BCT Editorial – 9/10/06

This page was last updated on September 10, 2006.

College woes; Editorial; Beaver County Times; September 10, 2006.

Today it’s “College woes” and three days ago it was “Weight woes.” Does the Times have a “woes” theme going?

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“According to a recent report, Americans are finding it harder and harder to afford college education for their children.

“The Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, a nonprofit group, found that residents in 43 states dedicate a disproportionate part of their yearly income for higher education funding.

“That list includes Pennsylvania, even though the state has regularly increased financial aid over the past 14 years.”

[RWC] You’ll note the editorial never considers that ever-increasing government subsidies (and thus distortion of the free market) could be the cause of the problem. It’s no coincidence that two markets – education and healthcare – subject to huge government economic interference are also the ones becoming less affordable.

“When you subtract financial aid, community colleges costs represent the equivalent of 26 percent of an average Pennsylvania family’s income, tuition for public institutions represent 39 percent of annual income and costs of private universities represent an astounding 75 percent of family income, according to the report. For lower-income families, community college costs represent 40 percent of their income and the costs of public colleges 59 percent.

“A spokesman for the state Department of Education said the report was misleading because it combined costs of attending state-owned universities and four ‘state-related’ universities, including Pennsylvania State University and The University of Pittsburgh.

“Nonetheless, the report is disturbing when you consider the importance of college education today. Years ago, those who could not afford higher education had the opportunities to work in Pennsylvania industries.

“That’s no longer the case, which makes education even more crucial for our young people, and government needs to do its part to ensure that they get it.”

[RWC] In this case, doing its part would mean the government would get out of the business of subsidizing education and let the free market do its job.