Quote:Given the state of for-profit colleges, i dread to think what colleges would be like if we 'got the government out of education' (or other schools for that matter)


I think Libertarians (and conservative) put way too much faith into the "Free Market"

 

Its not so much the concept of the state school system, I think that's great and a true benefit to our society. Its the government financing of post-secondary education where it gets sticky. Frankly, if you give away community college like the President proposed then all you do is further deflate the value of a high school diploma. When everyone can get an Associates Degree for free then it simply becomes the new high school diploma. The same goes for the rest of the degrees, when too many people acquire the credential then the credential is naturally devalued, especially when so many who shouldn't be anywhere near college matriculate and graduate. Access to college is great, but everyone shouldn't got to college and cost is one of the ways to weed those folks out.

---