When you fail to study before exams...

[davewill]

... You just made an argument for getting rid of the Pell Grant. It would lead to better tracking and more accountability. It would also mean that, since the federal government is holding the purse strings, it can put constraints on prices as it does with Medicare.

I also think it is partly an argument for going to free (or at least capped tuition) public 4-year college. It does fall a bit short to get students through two years, then suddenly raise the price to astronomical. Like Obamacare, these compromise measures can be very frustrating. I hate that we didn't go all the way to public healthcare. This in between state, where private companies get to profit on a mandate to purchase insurance, plain sucks...except that having millions with no real access to healthcare is even worse.

[SweetSecret]

I would just like to remind everyone that there would not be "free" community college! I, and everyone who pays taxes, will be funding it. Just because YOU don't have to pay for it doesn't mean that it's free! (and that's a YOU as in anyone who doesn't have to pay, not pointing the fingers at anyone in particular).

I don't agree with what this seems to insinuate. I had a work permit as middle schooler, and figured out how to pay taxes on my own. To say my parents weren't involved would be a HUGE understatement. Jennifer is right in that DegreeForum does seem to attract some very motivated individuals, and I know I am one of them. I paid taxes into the system for years before I ever turned 18. As a matter of fact, I am filing for disability right now and the Social Security Administration just printed me out a list of the years I paid taxes into the system - going all the way back to. So the fact is I paid into a system that funded the Pell Grant, which I wasn't able to access - is irritating to say the least. In reality, FAFSA seems to me like another form of classism, which keeps of some the neediest from being able to actually access education.

[sanantone]

I don't agree with what this seems to insinuate. I had a work permit as middle schooler, and figured out how to pay taxes on my own. To say my parents weren't involved would be a HUGE understatement. Jennifer is right in that DegreeForum does seem to attract some very motivated individuals, and I know I am one of them. I paid taxes into the system for years before I ever turned 18. As a matter of fact, I am filing for disability right now and the Social Security Administration just printed me out a list of the years I paid taxes into the system - going all the way back to. So the fact is I paid into a system that funded the Pell Grant, which I wasn't able to access - is irritating to say the least. In reality, FAFSA seems to me like another form of classism, which keeps of some the neediest from being able to actually access education.

Also, just because people haven't paid into the system yet does not mean that they never will. The expected benefit is that you will have more higher-income people who will pay more taxes.