College for everyone? Seriously no

Sometimes I just have to wonder what liberals are thinking. Today I noticed a news program that was discussing the issue of the birthright of getting a college education. The implication was that Senator Obama will provide government funding to enable every student to go to college. That isn’t exactly true of what Senator Obama has said, and it has so many problems that it’s a joke.

First, let’s be honest. College and higher education is not a birthright. It’s an option. Millions live and work everyday without one. The obligation of the government is to provide a basic education to the children of the nation. It is the obligation of parents to make sure that their child uses that education to their benefit. And it is a step towards adulthood for that child to determine if college is a path they wish to take.

Even more honest is the fact that every child should not go to college. Seriously, your kid may not be the next lawyer, doctor, or college graduate. You probably know if little johnnie or jane is not going to get there long before they reach 12th grade. And that’s not a bad thing. The military is not for everyone, neither is being a policeman, a doctor, an accountant, a salesman, a scientist and so on.

Many liberals love to point out that college tuitions have grown over the last 5 years. They point out that many families can afford college. The first point is true, just as the cost of a car, home, and dozens of other products/services have grown as well. But these same liberals leave out the fact that while most families can’t afford Ivy league colleges there are city colleges, state colleges, and junior colleges that are easily more affordable. Add to that the fact that there are hundreds if not thousands of grants and scholarships that go unused every year. Money is out there for virtually every kind of student, and colleges make huge efforts to help students afford the cost of higher learning.

When I went to college I had a scholarship. I also worked 2 part-time jobs. So did dozens of my friends. It was my responsibility to earn or borrow the money I needed to gain the education I wanted. Had I spent more time in the library I could have gotten even more money.

Some will say that college should be easier. Why? Is life easier? Is work easier? Is raising a family or being in a marriage easy? The fact is that the things that are least easy are what we all tend to want most. We appreciate what we earn and sweat for. Give a person a fish and they’ll wait for another, teach them to fish and they will work to make sure they are not hungry.

Now Senator Obama believes that the student aid form is what is preventing kids from going to college. I believe that if filling out a piece of paper is too difficult, you shouldn’t be considering college anyway. So it’s a long form, so is a mortgage or car loan. So is building up an IRA or retirement fund. I don’t care if the form takes a day to fill out, that’s one day out of a life filled with greater knowledge than the day before.

“Another common reason that high school students decide not to attend college is that they discover they are
unprepared for it in 12th grade.”

You have to be kidding right? If you have been getting D’s and C’s all your time in school I think you know long before 12th grade that you will not be going to college. If you prefer to watch a movie based on a book instead of reading for a school report, college is not for you. If you can rebuild an engine and could care less who Nicholas of Cusa is, college is out. If you spend summer vacations building decks for friends and family, or working in the garment industry making marker – and the concept of how an extra hydrogen atom can attach a water molecule puts you to sleep – college may not be an option. [And I spent every summer from junior high school until I left college working in the garment industry]

Now here is another interesting thought. If Senator Obama were to provide funds for every child in America to go to college, where is that money coming from? College will still need to be paid for, so who will pay it? You will. It’s called higher taxes. Which means you will have less money, whether you have kids or not or whether your kids goes to college or if your kid is able to finish with a degree. If you feel you don’t have enough money to live on now, wait till you have to pay for your neighbors kid to go to college – you know the kid that can’t give you back the right change in Mc Donald’s even with the cash register figuring it out for them. That’s money that is well spent indeed.

But there is a bigger issue that few even consider. America needs skilled labor. Carpenters, truck drivers, machinists and more. As much as the information highway has grown, the basics are still out there. There are no machines or internet programs that will build a house. Or fix plumbing. Or drive a dump truck. Or dig in a mine. And we are running out of those types of laborers. There is such an emphasis on trying to get every child to be a computer geek, or a trial lawyer and so on that everyone forgets that someone has to build the wires, lay the cable, and maintain it for you to get an internet connection or even lights. And you don’t need college degrees for that.

Now I believe in the importance of a higher education. I believe that you should go to college. But only if you want it. Only if you strive for it. Only if you will make it count for something. Otherwise it’s just high school part 2.

Something that my father once told me I feel applies here. He said,

“No matter what you do, if you do a good days work and get a good days pay you can hold your head high in front of anyone.”

I believe that. I’ve held my head high as I swept floors, pulled out garbage, worked as a telephone operator, in a bindery department, a telemarketer, a bar back, a DJ, a bartender, a 3rd line cook, a busboy, a security guard, a stockbroker, a lab assistant, a director of operations in import/export, a writer, and over 155 other positions (of which I have never been fired and have had over 66 promotions). It’s not what you do, it’s why you do it and what goals you put in place for your life.

College has been very important for me. I continue to read and learn. It helps me understand the various issues I discuss in numerous blogs I write for. It helps me understand the ramifications and obfuscated meanings in politics and political speeches. It helps me expand my mind and imagine the improbabilities of the universe. But that’s not for everyone, and I don’t need to pay for anyone to reach that level unless I choose to do so.

When I went to college a very good teacher did me a kindness, sending me a few dollars every so often. He wasn’t obligated to do so, he did it because I had shown my desire to learn in high school. It wasn’t much, but it meant a lot – because he didn’t need to do it. That gave me a reason to strive harder. But it would have meant nothing if everyone in America was paying for my education and I had nothing invested in it.

So again I say, liberals need to think about some of the things they say they want. College is a great thing, and helping some get there is good. But lets be realistic, it’s not for everyone. I don’t want to pay higher taxes to waste my money and some kids’ time on a useless venture.