Sanders: 'We Need Revolution in Way Higher Education is Funded'

[Karmadillo]

But if we don't saddle college kids with tens of thousands in debt, they might not want to obediently slave away for the oligarchs until they die.

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/02/17/sanders-we-need-revolution-way-higher-education-funded

Sanders: 'We Need Revolution in Way Higher Education is Funded'

The senator proposes tuition-free courses for freshmen and sophomores at all public colleges and universities, and radical reform of the federal student loan program
by Deirdre Fulton, staff writer

Speaking Tuesday at Johnson State College in Vermont—on the same day data from the New York Fed showed student-loan delinquencies are on the rise—Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called for a "revolution" in the way higher education is funded in the U.S.

"Because of the high cost of higher education, many bright young people can no longer afford to go to college and millions of others are leaving school saddled with debt," he said. "This is absurd. This is absolutely counter-productive to our efforts to create a strong economy."

The senator proposed tuition-free courses for freshmen and sophomores at all public colleges and universities, and suggested tying increased federal funding to greater state support for higher education. He also called for reforms to the federal student loan program—reforms that could be paid for by closing loopholes that give tax breaks to large corporations and the wealthy.

At a town hall meeting at Lyndon State College on Monday, Sanders reportedly said: "Can we afford to invest in higher education? The answer is yes we can. But one of the things that we have to do is institute real tax reform."

The non-profit Project on Student Debt reported at the end of last year that of those U.S. students who did graduate in the class of 2012, seven in 10 had educational debt.

Education loan balances have skyrocketed over the past decade, and data from the New York Fed released Tuesday showed that Americans are struggling to keep up with payments. The nation’s student-loan balance climbed by $31 billion last quarter to a whopping $1.16 trillion, making it the largest source of debt after mortgages.

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[merrily]

1. I agree with his goals However, the word "reform" has come to mean something very

different to me than it used to mean to me.

"Welfare reform" meant most cutting social safety nets to please the rich. So did "entitlement reform."


So, I'm wary when I hear the word now. I don't think Sanders intends anything but good. However, once a concept gets to the sausage-making stage, Katie bar the door. Moreover, I don't know how something good gets past Republican majorities. But, still, great to talk about it. The more Americans hear about what government goals should be, the better.