Analysis of Bernie Sanders’ Free Tuition Program Bernie Sanders, current candidate for the President of the United States, Democratic party affiliation, believes that all students deserve the opportunity to receive an affordable, quality education from the earliest stages of schooling to high-level degrees. He has sponsored bills to make public colleges and universities tuition-free, as well as to drastically reduce interest rates on student loan debt. While his plan is not well defined, according to USA Today, Bernie Sanders plans to pay for “free tuition” with tax increases specifically at this time under consideration: .5% fee on stock trades, .1% fee on bonds and .005% fee on derivatives. One problem with this plan is even with …show more content…
College graduates are already experiencing difficulty finding well-paying jobs and careers today. Free tuition does nothing to help grow the job market but just adds competition through degree inflation. This could cause degrees to be less meaningful and a rise in unemployment with college graduates aiming for better jobs. While we can acknowledge that these programs may be utilized in other countries with some success, many of these cultures have static labor markets, strict entrance requirements for their universities, and have other cultural limitations that prevent pursuit of degree by average or slightly above average students. A student who has only been academically focused without work experience, may not be the best candidate for a job as someone with less education and more experience. In fact, Germany, a country that offers free college based on merit, actually graduates fewer college …show more content…
Some of our greatest innovators and entrepreneurs did not complete college, for example: Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, Rachel Ray, Mark Zuckerberg, and Ted Turner to name a few. This certainly does not mean college is unimportant, but it testifies to the fact that how one becomes innovative and successful in technological fields does not always require a college degree. Sanders’ program does not address performance while in college, dropout rate, or post graduate success. There will be many college graduates without meaningful jobs because they pursued college because it was paid for, and not necessarily because they were passionate about the degree they were pursuing and the course that they planned to pursue after college in the
More than a century later, President Abraham Lincoln passed the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 which enabled more than 70 colleges and universities to be created (Staff). The GI Bill in 1956 gave Veterans an opportunity many could not afford before. All of these instances in America’s history have made it easier for ordinary American citizens to learn more about the world they live in. There are numerous opportunities for the leaders of this country to help the issue of college tuitions rising, it is just a matter of initiative. As Bernie Sanders states in his “Public College Should Be Free” speech to the senate, “It is time to build on the progressive movement of the past.” When all younger people with the determination and the aptitude can reach their full potential, regardless of their economic or social circumstances at birth, America will have a tougher economy and a stronger democracy, a motive that goes back before Americans today can
“If a college education has value, why give it away?” (Luebke). Most everyone wants to have higher education because it has value in this day and age. It opens up more career options, and lets them have more freedom to pick the career they want. With higher education being tuition-free, students might take their college education less seriously because they don’t have to pay for it (Should College Be Free? Pros, Cons, and Alternatives). Because of this, graduation numbers might drop, or the people who do graduate may not be as well prepared for the workforce. Yes, there are still entry requirements that limit the amount of students allowed into the school, but much of the drive for the students comes from the fact that they are paying a lot of money to be there. Also, giving away college education would almost certainly do the opposite of what people want it to do, which is give more money to students from richer families than from poorer ones. It isn’t that they want to necessarily take money from the richer families, but they want to give poorer families more opportunities to get money. “Without a dramatic overhaul of how we understand student benefits, making college more or entirely free would most likely boost the wealth of college attendees without securing any important egalitarian gains.” (Bruenig). This is because students from well-off families already enjoy a disproportionately successful future than students from poor families,
First and foremost, Trade Schools, Colleges and Universities states, “After all, more and more of today's jobs are knowledge-based or require advanced technical skills. So a better-educated workforce would help fill many of the skills gaps that prevent America's economy from growing faster.” If more people attended college then there would be more jobs to fill in America’s economy. There have been droughts in America’s economy, but with free college tuition, droughts would decrease. It would not be fair that someone who could be successful at the job would not be granted the ability to get the job because they don’t have a piece of paper with a signature on it compared to someone who does average or mediocre at the job and had the opportunity to go to college. Making college free also comes with consequences. So graduation numbers might drop, or the people who do graduate might not be as well prepared for the workforce. Also, with more people choosing to attend public colleges because of their tuition-free status, many schools might have to create wait lists or expand the ones they already have. State budgets could become strained, which might lead to cuts and decreased access to the programs that students want to take. Here is the weakness, although it benefits many students, the nation's existing
First, free college can encourage students to go to college to get a degree which leads to a high paying career. It can fulfill those students that are having a hard time financially, and fewer students will be in debt. Second, with free college, colleges will be more likely to help students that need the guidance to stay on track and get a diploma. Clayton and Bailey mention, "If we want to significantly improve educational outcomes, we need to make college more affordable so more students can enroll, and make the reforms needed to en-sure community college students can succeed in their courses, complete their program, and grad-uate within reasonable amount of time" (Clayton and Bailey). Finally, free college can help the U.S. catch up to the rest of the countries with higher education. For example, it can help the United States surpass Russia, where more than half of adults have a diploma. Frohlich explains, “More Than 53% of Russian adults between the ages of 25 and 64 had some form of higher edu-cation in 2012, more than in any other country reviewed by OECD” (Frohlich). Although free college is an attractive idea, it will leave the United States in a bigger debt which will be hard to recover from and more students will be unmotivated to
When the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony founded the first college in America, Harvard, in 1636, it marked the beginning of college as the backbone to the American Dream (“About Harvard” ). Around the world, America is coveted for the “American Dream” in which someone can go from deep poverty, to unbelievable wealth, all by getting an education which allows a person to obtain any job and reach any economic level. The article “Peter Thiel Thinks You should skip college, and He’ll Even Pay For Your Trouble; The famous disrupted says overpriced universities hold back innovation, and what's to rewrite education to his liking” by Tom Clynes argues people should not attend college because it is a hindrance to innovation, while the article
Bernard “Bernie” Sanders, is one of the best candidates for this years 2016 presidential election. He is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He has demonstrated his passion towards an equal and stabilized country. Sanders is a man who believes in a country that is equal and all voices should be heard. Socioeconomic issues are to be heard of by all people because these issues are what make the people and the country. His propositions to a better socioeconomic country will better the relationships we have with one another. Voting for Bernie Sanders, means voting for a country that will be equal to all the people living here. A country deserves to be united by all the people living here regardless of race. We are all human, we all deserve
Many college graduates are finding it hard to get jobs. The biggest issue is the amount of debt Americans are facing due to the college degree they were told they should have. Colleges have been raising the prices on everything from tuition to books. The government is giving out loans to students without even asking where they’re going to school for, or if they’ll even have a plan to pay off the debt in the future. The mentality is that corporations and business won’t hire someone unless they possess a college degree. Gerald Celente, from Trends Research Institute, says “It makes no difference to have a college degree.” (College Conspiracy Scam - youtube) He wants individuals to have minds and to think for themselves. Many believe that with a degree they can have any car and house they desire and commonly known as the American Dream.
As people attend college, fees build up and students loan money and possibly be in debt. Not only that, some may say college isn’t worth it, but it is. Getting a degree pays off at the end, going towards your career path, making twice as much as you would work at a regular job. Students who have received a degree are slowly declining. To make adjustments, college should be free for everyone.
