It's a College Free-For-All!

Politics wasn't really on my radar in 2004, but somehow or other Dennis Kucinich put out a message that I received loud and clear in that election year: namely, that he felt college should be free. I was a new college student myself at that time and I thought this was a terrific idea. Unfortunately, I was of little use for Kucinich that year as I soon returned into my college fog after acknowledging his idea a very fine one.

Fast forward to 2007. I'm just about finished with my undergraduate degree. Free college is something I would probably not benefit from directly, and I have to admit my enthusiasm for the concept has dampened somewhat over the years. Nonetheless, I'm glad Kucinich still considers free college to be part of his education platform as it is something that could simultaneously benefit millions of Americans and the country at large. I've heard Kucinich speak about the opportunities opened up by a university education in the past -- for him, free college is an anti-poverty initiative as well as an educational initiative. I tend to agree with him that college can open a lot of doors, including many that are routinely closed for impoverished Americans. There is also something unsatisfying about the asymmetrical model of American education; on one hand, American public education is free through high school but there are also private institutions that provide competition, yet on the college level public institutions which already require government funds to remain operative as well as private institutions both charge money for access. In essence, Americans who go to state colleges are charged over and over again, because taxes and tuition both take money out of their pockets and put it into the coffers of educational institutions. Kucinich's free college initiative would at least take tuition out of the equation for those who qualify.

The reason not to provide free college is the same reason not to provide any government service: taxes! Undoubtedly, it's another burden on the taxpayer, and one might argue that with the explosion of the Internet it has never been easier for motivated individuals to achieve an education on their own. Unfortunately, knowing your stuff doesn't necessarily open doors for you like a college diploma often can. I've lately decided that the government does have a role in funding some important services, and I think college education is one such service worthy of being funded. At the same time, there need to be ceilings on taxes -- even the wealthiest of Americans should keep the bulk of their wealth. To get more money to provide services, government should be more efficient. I don't necessarily agree with those candidates that simply say, "End the war and slash the Pentagon budget...there's our money!" One shouldn't be politically irresponsible just to raise funds. The war effort and the Pentagon budget should certainly be continually evaluated, but it is the entire government budget that should be evaluated; a cut here and a cut there will add up and go a long way in helping fund vital services. Free college education could be a gift for some future generation of Americans -- a fitting reward for electing fiscally responsible yet socially concerned politicians.