I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.

[Fleamo]

-Mark Twain

Part of the debate this congressional session will be over making college affordable to everyone, or leaving it as is.  

From "A New Direction"/Six for '06:

Cut College Costs: Make college tuition deductible from taxes; expand Pell grants and slash student loan costs.

I'm making this obvious because it is obvious.  The Dems want to make college tuition cheaper by helping to fund some of it, and easier to pay for by reducing the student loan costs.  

This is obviously not free.  

The benefits are obviously cheaper college, more educated kids, better jobs for them, better jobs for America, because China's taking all the crap jobs, so we have to take the good ones.  

The costs are dollah-dollah bills, y'all.  It's your money.  You might not be getting the benefit directly(i.e. you won't be getting cheap college).  Do you want to do that?  Worse yet, these people might become your adversaries in the job market.  Do you want to help pay for someone else to go to college, only to be bested by them?

The least-offensive thing I see in this plan, which I could see happening, is the reducing of student loan costs.  My sister is in college at 7% or some nonsense.  I don't know if anyone disagrees with lowering it, but if you do I want to talk this out.  I see no downside.  That's just me, though.

What do you think?  Help these kids get through college?  Or keep your hard-earned money?

[mofokuban]

While I do think college should be more affordable... I don't think it's the responsibility of the government to make sure that it is by forcing others to pay for other's college.

Why are community colleges cost so much less?  Because they're an alternative.

There are loans and scholarships.  People have to work for something in order to reap the benefits.