On opening college education for all who can benefit

[politicaljunkie41910]

48. Here are some other issues that you haven't mentioned.

Just to give you a few that I included in another post a few months ago.

Bernie's projected costs were based on current funding levels based on current enrollment levels and states being 100% responsible for the facilities themselves and the costs of maintenance and construction with the federal government picking up a percentage of the costs for administration costs. (This may not be exact but it's roughly what I recall. I don't have time to go look it up currently, but I did before.) The problem with this is that I believe that college enrollment would double at least if not triple the current levels if college was suddenly free in all states. The reason being is that currently only those who can afford to go to college, usually go. (That includes those receiving financial assistance). But if college tuition was suddenly free for everyone, there would be many more people who would want to go. What about those middle-aged folks who have lost their jobs or are in dead end jobs and would like to go to college now that it's free. What about those who never went to college because they couldn't afford to go and took a dead end job like working in retail, or some other low wage, mundane employment opportunity. That bunch might also now want to go to college for the first time, since it's now FREE. What about older workers whose jobs have been outsourced, or mothers who married young and never had a chance to go to college, and now want to go. What about those middle aged people who have current jobs but no college education and see the handwriting on the wall as their jobs are outsourced or risk being automated and decided that since college is now free, this is the time to try a new career. What about the young girl who decides to go college because her boyfriend is going to college.

My point is that everything I've seen related to Bernie's plans is about young people who are high school age but doesn't take into consideration that new pool of college applicants who are not being considered in the equation, and who would be if college was suddenly free for all, and you couldn't discriminate and make college free for some but not for all. After all those displaced workers or the suddenly unemployed were once taxpayers and it wouldn't be fair to charge some people tuition and not others. Also, there would still be costs beyond tuition costs which have not been considered. Tuition makes up only half the costs of college if you're not living at home with your parents which the majority or college students aren't. As a matter of fact, current financial aid packages rewards those who don't live at home with their parents or who don't stay local, which encourages them to incur more cost.

The American people won't tolerate a federal free college program that works for some and not for all. That's called discrimination and we've been down that road before. The program Bernie's proposed must be available to all students and it's going to cost a lot more than what Bernie has calculated in his plan. Therefore, taxes will have to be raised beyond what Bernie has included in his plans which means his current plan is not workable.