Overall Thesis Question: How should the U.S. address the issue of the rising costs of higher education?
Question for this journal entry: Why should college be made free and how is that financially possible for the government?
Source Citation: Samuels, Robert. "Chapter 9: Making All Public Higher Education Free." Why Public Higher Education Should Be Free: How to Decrease Cost and Increase Quality at American Universities. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 2013. 115-23. EbscoHost. Web. 6 Mar. 2016.
This source contains the author's argument and rationalization as to why public higher education should be free. He also includes the financial details of such a feat and how they are quite possible for the U.S. government. The author first explains how Finland has dramatically transformed their educational system. In past years, Finland had a very low high school graduation rate and was non-competitive in terms of education. However, after implementing numerous educational changes including free public higher education, Finland has one of the world's highest graduation rates. Samuels then goes on to discuss the costs of implementing a free higher education policy in the U.S.. He estimated that providing a free college education to American students would cost approximately $135 billion a year. This number sounds outrageous, but he then points out that the federal government alone is spends $139 billion on just Pell Grants and student loans. This is not including the money that the state governments spend on higher education. This shows that providing free college education to students is not only attainable, but just might save the government money. Samuels also discusses how the tax system is costing the government money when it comes to higher education funding. Such an issue is the revenue that the government is losing on the 529 college saving plans. Wealthy individuals are using these plans as way to saving money without having to pay taxes as it is not required that the money be spent on higher education. Individuals can just pay a penalty and then use the money for whatever they want. Therefore, wealthy individuals are avoiding paying taxes by sheltering their money in these so called college saving plans. There is also not a limit to such plans, so individuals can put as much money in there as they want even if it exceeds the cost of a college education. Samuels also makes the argument that free college education is necessary for the U.S. to have an effective democracy. He cites Thomas Jefferson in this argument as Jefferson believed that in order to have an effective democracy, you must have highly educated citizens.
I think that this source provides numerous new arguments as to why college should be free for students. It brings up many sound arguments such as the tax system and the actual cost of such a feat. I had always thought that candidates were pushing for this in order to gain voters and that it would be a large expense for our government. I didn't even think about the possibility of it actually saving them money. Another argument brought up in this book is that of free college education being necessary for the existence of an effective democracy. I don't completely agree with this argument, as I believe that just because you offer free education, not everyone is going to take advantage of it and take it seriously. Therefore, while the proportion of educated individuals may increase, it does not necessarily guarantee that the U.S. will have a more effective democracy. This source allows me to answer the question posed for this journal entry as it shows me just how the government would finance free college tuition. It also makes numerous arguments as to why it should be made free.
This source would agree with my first source that focused on Bernie Sanders' campaign promise of eliminating the cost of a college education. Sanders would agree with Samuels and would most likely cite his arguments in his campaign as their beliefs line up perfectly. This source would also agree with the information provided in my third source as it provides information about other countries and how they approach the topic of higher education. However, this source would disagree with my second source which described that eliminating college tuition costs wouldn't necessarily make the U.S. a more educated country. Samuels believes that providing free college educations to students would promote the establishment of an effective democracy. In contrast, my second source argues that it will not have such an impact on the population as many of the most-educated countries in the world do in fact charge tuition.
This source has led me to ask new questions including "What are the consequences of eliminating the costs of obtaining a college education?". My other question that I need to consider is that of questioning whether or not it is fair to students who have worked hard and paid for their educations to just hand them out to other students. This is what I will research and examine next. Thus far, my answers work together fairly well. My first, third, and fourth sources all agree with each other and provide supporting evidence for the arguments made in them. However, I need additional sources that offer a differing point of view such as my second source. Such sources will allow me to examine all of the evidence and come to an answer to my overall thesis question.
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