Ernest Partridge: 'The assault upon trained intelligence'

[mandyky]

By Ernest Partridge, The Crisis Papers

http://www.crisispapers.org/essays/assault.htm

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As anyone with an active and informed interest in the state of our nation is aware (i.e., most Crisis Papers readers), George Bush's "compassionate conservatism" has impacted heavily and cruelly upon today's generation of college students.

It is one thing to know this as an abstract fact, and quite another to face the particular and personal manifestations of these policies. This week we were vividly reminded of the personal dimensions of the educational crisis when we received a message from a young college student in our area, hard-pressed to continue his education amidst the public squalor brought on by Bushenomics.

The source of the financial emergency facing this student, and millions of others like him, is no mystery. Federal tax cuts and unfunded mandates have put financial burdens on the states which have, in turn, led to budget cutbacks and tuition increases in the public colleges and universities. Compounding these hardships, the sagging job market has deprived many poor students of the opportunity to put themselves through college. And so, throughout the nation, hordes of qualified and motivated students are being forced to postpone, or perhaps even abandon, their professional aspirations.
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