Bennett Hypothesis: Financial Aid Increases Tuition

[dfrecore]

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Yes! The community colleges that the conservatives here love so much are one of the largest socialist institutions in the U.S. They are cheap because they are heavily subsidized by states, cities, and counties.

As a fiscal conservative, I think that I DO want some of my tax dollars going to things like public schools, both K-12, and college.  Just because I think the government needs to be smart with MY money doesn't mean I don't want it to go towards important things.  BUT, what I've noticed with CC's is that a lot more of my money goes to no-frills things, like buildings, teachers, admin, etc.  NOT stadiums and arenas, granite countertops in the dorms, tenured teachers who end up not actually teaching any classes, etc.  Janet Napolitano, head of the UC system, gets to live in a multi-million dollar  home that the UC system pays $10k/mo for, gets $570k a year, gets $1000/mo for a car, and was paid $140k for relocation expenses. And presided over a $175M slush fund that the state auditors found last year, with no repercussions.  There is SO much waste and abuse in the CSU/UC systems, it's ridiculous.  Not so (as much) in the CC system.

Also, not sure what it's like in other states, but here in CA, our CC districts are very local.  Only 1-4 or so schools per district, and a lot of what gets taught is decided locally.  There's much more direct control by locals about what the money is spent on, what classes are taught, where new satellite campuses should be located, etc.  They are able to serve the communities in a much more robust way than the CSU/UC schools ever could.

Just because someone is fiscally conservative doesn't mean we're evil and that we hate people.  I actually love people, and wish that there was less waste and abuse so that my tax dollars could actually make a difference in our world, rather than being squandered by politicians and the government.  Even if you aren't a fiscal conservative (which all taxpayers should be), you should really care that the government isn't wasting your money too, so that it goes to things which YOU think is important.