for posting it, KamaAina.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. You can change the direction of this country in one generation,

if you make the following courses mandatory:

(1) Critical Thinking for the 21st Century

(2) Media Propaganda and Statistical Analysis 101

(3) Social Movements from the Nazi Era to the Reign of Fox News.

Based on those classes, it's likely we'll have some savvy voters ready to give politicians a hard time.

[phantom power]

3. we spend that every 6 months on our endless wars

but endless war is the only 3rd rail of modern politics.

[riderinthestorm]

4. K&R and K&R and K&R..

[geardaddy]

5. And teacher training should be free

as it is in the UK.

[tiptonic]

6. F-32

How much does just one (1) of the new F-32 fighters cost? You know, the one that doesn't work. I think it was over 1 billion each. Someone help me out here.

[NuclearDem]

8. F-35, and it's anywhere from between $114 and $142 million depending on variant.

[tammywammy]

16. The price is going down

The price for each of the three F-35 variants is roughly 3.6% less expensive than in LRIP 7; this should put the cost of an F-35A in LRIP 8 at about $93.3 million, an F-35B at $100.5 million and an F-35C at $111.1 million.

http://m.aviationweek.com/defense/lockheed-pentagon-agree-latest-f-35-production-lot

As production goes up the price per unit goes down.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

20. Buy more and save

what a bargain.

[tammywammy]

21. Actually, it's basic economies of scale

To make one of something will cost more per unit than if you make 100 of it. You can buy parts and materials cheaper in bulk and there's a learning curve to increase efficiency.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

22. Actually i should have said buy nothing and save more.

spending millions on those aircraft is no bargain.
Our little town of 1200 persons needs a new water supply system that will cost a couple of million, we can't afford it, we need a new jetty to protect the harbor, we can't afford it, the county is going broke and services are being cut, we may loose the jail and police protection because we can't afford it, meaning we don't have the tax base to pay for it.
So when I see those costs for aircraft, I see all those projects that we can't have because were spending the money on those aircraft and I don't see a bargain.

[Initech]

18. And the Pentagon doesn't even want these things.

That's the truly insane part. Why are we needlessly wasting money on needless weapons and bloated defense, when we could spend this on things that could you know, actually help people?

[Jefferson23]

7. Recommend.n/t

[JDPriestly]

9. With this I disagree:

&quot read: lower-income and the underprivileged, because that’s who this program would benefit most, unquestionably)"

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

This program would primarily benefit the middle class, working people for whom spending from $10,000 to $50,000 a year on college is just too great a burden.

Face it. It isn't just the poor who can't afford to go to college today without emerging with the about-to-explode bomb of heavy education debt on their shoulders. It's the children of the middle class. The very best students may get some scholarship help. But most don't. And the cost of education is getting higher and higher. Parents start planning when a child is born or is very small for that day when the child will need mega-bucks for college.

So this program will benefit all of us, the whole nation. It is a great idea. And I can't think of a better way to motivate kids in school at all levels right up to the senior year to study and prepare to go to junior college. Because they should have to pass a test proving language and math proficiency at a certain level to qualify.

I'd like to see the cost of this program compared to what we spend on prisons each year.

Thanks for posting. I'm 100% and more behind Obama on this idea. I also support his idea of universal pre-school. I would start it at age 3 half-days at no cost.

[mountain grammy]

10. K & R

[world wide wally]

11. It's not even that it is too expensive. They just say that to cover their tracks.

The real reason Republicaens oppose it is because it benefits average Americans and not the wealthy. Just look at EVERYTHING they do. It's all for the very same reason.
Now do you understand working class, trailer park Republicans?

[SmittynMo]

12. The GOP is soooo full of it.

This law has been in Missouri for over a decade. My daughter took full advantage of it in 2004, received her associates degree, and immediately got a job. She has been in that job ever since, and loves it. It was the break she needed. I'm sure a lot of you got a break when you were in your twenties and took full advantage of the break with hard work, to progress your career.

You see, the GOP doesn't want ANYONE to get a helping hand from anyone. It's all about me, me, me, and I'm getting sick and tired, tired, tired of the fallacy and bullshit.

[AngryDem001]

13. But, but, but

The CEO of Chevron wants a new private jet!

Doesn't HE matter too?

[SmittynMo]

14. Awwwwwww n/t

[LiberalElite]

15. The whole CUNY (City University of New York) system

which includes several 4-year colleges and 2-year community colleges was tuition-free at one time. They started charging tuition in the '70s; I don't recall why.

[lovemydog]

17. k & r !

[Brigid]

19. Repubs do not want a healthy, educated populace. Period.

Such a populace is much harder to manipulate -- er, govern.