The President Proposes to Make Community College Free for Responsible Students

[tuolumnejim]

Must be nice to be able to spend money that never even existed, hey barry put down the crack pipe  then piss off.
What I bolded I'm thinking a week old ham sandwich could get done.
Link

The President Proposes to Make Community College Free for Responsible Students for 2 Years

Today, the President unveiled a new proposal: Make two years of community college free for responsible students across America.

In our growing global economy, Americans need to have more knowledge and more skills to compete -- by 2020, an estimated 35 percent of job openings will require at least a bachelor's degree, and 30 percent will require some college or an associate's degree. Students should be able to get the knowledge and the skills they need without taking on decades' worth of student debt.

The numbers:

If all 50 states choose to implement the President's new community college proposal, it could:

Save a full-time community college student $3,800 in tuition per year on average
Benefit roughly 9 million students each year
Under President Obama's new proposal, students would be able to earn the first half of a bachelor's degree, or earn the technical skills needed in the workforce -- all at no cost to them.

The requirements:

What students have to do: Students must attend community college at least half-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA, and make steady progress toward completing their program.

What community colleges have to do: Community colleges will be expected to offer programs that are either 1) academic programs that fully transfer credits to local public four-year colleges and universities, or 2) occupational training programs with high graduation rates and lead to in-demand degrees and certificates. Community colleges must also adopt promising and evidence-based institutional reforms to improve student outcomes.

What the federal government has to do: Federal funding will cover three-quarters of the average cost of community college. Participating states will be expected to contribute the remaining funds necessary to eliminate the tuition for eligible students.

[Mr Mannn]

I think he is setting up the youth vote for 2016. He knows the GOP won't go for it. Now he has a group of kids looking for freebies that only democrats can offer.

[Chris_]

Our idiot governor proposed a similar plan.  Two years tuition-free at any state university or community college.  These idiots think money grows on trees... they're worse than children.

[GOP Congress]

Of course, the REAL reason is the ability for the government to institute huge tax increases so they can pay their cronies in the colleges, as well as to institute portals for Obamacare, amnesty, and of course a federalized Common Core cirriculum that promotes progressive/socialist ideals as well as destroy capitalism.

This is actually more insidious than the 4-year college indoctrination, as having a 2.5 in high school is nothing, especially with the grade inflation common in urban and other low-performing schools. You see, it is not about learning, it is about being subsidized by the producers, justifying more taxes. This is potentially a two-trillion dollar transfer of wealth.

Boehner, McConnell had BETTER have some balls on this one, but I don't have too much hope for that.

[JohnnyReb]

That's a winner.....they lose one vote but gain 3.....mom, dad and student.....with your money and without your vote.

[Chris_]

If you think it's expensive now, wait until it's free.

Haven't we been here before?  This handbasket look familiar.

[SVPete]

Well, I've had and have kids in colleges, but none of my family would agree with this pander-attempt.

People tend not to value things they are given for free. To be blunt, there are already a lot of sloughers in JCs, there just to be able to stay on Mommy's or Daddy's health plans, not for an actual education. This would make it 10X worse!

This is going to turn into an instant verification nightmare - intentionally, IMO. Things like General Ed requirements, grading, and trying to hold people to the proposed - very lax! - standards will all be labelled "racist" or something-or-other-else-ist and the result, in just a few years, will utter chaos, destruction of any semblance of academic standards, and junior college degrees and certificates having less value than toilet paper.

Besides being a grossly obvious pander, this also targets for-profit private colleges - some of which are good - and small private colleges generally (many of which are religious) by enticing students away from what costs money to what is "free".

[DLR Pyro]

Why stop with free college?   These little darlings are going to need to live somewhere so let's throw in free housing for "responsible " students too.

[RayRaytheSBS]

Obviously the president has never read his Heinlein:

“The best things in life are beyond money; their price is agony and sweat and devotion ... and the price demanded for the most precious of all things in life is life itself - ultimate cost for perfect value.”

― Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers

How is he doing these students any favors? They will not be willing to do the hard work that is required at an actual job to accomplish anything. This is ruining our country, and anyone who votes for it is simply pandering for the youth vote.

I hope the Republicans learned their lesson on the whole Obamacare Shiticane (a hurricane of shit, an apt description of that mess) and make sure this never sees the light of day. Somehow I doubt that they will though.

[JohnnyReb]

Obviously the president has never read his Heinlein:

“The best things in life are beyond money; their price is agony and sweat and devotion ...

You lost Obama right there.

[Chris_]

Obama seems to be a very shallow person who only reads what someone else puts in front of him.

The left panned Bush as "intellectually incurious".  I would contend Obama is far worse.  At least Bush "worked" with the Democrats after 2007, which has landed us in much of the mess we find ourselves as a country.

[Chris_]

There is already a trillion dollars in debt hanging over public and private Post-12 education.

This is only going to make things worse.

[RayRaytheSBS]

You lost Obama right there.

Hi5, sad but true, this president has never had to work a hard day in his life. I doubt he knows the meaning of the word.

[JohnnyReb]

There is already a trillion dollars in debt hanging over public and private Post-12 education.

This is only going to make things worse.

That's the plan.

[DLR Pyro]

There is already a trillion dollars in debt hanging over public and private Post-12 education.

This is only going to make things worse.

In for a penny,  in for a pound.

[DumbAss Tanker]

MO has a program roughly similar to what Chris_ described.  However, it isn't based on letting everybody into college and then paying until their grades go to Hell, they have to qualify for it in high school with 95% attendance, acceptable grades, and a bunch of public service hours (Like tutoring lower-level students under a school-supervised program).  Qualifying students get two years in an associate's or bachelor's program at a state school.

[Chris_]

The one Haslam is proposing hasn't been signed into law yet.  He's just dangling a carrot, for whatever reason I can't imagine.  I think our governors are limited to two terms, thank God.

Our lottery scholarship has probably gone to hell by now.

[txradioguy]

Hmm this little jewel is dropped on us the same day that the DoD announces another round of base closures in Germany.

I'm invoking Gibbs' Rule #39 on this one.

[obumazombie]

Why stop with free college?   These little darlings are going to need to live somewhere so let's throw in free housing for "responsible " students too.

Why stop there ?
Why not post secondary, and all other higher degrees ?
And just because you got a free Associates, Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate, don't think the gravy train should stop there.
After that...multiple free doctorates.
We'll keep those ignorant libs in college for the rest of their natural lives.

[J P Sousa]

Currently, only 57 percent of full-time students at community colleges return the next year   

https://www.scholarships.com/Blog/graduation-rates/graduation-rates-higher-at-career-colleges-than-community-colleges/2058/


.

[FlaGator]

I guess free is a matter of perspective. One person's free education is another person's tax increase.

[JohnnyReb]

I guess free is a matter of perspective. One person's free education is another person's tax increase.

Not to Obama....he plans on using the same tax man Al Sharpton and Charlie Rangel use.

[J P Sousa]

In Philadelphia community college probably means four years of school.

Regular college maybe eight years ?

It takes six years to complete a four year high school program.
Two-thirds of District students now graduate within 6 years

http://thenotebook.org/february-2014/146895/two-thirds-district-students-now-graduate-within-6-years

[Ptarmigan]

That will just put us more in debt. Why not give free housing for those students? 

[obumazombie]

Why stop with free college?   These little darlings are going to need to live somewhere so let's throw in free housing for "responsible " students too.

That will just put us more in debt. Why not give free housing for those students?