Free? Did somebody say something about free?
Nothing will make our ears perk up like the mention of something free. Your ears may be coming to attention because you WANT what’s free or you’re afraid somebody’s reaching into your pocket to pay for the giveaway. Is anything really free?
Former Vice President Joe Biden has a proposed a plan that would offer free public university tuition to anyone from a family making less than $125,000 a year. Studies show it would be an investment in our society that would ultimately be repaid to the U.S. Treasury in the form of higher taxes from higher incomes.
Professor Anthony Carnevale, Director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce thinks Biden’s plan would level the playing field. (As an acknowledgement to many of you whom texted in, I would add there always has to be a line; and, let’s face it, if you're on the family income of $126,000 side of that line you’re getting a big-time hosing.)
Others say not only is FREE college a bad idea but college degrees in and of themselves are mostly unnecessary and non-beneficial. Neal McCluskey, Director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom thinks we’ve become a society that gets dumber as we matriculate farther and higher through the educational system. I didn’t agree with most of what he had to say but you may. Take a listen to both sides and see what you think.