Higher Education Should Revert to the 1960s California Model

[MineralMan]

When I attended a state college in California in the mid to late 1960s, California subsidized their State College and University System. We paid some fees each semester. The rest was covered by the state for all state residents. We had to pay for books and housing, but there was no tuition due for anyone who was a resident.

California had the strange idea that a college education benefited the state and that the state should subsidize that education, with an eye to the future.

I'd like to see the return of that model. My parents were blue collar folks. My father was an auto mechanic and my mom was a secretary in the local schools. They did not have the money to pay for their kids to go to college. I worked part-time to cover my books, dorm fees, and meal plan, and got a $50 allowance for personal expenses from my folks.

It worked. My father told me that I should treat going to college as a job and keep my head down and learn as much as I could. I had a hiatus for four years while serving in the USAF, but the same system was in place when I got out, and the GI bill and $100/month covered things for the rest of my time at school.

We need that again, and it can be paid for through a higher income tax on the top 10% of income earners.

[Wounded Bear]

1. The 'flaw' in you logic, of course...

Is that nothing that is considered 'good for the state' should ever be done.
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In RW bizarro world, of course.

[MineralMan]

2. Yah...well...GOTV!

[brooklynite]

3. Wait a minute...does EVERYONE get to go?

The proportion of the population going to college has increased substantially since your days. That means the State subsidies to provide tuition for everyone has gone up as well. How much are you prepared to chip in? Or are you going to limit participation to those who deserve it?

[ret5hd]

4. don't worry. you can afford it.

[brooklynite]

13. Indeed I can...

...not sure about everyone else.

[MineralMan]

6. I can't really address that part of it.

As for my contribution, I'm on a fixed income, pretty much, now. I doubt my tax bracket would be affected. In 1963, when I went off to college as a freshman, the tax schedule was a lot different than it is today. Maybe we can return to that schedule.

[Agony]

5. HFT tax

I really meant FTT... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_transaction_tax ... but this would also go a long way toward killing HFT...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/leesheppard/2012/10/16/a-tax-to-kill-high-frequency-trading/

[MineralMan]

7. That'd work, too.

[Bunnahabhain]

8. It used to be

that returning to the good old days was a RW thing. I'm not saying you're RW, of course, just pointing out how the nature of nostalgia seems to have changed. I say this because remember universities were a much less welcoming place for women and minorities back then. I think people cherry pick what they long for from the good old days.

As has been noted things have greatly changed in terms of numbers, demographics, costs, etc. I too would like to see a change in the cost structure of post-secondary education, and agree it could be very good for society, but also think odds are pretty good for it being a net negative given that the solution will be a political one vs. one designed to be fair to the individual and good for society in general.

[MineralMan]

9. I'm talking only of how education is financed.

I remember those times very well, and there was much that wasn't good then. However, it was possible for kids from working class families to go to college. The one I went to had almost exactly a 50-50 split between male and female students, overall. A smaller percentage of high school kids went to college, and GPA requirements were higher, too.

That said, there were still all of the other problems of the early 60s, and I don't want those back, just more opportunity for education that doesn't put people in lifelong debt.

[KamaAina]

10. There's still no tuition, dammit!

It's all fees! They're just as much as tuition, that's all!

The distinction is that tuition pays professors' salaries. Everything else is fees. And they've gotten so high, especially at UC, that students are opting to pay out-of-state tuition (and fees) in nearby states like Oregon.

[KurtNYC]

11. Many auto mechanics make much better money than college grads these days

It is a good job and is in no danger of being outsourced.

I agree with you ( I think) that the cost of college is now out of reach for many and it shouldn't be but I think the idea that college is the best thing for EVERY 19-year-old has never been true. We need plumbers, electricians, mechanics, contractors and all the other trades. Many who work in there trades are their own boss and experience the freedom that comes with that. On the other hand college grads are mostly prepped for the corporate world and not only don't have the freedom that comes from being your own boss but are also saddled with huge student loans that formerly middle class jobs won't pay off now.

College SHOULD be cheaper but it also should be more aligned with the current and near-future job market, and more teens should be encouraged to pursue the best paying blue collar jobs if they want the job security, income and independence that comes with them.

[PowerToThePeople]

12. That education system is one of the main forces that created Silicon Valley

They had an educated public with no debt burden coming out of school.

[annm4peace]

14. in 1985 I went to CA State College for 147.00 per semester.

We need to return to 1965 model.

Money for schools.. not for wars, offense Dept, and prisons.