A Poor Solution to America’s Shortcoming
“My father was a factory worker, and we were really poor. But everything I earned peddling papers and working in stores, he made me put aside for education” (Abraham A. Ribicoff). Abraham Ribcoff grew up to be the 80th governor of Connecticut and later became JFK’s secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. A major issue in today’s society is the debate over free community college tuition. Even though some say free community college tuition would be one step closer to saving Americas crumbling lower class, community college tuition should not be completely free. An education from a community college is already very affordable even for those who are from low-income families. On top of being
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This is a major issue for the low-income demographic in America because many individuals from these families can 't afford to go to college. However, this is not only an issue for the lower class. Later in his article, Carnevale states, "College is not a blue collar vs. white collar issue. More and more blue-collar jobs demand post-secondary education and training....Americans need to understand that the good jobs that require only a high school education are gone and will not be coming back". In other words, Carnevale is saying that a basic secondary education is becoming the status quo for the low-income jobs and that a post-secondary education will soon be the status quo for the middle class jobs. High school is becoming the new elementary school and American needs to realize that before it is too late. However, this poses a problem from the evidence we have just seen. Many people from low income families cannot afford to pay college tuition, but they also cannot afford not to.
A common answer to the dilemma of America’s education deficiency is to make college tuition free, more specifically community college tuition free. Friedman addresses this issue earlier in his book saying, "Low education means low-paying jobs, plain and simple, and this is where more and more Americans are finding themselves"
Perhaps one of the greatest concerns that torments America’s new generation is pursuing higher education in order to make more money and while avoiding being in debt, decades after graduation. This topic has become even more as tuition continues to rise and politicians are left to ponder the best course of action to insure that the next generation of Americans is more educated than the last. One particular solution was posed by former president, Barack Obama, who promoted the idea of free community college. Although, it may not be the most direct or most elegant solution, it would certainly be a push in the right direction. By making community college tuition free nationwide, states would become more invested in accommodating the influx of students, lead different school systems to compete by lowering tuition prices, and finally address America’s shortcoming in adults who possess more than just high school diploma.
As of November 2015, many states have imposed free or reduced tuition fees for students attending community college. This proposal guarantees that those who otherwise cannot afford the average University tuition costs now have the ability to get a post-secondary degree. President Obama has enacted this plan, calling for the federal government to pay for the majority of tuition costs for these students. With this support, an improvement upon community colleges, economic growth, and bringing modest income families out of the vicious cycle of not being able to afford high tuition costs will all be achievable. Republicans think otherwise, asking where this money to pay for these expensive will come from.
During one of his campaign programs, Presidential-candidate Bernie Sanders stood before a thousand applauding and cheering people. This man just announced, as hopeful future President of the United States, that he planned to make college free for every US citizen. Many young adults favor Bernie Sanders, and other political leaders, idea of free tuition because they believe that it will open more doors for them and allow them to not worry about the burden of student loans. However, there are many reasons that regulating free college education could hurt our society and economy that people don’t often realize. College education should not be free because it would raise taxes, it would devalue the worth of a college degree, and it would pave the way for more welfare dependency.
Community College. She displays her expertise in the discussion of whether Obama’s proposal of free tuition college is accomplishable. Cubberly displays her views by using visual graphs and past experiences to question if the stance of free college tuition was built on solid foundation. She brings up the Recession of 2008 and how it had a large impact on the way community colleges are standing now. Especially when it comes to their ability to meet the needs of an exploding new mass of students, if Obama’s proposal is passed.
It should be common sense that those who work hard in school and achieve academically should be rewarded with the opportunity to attend better universities in our field of study. When Caldwell seeks advice from her friends on Facebook, the issue of attending the University of Wisconsin or Rutgers University is controversial. Although some argue that her son should attend Wisconsin “debt be damned”, others contend that the debt is not worth it and he should settle for Rutgers and transfer later if he desires. My view is that debts should be avoided when possible, but people should not be punished for their achievements in the education system. The harsh costs of further education limit the abilities of many middle class people, such as home ownership, job opportunities, and financial independence. Achievement and success should not be limited by being born into a family that provides a decent standard of living. The middle class is being left behind in the wake of budget cuts and higher tuition because many people earn too much to be considered for need based aid and are also incapable of affording skyrocketing tuition, room and board, and many of the other required expenses of higher education without sacrifice and looming loans. The insights of Deborah Caldwell into the costs of college are disappointing because it is just the story of one family that is facing the expense of a necessary part in a child’s education. The decision to accept financial burden to attend a prestigious program or for financial stability and a mediocre experience is a difficult one that society has forced man to make. The values of a community are reflected in their policies, and many across the country have realized the harm of slashing college aid programs. It is important
With the shockingly high number of student debt in America, it is no wonder why people constantly look for alternatives to make education cheaper.Certainly, higher education is in need of reformation. However, it should not come at the expense of dollars from people who pay taxes. In theory, free college sounds fantastic, but it must be understood that this luxury is not free. The money would come from people who pay taxes, which is evidently twisted as a majority of people do not value higher education. They should not be forced to pay for something that is optional in one’s life. People will be paying for free college for the rest of their lives in taxes. Moreover, free college removes the incentive of valuing education in high school. There
It is difficult to comprehend how third world countries have tuition-free colleges and America does not. How can economically underdeveloped countries offer free colleges with little problem, but America struggles? While politicians such as Bernie Sanders, President Obama, and Kate Brown talk about making colleges and community colleges tuition-free and eventually free altogether, they fail to see the bigger problem of economic disparity. Implementing a tuition-free program where everyone is eligible is not sustainable nor fair. If a student comes from a household that makes less than the average annual salary of $56,516, tuition should be completely free. College must be tuition-free because most first world countries already have free college, it is an investment that will benefit current and future generations, and people’s inability to repay back their student loans is negatively affecting the United State’s economy.
