College prez asks students, faculty to defend tax breaks

Campus Reform ^ | November 15, 2017 | Matthew Stein

[C19fan]

The presidents of three Pennsylvania colleges recently sent a letter to Congress criticizing the Republican tax reform plans, and one even called on students and faculty to do the same.

The “tri-co” system is made up of three liberal arts colleges South of Philadelphia—Swarthmore College, Haverford College, and Bryn Mawr College. In their “letter to our elected officials in Washington,” the presidents of the three colleges argue that several provisions included in the House and Senate would “harm higher education in this country” by scaling back tax benefits.

[C19fan]

Pay your fair share!!!

[Red Badger]

Tax Breaks are racist!.................

[Soul of the South]

If colleges and universities were intellectually rigorous, they would assign students the project of writing 2 papers — One for the tax breaks and the other against. The students would actually learn something by researching both sides of an issue and understanding the merits from both points of view.

Unfortunately colleges and universities no longer teach critical thinking.

[Rurudyne]

We have a spending and lawlessness problem, not a revenue problem.

But if the guy wants a defense then I would challenge him to argue that the basic function of Persons is to fund their government.

[Kickass Conservative]

They can explain why one American should be forced to hand over a larger percentage of their hard earned Wages to the Government while another American is not forced to make the same sacrifice.

Because they are “rich” is not an argument, it’s an excuse using envy as a tool of repression pitting one Citizen against another.

[C19fan]

Swarthmore has an endowment of $1.1 MM per student. If the the school earned a 5% return that would pay for the annual costs of that student.

[Rurudyne]

I like the one quote from Ghostbusters to speak volumns as to why these well endowed institutions are a problem:

“Personally, I liked the university. They gave us money and facilities, we didn’t have to produce anything! You’ve never been out of college! You don’t know what it’s like out there! I’ve *worked* in the private sector. They expect *results*.”

Dr Ray Stantz

[albie]

The students can probably speak a little French. Or know how to mix a Starbucks specialty coffee. Or paint a picture of an artichoke. But to be asked to defend something that would make them seek their safe space is outrageous! ~sarc

[Lisbon1940]

I don’t think they are south of Philadelphia.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks C19fan.

criticizing the Republican tax reform plans

Notice the Partisan Media Shill boilerplate? ANY bill proposed by Demwits, whether in the majority or not, are just described as a bill.

[WMarshal]

The answer to the argument for tax reduction is graft and incompetence. The more money that flows through DC the more powerful and rich the thieves get as they take their cut. The more money that flows through DC The more money gets wasted as the programs already in place are rendered useless so that the politicians can through more money on it.

The same thing could be said for laws. More laws mean more control and more bribes by big money paying to carve out exceptions from those laws for themselves. Politicians and bureaucrats power also increase in the form of patronage by stuffing idiot relatives and donors into “public service” jobs.

If you are not cynical about big government then you are either stupid and/or in on the take.

[WMarshal]

You could close every public school in the country and get better results by linking benefits to tests scores. For example requiring passing a test on analytical skills if you wanted a driver's license before 18. Tying permits to certain occupations to math and English exams. If you need public assistance and you want to not live in a government-run halfway house if you want food, pass a test. People are not dumb, they would self-educate.l and the access to the Internet makes this entirely feasible.

If that was done then universities could focus on the what they do best: the hard sciences, engineering, and research and development.

Also we need to remove the requirement that you need a college degree in law before you can take the bar exam. Also medical residency needs to be reformed to restrict the hours worked by instituting overtime and mandating that pay increases every month in residency until in the last months residents are nearly making as much pay as a full doctor.

[VietVet876]

They are located west of Center City in the area known as the Main Line. Pipe smoking cork sniffers who were mostly in the “I’m With Her” crowd last year. Many of the schools’ students come from Effete Elite backgrounds where the real money is inherited and not made. Bleeding liberal hearts in charge take chunks of the endowments and subsidize “minority matriculation”. One of the junior officers I served with graduated from Swarthmore. When he told me, I was amazed that there was even a Naval ROTC there. He was a real quiet guy who walked around the main deck a lot just staring at the ocean and mumbling to himself. Signs of use of LSD a lot more than one trip.

[mewzilla]

I take it that Frédéric Bastiat's The Law is no longer read/taught at our so-called institutions of higher learning...?

[mewzilla]

Note to students and faculty: Just give your prez a copy of the above. Advise him to read it and get back to you. Let him do his own bloody homework.

[ActresponsiblyinVA]

I am against any tax plan that raises the % of citizens who do not pay any income taxes.

[MrEdd]

I am for tax plans which raise the percentage of people who do not pay income tax to one hundred percent.

Sales taxes and tarrifs.
Everyone with an itemized receipt so people see what they are paying.

[Intolerant in NJ]

Ah, the Holy Three - smugly looking out for themselves for a hundred years......