The Dirty Little Secret About Free Tuition

It is a popular political cry on the left these days - Free College Tuition. And while it seems like a great idea at first blush, there's a lot more wrong with it than just the extreme cost to taxpayers. I'll let others hammer at that point. Here, we will examine the not-so-well understood "unintended consequences" of such a rabid idea.

First, the more obvious, and lesser problems with free tuition...

Most sane and reasonable people (this leaves out AOC, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and several other politicians on the left)understand that not everyone is suited for college - or even want it. Moreover, a growing number of high school graduates are not even educated well enough to be able to cut it in college. But because it's free, they might waste taxpayer money and try anyway, only to drop out in the first semester. We would be far better off to find ways to instill a better education in our public schools.

Along those same lines, many students are far better suited to attending a good trade school - we have a dire shortage of tradespeople in America, and they make as much - if not more - than a college educated snowflake.

Now for the biggest reason to avoid free college for all who want it. Throughout history, and without regard for any specific economic situation, there have always been a limited number of "slots at the top". In fact, statistics show that only 4% of a population will ever achieve substantial financial success and wealth. For every few hundred employees, there are only a handful of salaried, "college-educated" management positions. What this means is that college education would become virtually useless, as it would be watered down with many students who are barely average and will never land a great job.

In the 1940's few people had any college degrees. In the '50's, that rose substantially as parents began to push their kids to get  a Bachelor's Degree, and it grew even further in the '60's. By that time so many students were graduating college that there were not enough well-paying jobs for all of them. So businesses began requiring not a Bachelor's, but a Masters Degree. The Bachelor's Degree lost most of it's power. By the late '80's and into today, the Bachelor's is nothing more than window dressing as businesses are forced to weed out the wheat from the chaff. And now even the Masters is just beginning to lose its punch, as more and more professions are requiring a doctorate.

In short, only 4% can be at the top of the work pyramid, and with 20% of the population is graduating college, three-quarters of them STILL end up working at WalMart, or flipping burgers. Imagine when 50% are graduating because callege was free!

The question then becomes: is it worth having taxpayers who are already heavily burdened to pay for "college for all" if it accomplishes nothing of value?

As proof, just check out any successful business. You will find that it takes at least 100 high-school grads and drop-outs to support 10 supervisors, who support  3 managers who support one top dog. The managers and boss represent the 4%. In other words, we NEED a lot of people who do not require a college degree in order to do the job they will end up with, anyway. After all, if everyone were a boss or a manager, how could they earn a living if there are no workers to manage? Who will MAKE the products, or PERFORM the services?

The short take for people like AOC who cannot seem to understand reality: It is not sane or reasonable to have already over-burdened taxpayers pay for the college education of other peoples' children only to have those young men and women working for minimum wage. No matter how much money you spend, you cannot make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

What DOES make sense: Have businesses "scout" high schools, just like sports scouts do, and offer to pay for a promising students' college provided they work for that business for a specified time, at a good salary. If Microsoft is going to benefit from a talented smart kid's education, then perhaps Microsoft should pay for that education.

And the taxpayers could more easily afford to "subsidize" (only) the most promising students who do not have the means to pay college. Those from poorer families and communities, who excel in school, would contribute more to our society from a college education than it would cost us to fund it. After all, if you need a lawyer, would you rather have one who barely passed the bar, or one who graduated top of the class?

Then we could take some of the money saved by not providing free college for all and use it to "funnel" high school students into two different scholastic groups - one geared for those who prefer to learn a trade, or otherwise have a limited scholastic ability, and a  college preparatory group designed to give the best-of-the-best a head start, maybe to even include internship. And that could easily reduce the number of years - and the cost - of their secondary education.


/

Crunchy, Nutty Caramel Apple Pie

Hope some of my readers enjoy this recipe - it once took first place at the fair. Topping, however, my be too sweet for diabetics, so maybe you can adjust that a bit if needed.

Enjoy! And Happy Holidays to your home from ours.

BILL'S CRUNCHY, NUTTY CARAMEL APPLE PIE

Ingredients:

1 pastry crust, deep-dish 9 inch
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 Tsp salt
6 cups thinly sliced apples - I prefer a mix of Golden Delicious & Fuji

1 recipe for crumb topping (below)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup caramel topping

Ingredients for crumb topping

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cook rolled oats
1/2 cup butter

Directions for crumb topping:

1. Stir together brown sugar, flour, rolled oats
2. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until topping is course crumbs. Set aside

DIRECTIONS:

1. In large mixing bowl stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt
2. Add apple slices & gently toss until coated
3. Transfer apple mixture to pie shell
4. Sprinkle crumb topping over apple mixture
5. Place pie on cookie sheet
6. Cover edges with aluminum foil
7. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven 25 minutes. Remove foil, bake for another 25 minutes
8. Remove from oven, sprinkle pie with pecans then drizzle caramel on top
9. Cool on wire rack

God Winks...

 

 

Belief in God MUST be taken as a matter of faith, not as a matter of provable fact.

And anyone who cares to open their eyes would find all the evidence needed for faith. Take my own experiences as an example.

As a homeless person in '91 I needed $5 to buy a suit at Goodwill for an interview. I certainly did not have $5. Instead, I went to the clothing room at the homeless shelter and got a pair of clean pants. In the pocket I found a $5 bill - exactly the amount I needed to buy the suit!

God winked...

My wife was told by two doctors that her multiple operations rendered her incapable of having children of her own. When she asked God if I was the right person for her, she got pregnant that very night (by me, of course).

God winked...

My Dad, born in 1898 went off to WWI in 1917, leaving his fiance behind until the war was over. After the war, she was gone, her family had moved away. In 1983 Dad was visiting my Mother's grave. A woman was across from him, visiting her husband's grave. She saw the last name on my mother's stone and asked if my father was related to the man she had been engaged to over 65 years earlier - it was her! It wasn't possible for such a one in a billion shot to happen, but it did!

God winked ...They finally married in 1985.

I tried quitting smoking for over 40 years to no avail. One night I prayed and asked God to help. I have not smoked since (it's been 17 years), and I have never suffered any withdrawal symptoms or any cravings!

God winked...

I can list dozens of such "coincidences". But I do not believe much in coincidence. Especially the convoluted ones that are so improbable. A coincidence is just God, winking...

Yes, I know these things do not prove there is a God. But that's the point - if God can be proved, faith would have no value. And that would make our "free will" rather pointless - if the existence of God could be proved, we would have no choice but to believe in Him. And then God would have a difficult time trying to figure out which of us are worthy because we CHOOSE to believe, and not because we had no choice.

Atheists also like to say they do not fear God because you cannot fear that which does not exist - which is precisely why they fear God more than believers do. You see, they cannot prove God does NOT exist any more than believers can prove He does. Since they cannot prove God does not exist, deep down they know that there is a possibility that He does. They BELIEVE He does not exist, but believing it does not make it a fact. Naturally, to any person spending their life denying God, the possibility He may actually exist scares the Hell out of them.

I fear God because I may not measure up. The atheist fears God because he doesn't even try.

/