Beating Back Education Costs

A former Republican appointee suggests a way that the GOP could win an education argument it usually loses.

“President Obama just threatened to veto legislation by House Republicans that could more than DOUBLE student loan rates,” read a Democratic Party e-mail that went out the day after Memorial Day. “This bill would hurt college students and their families — especially those who struggle most to afford a college education.”

“President Obama’s not afraid to call out House Republicans when they go against middle class families.” With just such a promotion, Democrats in Congress are usually able to increase student aid and federal assistance to higher education generally.

Universities usually respond to this largesse by raising tuitions. “When I was Secretary of Education, I wanted to kick schools out of the student loan program that raised their tuition over the rate of inflation,” former Secretary of Education William Bennett said on 21, 2013 at the blogger’s briefing at the Heritage Foundation.

Similarly, with student loans, Bennett said, “I wanted to let students pay it back on an income-contingent basis.”
“If you’re Peter Theil, you pay it back tomorrow,” Bennett explained. “If you’re a blogger, you pay it back in 150 years,” he added wryly. Bennett is the co-author of the book Is College Worth It?

Although, federal aid for higher education has mushroomed over the past half-century, it’s benefits are, to put it mildly, less than apparent. “The percent of students who are poor and going to college is smaller than it was in 1970,” Bennett noted.

Malcolm A. Kline is the Executive Director of Accuracy in Academia.
If you would like to comment on this article, e-mail contact@academia.org.