Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

What Has Federal Higher Ed Policy Given Us? A Bad Case Of Credentialitis
Forbes ^ | March 17, 2015 | George Leef

Posted on 03/18/2015 11:43:28 AM PDT by reaganaut1

The 2016 campaign has begun and higher education will probably play a bigger role than in any previous presidential campaign – and not because GOP contender Scott Walker is the first candidate in many years who didn’t earn a college degree.

Since LBJ’s Great Society, the federal government has been promoting higher education through grants and easy loans. Politicians in both parties hyped the personal and national benefits of college. Boosting it seemed like a good idea at the time, but then so did pushing home ownership to achieve “the American dream.” Like most federal policies, the college-for-everyone push led to unintended consequences that have recently become evident in high student debts, default rates, and underemployment among college grads.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: college; education; georgeleef

1 posted on 03/18/2015 11:43:28 AM PDT by reaganaut1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: reaganaut1

College is great if you’re going into a math-heavy engineering field, or medical. Otherwise, it’s pretty much just a useless piece of paper.


2 posted on 03/18/2015 11:50:06 AM PDT by Svartalfiar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: reaganaut1

Dang it...

Once again, I must have an old copy of the constitution. My copy doesn’t list higher education as being one of the specific purposes given to the federal government.

Can anyone tell me where to get the latest version? Thanks.


3 posted on 03/18/2015 11:50:15 AM PDT by ForYourChildren (Christian Education [ RomanRoadsMedia.com - a Classical Christian Approach to Homeschool ])
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: reaganaut1

Not sure where we got the idea that everyone should go to college.

If we consider the structure of the economy , it seems that most jobs and career fields really don’t require a college education.

If we are honest with ourselves , those of us who are middle.class and/or professionally employed, have encouraged our children to go to college. And we collectively have encouraged this regardless of what job or careers our children may have in mind.


4 posted on 03/18/2015 11:56:24 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: reaganaut1; All
Thank you for referencing that article reaganaut1. Please bear in mind that the following critique is directed at the article and not at you.

"Since LBJ’s Great Society, the federal government has been promoting higher education through grants and easy loans."

FR: Never Accept the Premise of Your Opponent’s Argument

The major constitutional problem with this issue is that the states have never delegated to the feds, expressly via the Constitution, the specific power to regulate, tax and spend for intrastate schooling purposes. Corrupt federal lawmakers have likely made federal grants and loans for schooling purposes available to win votes from low-information student voters who have never been taught about the federal government’s constitutionally limited powers.

Add constitutionally indefensible federal grants and loans for schooling purposes to the list of reasons to repeal the ill-conceived 17th Amendment.

5 posted on 03/18/2015 12:14:05 PM PDT by Amendment10
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: reaganaut1

Once companies couldn’t administer an IQ test they were forced to use a 4 year degree as a weed out. Now that plenty of morons are getting a 4 year degree, the masters degree is going to be the new standard. Since we can’t test ability any more you need a string of letters after your name to get your foot in the door.


6 posted on 03/18/2015 12:14:19 PM PDT by RightOnTheBorder
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: reaganaut1

The US education system is broken.

You know it needs to be fixed when a poor black foreign aid student can’t even get his diploma and a college transcript of his grades after graduation.

I’m surprised that Barack hasn’t complained to Columbia University and Harvard Law School about this.


7 posted on 03/18/2015 12:23:39 PM PDT by Iron Munro
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dilbert San Diego

Article nails my biggest beef with the whole situation.

Five or six decades of education industry propaganda have Pavlov-trained employers to believe that you can’t perform any job above the level of janitor or cashier without a Bachelors Degree in Something from Catatonic State University.

I personally know people with high-school educations who have been trained to do complex jobs, and to do them very well. Because they are bright, trainable, and had the good fortune to, at some point, work for an employer who did not buy into the propaganda.


8 posted on 03/18/2015 12:35:16 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Svartalfiar

I needed college in order to go to law school. I also learned a couple of foreign languages. It was mostly useful. But I agree that most people don’t need a four year degree.


9 posted on 03/18/2015 2:33:01 PM PDT by Gluteus Maximus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson