Free education for all IS freedom if you ask me.

Getting knocked up might be a fuckup, but that's not the only indicator of the future. One of my professors used to instruct in Alternative Education for High Schoolers and had a student called Five Ash. The kid had a brutal reputation and had to raise a son with his baby momma, but he went to the University of Arkansas and taught the exact same subject my prof did at his old high school.

That kid would have likely been on the way to prison if it weren't for his experience in Alternative Education.

Sassafrass: i dont think theres such a thing as free education (someone still has to pay for the schools and the teachers) but more education is never a bad thing.

its just too bad no one really values education anymore these days or at least is seems that way

not to be a semantic shit, but there's a difference between the costs of instruction, and the costs of receiving an education

instructors and institutions will always cost money, but getting an education should not

It's always seemed in my experience that those paying at least part of their own way in college tended to take their studies a bit more seriously than those completely on their parent's dime.

I guess I'd be all for free education as long as you actually had to get an education in order to get the piece of paper at the end.

If I'd have had to pay what kids do these days to go to Uni I certainly would have tried to actually learn something while I was there, rather than just getting hammered for three years.

thats a good point to make but i think the system should sort itself out. people who dont take their studies seriously will fail and those who do will pass and those who pass will succeed in life.

i think the important thing is to at least give everyone free access and the opportunity to education. what each person does with the education is up to the individual. we can give them free education but its up to them to make use of it.

i think thats better than someone not being able to get an education because they cant afford it.

Except the problem with making a college education free for everyone is the total devaluation of a college degree, and the likely decrease in the quality of an education everyone will get. Do you think it'll be any more fair when colleges expect the same quality of work as our current high schools?

I'm in total support of making college free for everyone, but restricting the everyone to the people who will take their education seriously.

Any education is better than nothing. A society that puts more value on the exclusivity of post-secondary than an educated populace is headed in the wrong direction.

I suppose learning how to do a kegstand is more important than, say, learning a worthwhile trade or skill.

Just so I understand, your argument is that people shouldn't be able to get an education because then you wouldn't feel special.

Why should you care if a college degree is devalued? It's all these nebulous trades and skills that really make people succeed in life, right?

Tell you what, we'll both get an education and THEN you can become a plumber's apprentice and I won't. Then you'll still have the edge over plebes like me.

Okay, so now education is free. Anyone can go to post-secondary institutions. Now where does the money come from to accomplish this? Health care? Public works? University isn't high school. A proper university is expensive as fuck to run if you want a decent quality of education. You need to pay a fair amount to attract bright minds to teaching, you need money for the very expensive science equipment, you need money for grad students and research grants. You can't just magic that into existence. Some places can pull this off when they have a lower population and a high income, but big countries it just isn't feasible.

Don't get me wrong, what Americans charge for education is fucking ludicrous, especially when you set that side by side with the quality of education you actually receive. But to expect the government to pay for all of it is bloody asinine as well. I'm all for subsidizing education and making sure the best and brightest get the best education, but not everyone needs or belongs in a university. If they really want an education, I hear community college is cheap and accessible.

The system isn't perfect, but if you think education can be free and held to high standards, you're living in a dream world.

And this is coming from a man with four degrees.

And paid for all of them myself, thank you. Of course if I tried that in the States I'd be like, 70K in debt or so right now, I'm sure.

Just one degree can cost $70k in debt in this country.

They only cost so much because of artificial scarcity

People are buying up degrees in bulk on the cheap in foreign markets, forcing the value of the few remaining degrees into the stratosphere

Yeah, but I take funny joke degrees that you don't need to go to a really high end school to get.

Anthropology?

Hah.

P.S.

YouTube Video

The new Yale Admissions video.

Ivy League.

Business be serious.

When has anybody ever said this?

Birthday girl did.

In principle, I have no objection to providing free education for all. So long as "all" are willing to pay for it with taxes.

However, I question the "arms race" dimension of it all. Way back then, you can get by with a high school degree. Then, everyone's gotta get a college diploma. Pretty soon, you'll need a Master's. When does it stop?

A MS is actually seen as the entry-level degree in a lot of engineering fields. :cool:

Well someone please think about the children!!?

I was never big on welfare like most in my postion, but I'm not keen with the idea of children going to sleep starving in America.

Well I'm glad you're not a total monster. Good job on not being human filth.

That wasn't directed at me was it? :rolleyes: