Aug 15^th

Cal Thomas has a piece on “College Tuition.” Cal writes nothing that is not an attempt to provide some deceptive nonsense about a prominent liberal…and his effort here is not an exception. His intended victim is Hillary Clinton and her intention to spend 350 billion dollars to assist college students.

Cal asserts that we already have an 18 trillion dollar debt and we cannot afford to add to it. This is an interesting position to take on two counts: First, that 18 trillion dollar debt would be increased by less than 2 percent by adding 350 billion dollars to it. We got that debt by borrowing money to fight the Bush wars so why not spend some money, 1.9 percent, to educate our kids? Second, who said anything about borrowing the money? A tax surcharge on high income earners, or a simple wealth tax, would handle this and other government needs nicely. But what conservative ever suggested pay as you go as an economic position?

Thomas assails us with the unemployment rate for recent college graduates without mentioning that for many specialties there is no unemployment at all and many other graduates are unemployed because they are in some type of graduate school. Does he believe that medical students and law students should hold full-time jobs and attend professional school part-time? Ridiculous! What is the unemployment rate for high school graduates compared with college graduates? In 2014 high school graduates had unemployment rates of 6.0%; college graduates had unemployment rates of 3.5%; this is a little statistic Cal Thomas doesn’t include.

So a Colorado law Professor finds that “the rise in college tuition correlates with the huge increase in public subsidies for higher education.” It also correlates with the huge increase in student debt but Thomas says not a word about student debt. Scott Walker, governor of Wisconsin is not helping college students by cutting 350 million dollars from the University of Wisconsin system and providing 350 million dollars to help build a professional sports stadium in which one of his supporters has an interest.

Thomas says, “No one ought to be entitled to tax money to go to expensive schools like Harvard or Yale…” They don’t need money to attend these schools. Princeton, for example, will pay for any difference between their tuition and a family’s ability to pay for the cost of their child’s attendance. Similar adjustments are made by other top Ivy League schools.

Thomas claims that, “U.S. education in the 21^st century is based on a 20^th century model.” Some of it is indeed, and so is most of the care provided by your physician, or your attorney. Your physician examines you, listens to your complaints and prescribes a medication or a specialist. The primary difference is that she no longer makes house calls.

Thomas accuses Clinton of a vote buying scheme; perhaps it is. The liberals buy votes by promising to increase goods and services, even if they must raise taxes. Conservatives buy votes by promising to withhold services, reduce the taxes needed to pay for them and reduce regulations inconveniencing the wealthy, and if wars come, they will borrow the money to pay for them.