<p>Dora, it turned into a capitalist versus socialist debate because several of the posters seem to think that developing our highest minds to lead innovation in capitalist ventures is somehow a “socialist” notion unbecoming to capitalism 
Fact is that this country already spends 10 billion directly on at risk, learning disabled or intellectually challenged hs students…oh that it would spend that much on it’s top five percent so that they could be rigorously educated to make our enterprises more competitive. But that’s different than the poster’s original position, which implied college should be a right for everyone – a notion with which I disagree, although some kind of vocational training might be a useful thing to entrench as a right, matched with capability. College should be a right for a small portion of the highest achievers simply because it would benefit everyone – but folks are usually too busy guarding their tax dollars or resenting what others have to see it.</p>
<p>Ask yourself, if you were deposited on a desert island, what happens to your “right” to any scarce resource (water, food, healthcare, education, the list is virtually endless these days). This exercise reveals that these rights are NOT INHERENT. To the extent that such “rights” can be said to exist, they derive from a political process which has agreed by popular but revocable consent to transfer resources from those who have produced more than they have consumed to those consume more than they produce. </p>
<p>The targeting of “outcomes” in this way has a sad and failed history. Most recently, Congressional and HUD targeting of home ownership among non-creditworthy buyers caused demand driven inflation in the housing market. This left worthy buyers on the sidelines or worse made them overpay too. The result speaks for itself. The education bubble which has resulted in outrageous tuitions is a result of the same misguided set of policies. The universities are as complicit as the banks and mortgage brokers were in the housing bubble. The universities get paid no matter what, bloat their expenses and their mandates. The students are the ones saddled with debt they can’t escape even through bankruptcy. Worse, this debt was often incurred to fund degrees in ridiculous majors that do not in any way make the student/debtor more employable or economically valuable. Sad!</p>
<p>If everyone really could/did go to college, it wouldn’t be that big of the deal</p>
<p>I don’t think it should be right for everyone but for those who work hard and get the grades and such it should be. I don’t think money should decide whether or not you get to go to the best school for you.</p>
<p>If everyone was given the right to go to school, the value of college degrees will go down to High School degrees.</p>
<p>Our college degrees are already losing their value.</p>
<p>Next thing we know, we might have to now go to a institution MUCH higher then College/Universities itself to get degrees.</p>
<p>A person without means can start at community college, or go to the state university.</p>
<p>It is not the job of the taxpayer to pay everyone’s college, although if we have free public schools, I guess we can extend the POLICY to college. But it’s not a RIGHT. It would be a policy decision.</p>
<p>College is not a right, last time I checked the Constitution.</p>
<p>Shall we then make graduate school a right too?</p>
<p>Further, there are people in this country who have greater hardships than worrying about how to pay for college.</p>
<p>Giving someone a free ride to college, to study, let’s say, psychology or english, may not be the best use of the government’s limited funds, as we have to worry about people with greater hardships.</p>
<p>I think college is generally very affordable. Community college is like $3,000 a year and then one can transfer to his/her local state university and pay around $5,000 a year for tuition. I think that is very reasonable; it just involves some sacrifices like going out to eat less, not having a smartphone and paying $400 a year for a data plan, not putting unnecessary money into cars, video games, alcohol, etc.</p>
<p>I truly believe that if someone wants to make ends meet in college they can do it 99% of the time. It’s just hard finding the motivation for college if you’re already struggling to pay bills for life’s necessities.</p>
<p>College is an opportunity not a right. So many students at age eighteen should consider maturing a bit before spending tens of thousands of dollars on student loans. Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for this.</p>
<p>I agree with what many have said. Where in the Constitution does it say that college should be a right or that it is the responsibility of other citizens to provide a college education to fellow Americans? </p>
<p>That is a trick question. The Constitution does not say that, and therefore college is not a right. You do, however, have the right to pursue a college education under the Constitution, just like you have the right to pursue health insurance.</p>
<p>And happiness.</p>
<p>I just hate how I know so many smart people and they can’t go to Ivy Leagues because of tuition…</p>
<p>Look, not everyone should go to college. Someone has to be a janitor, a maid, flipping burgers at McDonalds, changing your gas. If everyone goes to college, its worth will be of that a high school diploma. Nearly worthless.</p>
<p>
