Left of Education

            There is currently a debate in the United States over higher education.  A sound public education is already guaranteed through the 12^th grade to everyone in the country but go beyond that and the cost can be astronomical.  The government provides assistance to those who qualify to help them go to some kind of school, be that a technical school, or a four year university/college.  The largest portion is dispersed as subsidized (the government pays the interest while the student is in school) and unsubsidized (the interest accrues during school) loans.  Pell Grants are given to the lowest income students and the amount is adjusted yearly based on the Consumer Price Index.

            The liberals in this country have a fairly clear picture in their minds of what, at least public, higher education should look like.  Like most issues, some people are more extreme than others.  One of the biggest promoter of reforming the programs that help students continue their education beyond high school is Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.  One of the major planks of his platform in his presidential campaign is that public colleges and universities should be free for people to attend.  This system would be similar to those in the United Kingdom, Germany, and many other countries.  He attests that because a bachelor’s degree is pretty much required to find a good paying job, the programs that allow people to go school should be expanded to ensure that everyone has equal access.  This would create an entirely new social program.  Sen. Sanders says that the program could be funded by reallocating tax revenue and increasing the taxes on the highest bracket.

            A much less extreme liberal idea is to control the cost of public institutions.  The problem as viewed by many is that the money the government provides for school that does not require repayment has grown at the rate of inflation, but the cost of schools has outpaced it by more than 405%.  Many find that if the cost of attending a school was more tightly controlled, the current budgeting would be enough to cover it.

            The biggest arguments against almost every liberal idea is the cost and the government intervention required to make them happen.  If the cost is controlled, the conservatives are likely to say that it is a governmental overreach.  If the funding is increased to the social programs that help low income individuals go to school they say that it is hurting the countries budget and taking money from other, more important things.