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Can We Stop Pretending that “Free” Community College is Free?

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

To paraphrase free market economist Milton Friedman, “there is no such thing as a free college plan.” In fact, the latest free college plan is estimated to cost $90 billion. Which raises the question, who is going to pay for it?

Spoiler alert: It won’t be the student, and it won’t be the school either.

Reason reports:

This week a couple of legislators and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released the draft legislation of the proposed “free community college” plan Barack Obama introduced in January. Probably the most important detail is that the federal government itself now estimates the cost of providing a “free” community college education jumping from $60 billion to $90 billion.

… For those who missed the whole thing, here are the basics: President Barack Obama and several leading Democrats want to make community college free for students who would then transfer to four-year colleges for bachelor’s degrees and for those who are in training programs for occupations that the state determines to be part of an “in-demand industry sector.” The federal government will pay two-thirds of the cost, but states will have to chip in one-third to participate.

… None of these plans seem to seriously deal with the fact that its government subsidies to education that have driven up these costs. That massive debt middle class students are racking up isn’t paying for instructors. It’s paying for boatloads after boatloads of administrators making plum salaries for managing these reform programs that the government insists will make colleges better. The government isn’t making college cheaper. It’s making it even more expensive.

Continuous government subsidies for higher education sends all the wrong signals to colleges and universities around the country. Those schools know that whatever they decide to charge students, the government will meet their demands with no preconditions. “Free” college is getting more expensive every year, and it’s us taxpayers who are stuck footing the bill.

Deneen Borelli

Deneen Borelli is the author of Blacklash: How Obama and the Left are Driving Americans to the Government Plantation. Deneen is a contributor with Newsmax Broadcasting. She is a former Fox News contributor and has appeared regularly on “Hannity,” “Fox & Friends,” “Your World with Neil Cavuto,” and “America’s Newsroom.” She has also appeared on Fox Business Network programs “Making Money with Charles Payne,” “The Evening Edit with Liz MacDonald,” and “Cavuto: Coast to Coast.” Previously, Deneen appeared on MSNBC, CNN, the BBC and C-SPAN. In addition to television, Deneen co-hosted radio programs on the SiriusXM Patriot channel with her husband Tom. Recently, Deneen co-hosted the Reigniting Liberty podcast with Tom. Deneen is a frequent speaker at political events, including the FreedomWorks 9.12.2009 March on D.C. which drew a crowd estimated at over 800,000 people. Deneen is also an Ambassador with CloutHub.com, a social media platform that promotes free speech, and with the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) which advances policies that put Americans first. Deneen testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources in May 2011 and before the Ohio House Public Utilities Committee in December 2011. Previously, Deneen was a BlazeTV.com host, Outreach Director with FreedomWorks.org overseeing its Empower.org outreach program, a Project 21 Senior Fellow, and Manager of Media Relations with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Prior to joining CORE, Deneen worked at Philip Morris USA for 20 years. During her corporate career at Philip Morris she worked in various positions, her last as Project Management Coordinator in the Information Management department where she was responsible for the department’s mandated quality processes, communications, sales information and database management. Deneen began her Philip Morris career as a secretary and advanced to positions of increasing responsibilities. Deneen worked full-time and attended classes at night for 11 years to earn her B.A. in Managerial Marketing from Pace University, New York City. Deneen served on the Board of Trustees with The Opportunity Charter School in Harlem, New York. She appeared in educational videos for children, worked as a runway fashion model, and auditioned for television commercials. Her interests include ancient history, pistol target shooting, photography, and volunteering at her church. Deneen currently resides in Connecticut with her husband Tom.

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