Free College for Everybody !

In a recent speech President Barak Obama proposed an initiative whereby students could attend community college for free. At the present time the state of Tennessee and the city of Chicago have such programs in place.  A number of years ago, the State of New Jersey had implemented the NJ Stars Program where high school graduates who had a specific GPA, could attend community college for free. With all of the supportive statistical information pointing to the fact that college graduates earn more in their lifetime and sensing the need for a more educated work force, the President is trying to eliminate one of the greatest barriers to a college education- the cost. Financial statistics have indicated that student college debt is at crisis levels and such debt is not dischargeable in the event of personal bankruptcy.

The notion of a free college education got an unexpected boost today. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent) has announced his candidacy for President of the United States as a Democrat, thus launching a challenge to Hillary Clinton. One of the planks in Sanders’ platform is for tuition free college education at all state colleges and universities. The naysayers are already out there stating that a college education is not for everyone and that we need students with technical and vocational skills as well as college graduates. While this may be true, both the President and Senator Sanders realize that the opportunity for a four year baccalaureate degree should be attainable to anyone who wants one and not be limited to those with financial resources or athletic prowess. No one is talking about how all of this is going to be paid for and that will be a discussion for another day. Although the US Constitution does not specifically mention anything about education, both Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, both agreed that the success of the United States of America depends on a educated population. This was true 200 years ago and is every bit as true today.

c. 2015 J. Margolis