Who agrees with Bernie Sanders and thinks that a College education should be free for all Americans?

Question

I personally hate this idea and don't see it ever happening. My reason for this is that I endured 9 years of college to obtain 2 Bachelor Degrees and worked by butt off to graduate debt free. If every American citizen had a College degree it would significantly diminish it's value. Also, every American citizen has access to a College degree as there are student loans available to those who qualify so the only thing needed is determination and hard work. Trust me, you will value your degree much more when you worked hard and paid for your own College education. I'd like to hear other peoples opinions on this topic. Thanks for your time...

Answer 1

When everyone has a college education it will be as meaningless as a high school diploma and we will have college grads that can't read.

Answer 2

Actually, I think most graduates would rather start their careers being debt free.

Most peeps already mooched off the system for 12-13 years, what's another 4 years (?)

Could be done quite cheaply by copying the no-frills model of Germany.

Schools should be limited to serious students, only. No sports, or stupid "studies", such as feminism, gayism, black, brown studies. No tutoring or remedial courses.

No tenured profs,(who often have TA's do the teaching).

Answer 3

I think free college education for everybody is a bad idea and a waste.

I can understand giving grants and scholarships to people who TRULY want to get educated and become something. But if college was free for everybody, many people would go just for the parties. And besides, it wouldn't actually be free, It would cost a LOT of tax dollars. Somebody would be paying for it.



I remember hearing a news segment when Obama first came out saying that he wanted to make the first 2 years of college free. One person suggested that they should instead make the SECOND 2 years or post graduate education free, That way the government would be giving it to just people who showed that they actually wanted it by working towards it.

Answer 4

I agree with Bernie Sanders that a college education should be paid for by the government:



A government-paid higher education system would mean more college students. More college students means higher demand for professors and other university positions(job creation). It means more construction jobs to create more universities. It means more business majors because of more students, and thus more businesses and thus more jobs. It means more money will circulate in the economy because former students who just graduated won't have to spend their money on paying off college debt, but other products that will boost the economy better.



"If every American citizen had a College degree it would significantly diminish it's value."

Not really. When the economy sucks, your college degree is useless. It often does suck with the way the system currently is with favoring the wealthy. Allowing the wealth limitless wealth makes it more likely just one person's mistake can collapse the economy since they invest millions upon millions.

Answer 5

I agree. Germany just ended college tuition. Many other countries make it free or very affordable. The U.S. is unique in that education has become mostly about profit, which saddles graduates with debt that makes it harder for them to get ahead.



BUT - just think of it this way - we have a public education system. For K-12, it's free. We simply add on four years for those who qualify. Meaning, they start their lives without the debt burden, more free to SPEND, INVEST, create economic growth. Unlike the effect of "tax breaks for billionaires," which does nothing other than make them richer and give them more money to stash in the Cayman's.



Do you think the GI Bill was a bad idea? No one with any sense thinks anything other than what a great thing it was. Do you think our post-Great Depression INVESTMENT in our middle-class paid off? Of COURSE it did! And the rich still got richer, believe it or not! Even when the top tax rate was 91%.



Nothing Bernie proposes is NEW, or even the least bit radical.

Answer 6

In 1862, to provide educational opportunity for the "sons of toil," the U.S. Congress passed the Morrill Act, establishing land-grant public colleges and universities on a tuition-free basis. For roughly a century thereafter, many American public colleges and universities either charged no tuition or a nominal fee for attendance. The State University of New York (SUNY) system - the largest in the nation - remained tuition-free until 1963. The University of California system, established in 1868, had free tuition until the 1980s.



Between 1978 and 2013, American college tuition reportedly rose by 1,120 percent.



Denmark, Brazil, Norway, Finland, Germany, France, Slovenia and Sweden offer free college. Other countries, offer low cost college, and more countries are moving toward free college (including China).



The top four most educated countries in the world:

1. The Russian Federation

2. Canada

3. Japan

4. Israel

For those of you yelling, “We’re number one!” No, we’re number 5 and if things keep going as they are we will continue to sink.



Our kids are the future of this country. They should be well educated or our country will fall behind the rest of the world. And they shouldn't come out of college hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.



Private colleges are not included in Sanders' plan.



When only rich kids can afford an education, that's wrong.



So yes, I completely agree with Senator Sanders on this.



http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/33473-why-tuition-free-college-makes-sense

Answer 7

I got a 'free' education (actually $75/semester plus books). In those days we had the highest percentage of college grads in the world. We led the world in all kinds of high-tech--medicine, aerospace, electronics, you name it. And I paid for my education over and over in taxes over what I would have made flipping burgers at McDonalds.



It isn't exactly 'a free education for ALL' either here or in countries that still do it. It's free if you qualify, and then only as long as you keep up your grades. It sure worked for us when we had it!

Answer 8

I agree with Bernie Sanders but I think we should kill the richest 200 Americans and confiscate all their wealth to pay for it. Then we should institute a financial transaction tax because it is decades overdue.

Answer 9

Both Clinton and Sanders want college education to be "free" for the freeloaders/future democrat voters. Everyone else (your average taxpayer) has to pay. All elections are advance auctions on stolen goods. Lots of supply and no demand equals a whole lot of wasted time and wealth. What is the difference if they all have doctorates, and nobody is hiring them? Supply and demand. With many more people demanding "free" education, the cost of professors will go way up.



Of course, all liberal thought, policy, values and beliefs are rooted in specific, fundamental, and very alluring lies. All liberal rhetoric is justification of those lies. There are no exceptions. Education isn't free. it never will be free. Professors don't work for free. Buildings don't maintain themselves for free. Books aren't free. Somebody has to pay. Taxes will go up and employers will cut back to pay the taxes. Jobs will be lost. Economic changes don't happen without repercussions.



Democrats are all about denouncing supply side economics. Yet they are all too willing to supply a glut of college grads who have no chance at finding jobs because employers are cutting back in order to pay the taxes needed to produce college grads. ~ Go Figure ~



Yes you are right. It will severely impact private colleges. Very few people could afford to send their kids to private schools when public college tuition is free. This will produce a monopoly of politically indoctrinated kids. Just what Socialist like Hillary and Bernie want. Poor, jobless, smart, liberal lemmings.

Answer 10

Democracy only works with an informed and intelligent electorate. What were you thinking, if you thought otherwise?

Answer 11

Like it is free in Russia? Russia tests all children at 15. If you are the top 15% of the class you get to go to college, FREE!! If you're among the rest of the 85%, get ready to dig ditches the rest of your life. Ain't Socialism grand!

Answer 12

As long as you're paying for it, I'm fine with it.



It's too bad that OBAMAcare has made healthcare so incredibly expensive and completely unattainable for the middle class and the poor. There has never been such a ruinous law bestowed upon all Americans.