The Daily Dose/June 20, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off: Some thoughts on free college
With 732 candidates running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination it was, we suppose, inevitable that some started talking about offering free college. They’re Democrats. It’s what they do, spend money on the theory that the more money they spend, the better off society will be. Plans vary, with some calling for a free four-year college education, some a free two-year college education and there are other plans, too.
We do not favor any of these plans. Unless you are attending a service academy or taking advantage of whatever veteran’s benefit Congress chose to provide, it is not the purpose of the federal government to provide anyone with a free college education, just like it is not the purpose of government to mandate we buy health insurance. Government’s only purpose is to ensure we can do want we want with the 24 hours each of has every day.
As usual, though, the Democrats mean well because college tuition has gotten so expensive only those families of substantive financial means can afford even a public college education without government assistance. Since 1978 college tuition has risen almost twice as much as the cost of medical care and two-thirds as much as the cost of living.
We will use Yale University, a private school in New Haven, Connecticut, as an example, because we’ve found tuition figures for them through the years are readily available. To make it easier on all of us, all figures are in 2019 dollars.
It will cost $72,000 in tuition, room, and board (known as a term bill in the industry) to attend Yale this school year, a figure that has gone up $25,000 this century, $20,000 of that this decade. For the 1939-40 school year tuition was $16,000 in today’s dollars. To put it another way, a Yale education in 1939-40 would have cost $4,000 in 1940 dollars, not the $900 it actually cost back then.
And even if this is approved, what are the limits? Can I go back to college, at age 53, for free? Are trade schools included? They should be because college isn’t for everyone.
Politicians can say this and they can say that, but if college tuition costs are going to stay in line with the cost of living the federal government must get out of the higher education racket. They must stop providing grants or loans or any other form of financial aid for going to college. Consider this: you run a business where your customers get generous government support to buy your product or service. What are you going to do? You’re going to raise prices, of course. It’s human nature and colleges are no different.
Colleges, both public and private, are entitled to the same access to the free market as any other business.
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow’s neighbor finally mows his lawn, and it’s a slow day at the VSO. Today’s Diary.
…he didn’t mow in the back corner or, and this is annoying, along our fence, so the grass is still 2-3 feet high there…Still tho, those driving into town no longer see a national forest on the left immediately upon entering tho, of course, this puts the pressure on ol’ Sparrow to keep The Shire’s lawn looking sharp…I might be able to get a mowing in Thu, or I might now…As has been usual for this spring up here, rain is in the forecast and even if it’s sunny.
It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life.
The drivel simply does not stop: please click on the button to read The Diary of a Nobody. $5.99 includes all entries, past, present, and future.
On This Date
In 1837 – Queen Victoria ascends the throne of the United Kingdom at the age of 18 following the death of her uncle, William IV. Victoria would reign for 63 years and seven months and her reign is known as the Victorian Era. She reigned longer than any of her predecessors and her mark was broken by her great-great-granddaughter Elizabeth II in 2015.
In 1960 – Floyd Patterson knocks out Ingmar Johansson in a fifth-round knockout at the Polo Grounds in New York City to win the world heavyweight title, becoming the first heavyweight to regain the crown. Patterson had first won the title when he defeated Archie Moore 1956 and after four defenses had lost it to Johansson the year before. An Olympic gold medalist as a middleweight at the 1952 Helsinki Games, Patterson was also the first Olympic gold medalist to win a professional heavyweight title.
In 1981 – Stars On 45 is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for their only week with Medley: Intro Venus/Sugar Sugar/No Reply/I’ll Be Back/Drive My Car/Do You Want to Know a Secret/We Can Work It Out/I Should Have Known Better/Nowhere Man/You’re Going To Lose That Girl/Stars on 45. A Dutch studio group led by former Golden Earring member Jaap Eggermont, they changed their name for the US to Stars On and had one more chart single, a medley of Stevie Wonder hits that peaked at #28. With 41 words, the song remains the Hot 100’s longest titled #1 song.
Quotebook
The four seasons come and go without anxiety because they follow the Way. The wise man contemplates this order, and begins to understand the harmony implicit in the universe.
Gore Vidal
Creation
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
It took the United States 121 years – from the time the first patent was issued in 1790 – to issue the one-millionth patent on August 8, 1911.
Today’s Stumper
What song’s nine-week reign at #1 did Stars On 45 interrupt? – Answer next time!