I’m no Constitutional expert, but I thought it said something to the effect of “What’s in here is a right, but other things may be rights too”.</p>
<p>The constitution doesn’t state any rights rather it outlines the united states government.</p>
<p>Then our job competition would be so much broader and there would be nobody to take the jobs right out of high school…</p>
<p>to dorkyelmo: All of the Ivy League schools offer substantial aid to deserving students.</p>
<p>Harvard - "Our goal in admissions and financial aid is clear: We want to bring the best people to Harvard, regardless of their ability to pay and we do. About 70 percent of our students receive some form of aid, with over 60 percent receiving needbased scholarships. "</p>
<p>Princeton - "There is no question that a private college education is costly, and many families are concerned about meeting these expenses. But as costs rise, Princetons financial aid program has more than kept pace. In fact, our commitment to helping students afford Princeton has never been stronger.</p>
<p>To support this commitment, we have developed one of the best need-based financial aid programs in the country. We actively encourage all qualified applicants to consider Princeton, regardless of whether they can afford the full cost of attending. There is no disadvantage in the admission process for financial aid applicants, ensuring equality of opportunity for low and middle income students. If admitted, applicants can be confident that their full financial need as determined by Princetons aid office will be met."</p>
<p>Yale - “Yale admits students for their academic and personal promise without regard to ability to pay. Our new financial aid policies increase the number of families who qualify for aid. Concern about cost should not keep students from applying. 100% of demonstrated need will be met.”</p>
<p>It is a similar story at the other Ivy League schools and the vast majority of the best colleges and universities in the U.S. There are lots of reasons kids can’t or don’t get into the best schools but economics is much less of a barrier than it had been in the past.</p>
<p>^Unless you are international, then cost could very well keep you out.</p>
<p>US students though, not so much, if you don’t get into the ivy it had nothing to do with your family income. It had to do with how you performed vrs. other applicants with similar opportunities and kids in your school.
An ivy league education, assuming you get in, can be cheaper then most state schools and some community colleges depending on your income.</p>
<p>True. There are aids. But I know somebody who got early decision to Columbia (I think it was…) and she ended not going because she could not afford. Even with substantial aid, the cost of living in New York city will cause a graduate to go bankrupt.</p>
<p>
[You</a> are right.](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution]You”>Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>This is a difficult topic.</p>
<p>Say we do it like the French. Getting a college education in France is essentially free, as compared to the price of education in the United States. This would allow a substantial amount of students who were previously unable to go to college to now enroll. The number of citizens with a college degree would increase, making the general population more educated, overall. Right?</p>
<p>Well, consider this. In the ranking of World Universities, 31 of the Top 100 Universities are in the United States, and 13 of these are in the Top 20. Out of the 100 Universities on this list, only one is located in France. </p>
<p>Why is this? Well, it could be due to several reasons, one of which is the lack of funding for higher education. The government can’t do it on their own. Without people pumping money into the education system (for higher education only, of course), capital allotted to it is capped at a relatively low amount. The reason higher education in the United States is so expensive is not because the government is funding it so much more than France (since they’re spending all their money on blowing up people in the name of Democracy…can you tell I’m bitter?) but because parents are willing to fork over $30,000-$50,000 annually so that their child can get a quality education. And that’s their prerogative. I know that personally, my parents are willing to spend the money. Some parents, I know, don’t have it. The quality of the facilities, equipment, and overall education and research is funded quite well, especially at private universities (which is why most “prestigious colleges” are private). </p>
<p>So, in order to increase the number of students with a college education, typically the quality of the education goes down. (This is not to say, however, that the French aren’t intelligent. In fact, quite the opposite. Their literacy rate is a tad higher than ours, but not by more than a few thousandths of a percent.) Are you willing to sacrifice the quality of the education for the quantity of the students?</p>
<p>It’s the same with a lot of social issues. For example, health care. Free health care is great - but, at the same time, the quality of the health care is not as good as it is in nations where it is not free (such as the US). The hospitals in Canada are consistently packed, and a trip to the ER could last up to 1-3 full days, depending on the seriousness of your condition.</p>