In today’s generation many hear about the importance of getting a college education. Many believe that getting a certification or degree will lead you on the path to a better future. For a portion of the American population college is helped pay for by various grant and student loans. But what about the portion of Americans that don’t qualify for them? For these Americans college seems so far out of reach. Making community college free for all Americans will be very beneficial to those Americans that don’t get help with paying their tuition. It will also make sure that nobody gets left behind because of their lack of money. Through evidence I will provide good reasoning as to why community college should be provided free to all citizens of the United States.
Many people believe that making community college free is a step to bettering the country. The article “As He Promotes It, Some Question Obama’s Free Community College Idea” by Joanne Jacobs, gives us insight on both sides of the argument and allows us to form an opinion based on what we read. After reading this article, I had to agree with not making community college free. Although it sounds nice, and other world countries have free college at the price of higher taxes, I feel it best to keep it at a tuition basis. Instead, I believe that we should work towards lowering the costs of private or public four years for those low income students, and also think about how making community college free could impact the enrollment at these campuses,
In " Free College Doesn't Fix Everything,” Richard Reeves, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution. Said that Community colleges in the United States can, in theory, provide an important service. not everyone has the same opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree. Most high school students from rich families will end the university, some of humble origin will join them. At this time, the system of institutions in the United States serves to reinforce inequality from generation to generation, rather than reduce it. However, some students do not get into college, or do not finish their studies, and this is not only economically-financial situation is also due to the weakness that has America in education. However,
Dreams are not cheap. I have dreamed of having a college degree for twenty years, one of the hurdles that I struggled with overcoming was the shear rising cost of higher education. In the articles, The Problem with Obama’s “Free Community College” Proposal and Obama’s Dream of Free Community College is Headed to Congress, high dropout rates and low percentages of students earning a bachelor’s degree are touched upon. While reducing the cost of college or providing free community college may not be enough to raise the dropout rate, we need to look at the other non-quantifiable costs of getting an education. If we want to enable American’s to earn that dream, we need to address the whole needs of the student and not just throw money at them.
President Barack Obama is proposing a plan that would allow community colleges to become more accessible for lower income households, who may not have the means to pay for higher forms of education. This issue on whether to focus and divert most of governmental funds to community colleges has sparked a lot of controversy throughout the nation. The United States is known as one of the most influential countries, with the strongest military defenses the world has ever seen. But by pushing for lower tuition prices or even free college tuition it requires a decision that looks at all sides of the spectrum. Powerful men like Nelson Mandela have said, “Education is one of the most powerful weapons which you can use to change the world”; however, education does come with a high price that most Americans are not willing to pay for. Although providing a higher form of education to low income households will increase the number of educated people within our communities; however, it will not compensate for the negative effects on our society.
Barack Obama’s idea of free-tuition college will indeed help millions of people attend college and many doors will open for those that could not afford college before. In addition to the article “Savvier middle- and upper-middle-class students could be competing for spots with low-income students,” student named Sequeiros said, “One population ends up pushing out another.” in other words it will limit the incoming amount of students enrolling in college. If college is free, than colleges needs to be free to all and
(INTRO) During the recent Presidential Address in January, Barack Obama introduced a groundbreaking new idea; free community college. Upon approval, the proposal would provide all students in the United States who maintain a 2.5 GPA, go to school at least part-time, and make steady progress toward degree completion with free education (Community College Week, par. 16). As the world powers continue to improve education systems, the United States is undoubtedly falling more and more behind, and many believe that this program would be a good beginning to closing the educational gap with other nations. There is no debate that free college would change the educational “game” by allowing millions of students to access free college annually; however, many politicians doubt that the available resources (especially economically) are adequate to cover such a plan. (THESIS) America’s College Promise is merely a proposal designed to spark the conversation over higher education structure; the program is frankly impractical, as the detail and necessary
College attendance has certainly increased over the decades compared to the old American days of college being funded and without the burden of tuition. Some may object at the concept of college being free and others may agree based on many confounding variables. Rich families may find it easier to fund their children’s college and the poor may find it so difficult that their children simply drop-out to obtain a full-time job. The administering of scholarships and financial aid has certainly been an opportunity to obtain direct assistance for college, but it has proven to still be a challenge to fund college students. College should be free to improve the equity between Americans in pursuing higher education, to eventually improve the American economy and workforce and to allow students to live happier lives in completing education and living debt free.