[Rhodes22-list] Free Education

[Steve Alm]

As our illustrious former Gov. Jesse Ventura said after cutting millions
from the Univ. of MN spurring an immediate tuition hike, "If you're smart
enough to get into college, you should be able to figure out how to pay for
it."

Although it was yet another example of his shoot-from-the-hip comments, I
think there's a little wisdom there.  Maybe just a little.  But if a college
education was a free and easy thing, wouldn't that make any advanced degree
more common and less distinguishing?  Further, in order to make their
programs look like they're working, there would be a big push to get
everybody graduated--so they'd have to dumb down the programs to achieve
this.  Instead of "No child left behind" it would be "No dorm-squatting,
reefer-blowing coed left behind."  [grin]

Show me the money!  We have enough trouble funding K-12.  But I'm in favor
of finding ways to make college more available to more people.  Bush is now
at loggerheads within his own cabinet on Affirmative Action.
Quotas...whatever!  Let them in.  Let everybody in.  Even ere on the side of
letting anybody in.  But Don't lower the bar to get out!!!!  Not even the
first class.  Calculus 101 isn't supposed to be easy.

But for the good students, we need to find more creative ways of helping
them get through.  For you parents out there who are putting your kids
through college, OWCH!  I feel your pain.  Tuition is outrageous.  Bring
back the GI Bill.  What do you say we make a new tax (gasp!) on companies
that require a college degree for employment?  That money goes to the
colleges and universities (but not Bob Jones University) and offsets the
tuition. We could call it the dorm-squatting, reefer-blowing tax.

Last thought: Cuba has one of, if not the highest literacy rate in the
world.  And almost everybody goes to college.  Has that helped Cubans or
Cuba herself?  I'd like hearing from any of you who know more about higher
ed in Cuba.

Slim