Calling a college education “free” is a contradiction because nothing in life is truly free. Someone will be responsible for paying for this education, even if it is not the person receiving it. To support this flood of hopeful college students, the American Government will have to heavily tax the working and upper classes. Taxes will have to be inflated to compensate for the price of college, and in some cases, may become outrageously high. If the upper class becomes constantly taxed, what keeps them from dropping down a class? What keeps the middle class from becoming the lower class? In an extreme situation, if the middle and upper classes were constantly taxed, there risks a problem of creating a bigger class divide. Maybe the plan to pay for college education starts out with only the rich being taxed. In America, there are roughly 324 million people. This number increases every eight seconds, so there is a constant increase of citizens. Imagine if half of that number decides to go to college. College education is free for them, but their tuition is paid for by the upper class. Now, average college tuition runs for about $9,410 for State Universities, and around $32,405 for out of state students. This amount of money, per student, is paid for by the upper class’s taxes. Taxes are raised higher and higher to pay for all these students until they cannot be raised any further. The upper
Bernie Sanders said “The cost of college education today is so high that many young people are giving up their dream of going to college, while many others are graduating deeply in debt”. This statement is a great representation of the way many students feel entering college. Furthering your education is something that an individual must work for, however it should not leave a person in debt for life.
And that’s especially important right now”(The Nation). What President Obama is explaining here is the the purpose of a higher education; to make more money and have an actual secure & stable lifestyle, which in turn helps the economy as well. Thomas L Friedman states that “the norm is, people that were born with money have money and people who weren’t don’t” (69). What Friedman is stating here is that, if our generation of today does not develop and actual norm of a higher standard way of living, the coming generations will fall into an economic gap. In today’s world many want to have the American Dream lifestyle but still have basic skills and soon will soon realize that they need to compete with others around the world. Friedman argues that,“When you take a low Wage, low-prestige job in America, like a call center operator, and bring it over to India, where it become a high-wage, high prestige job, you end up with workers who are paid less but motivated more” (260). Basically, what free college does is create the ambition for all to strive for a higher standard of living and receive a high paying job. Still, with this opportunity available to just about everyone, how much will Free college tuition for two years
Politicians, that are currently running for office and the current President have proposed to have “free” college education. Presidential nominee has recently announced support for providing free tuition at public colleges and universities. Free tuition can enable students who otherwise would not attend a higher learning institution to have a change of mind. As the say goes “a mind is a terrible thigh to waste” and “knowledge is power”. I feel that an education increases the changes of potentially higher earnings. A college education should be necessity rather than an
By attending college, students guarantees themselves a better job that the average Joe. Because the world is changing rapidly, and many jobs rely on new technology, more jobs require education beyond high school. With a college education, an individual will have more jobs from which to choose. In addition to obtaining a better job, people who go to college usually earn more money than those who do not. College furnishes you with proper credentials and documents to land high-level jobs. Figures from an A&E television program on ‘The Working Class’ show that in 2004 the average earnings were $23,895 for a high school graduate and $41,478 for individuals with a bachelor’s degree. Getting a college education is simply a stepping stone in ensuring yourself with a good start in life. Some may agree that college students are open minded and knows exactly how to expre...
Fact Sheet, a website article, discussed President Obama’s plan to put forth to congress a possible bill related to free community college: " Earlier this year, the President unveiled his America’s College Promise proposal to make two years of community college free so students can earn critical workforce skills and the first half of a bachelor’s degree at no cost, as well as a new American Technical Training Fund to expand innovative, high-quality technical training programs" (Fact Sheet). This plan would allow students to continue their education beyond high school for those who may not be interested in acquiring a four year degree. This would allow them to attend a technical and vocational school to earn the necessary work skills to cement a position in the work force. Offering two years of community college would certainly increase the employment rate among Americans and it would give college students the chance to earn an associate’s degree. Giving college students the opportunity to earn a higher degree would promote economic efficiency and help reduce unemployment by a large amount. Hillary Clinton has been outspoken as of late on having young college students enter community college free of charge throughout her 2016 presidential campaign: “Clinton
Keeping up with a system of free higher education leads to an uneven distribution of resources. Free higher education benefits one subset of society at the expense of everyone. The state control of acceptance and curriculum criteria has negative effects. There are other ways to make higher education affordable instead of making it free. The financial aid offered to students could increase, but higher education should not be free.