THE BIG FAIL: Obama Fails On College Costs

In Des Moines Register Interview, Obama Claims He Made College More Affordable, But A Newly Released Report Shows College Costs Continue To Rise

Obama: “I said that we would make sure to make college more affordable — we have.”(“President Releases Transcript Of Register Interview,” Des Moines Register , 10/24/12)

UNDER OBAMA, COLLEGE COSTS CONTINUE TO INCREASE

In The Past Year, Average In-State Tuition For Four-Year Public Colleges Increased 4.8 Percent. “Average published tuition and fees for in-state students at public four-year colleges and universities increased from $8,256 in 2011-12 to $8,655 in 2012-13. The 4.8% increase in tuition and fees was accompanied by a $325 (3.7%) increase in room and board charges for students living on campus. At $9,205, room and board charges account for more than half of the total charges for these students.” (“Trends In College Pricing 2011,” College Board, 2012-13)

• “Room-And-Board Charges Grew By A Comparable Amount, Raising The Full Cost For Students Living On Campus To $17,860.” (“Latest College Cost Hikes Modest, But Still Bite, College Board Figures Show,” The Associated Press , 10/24/12)

In The Past Year, Average Tuition For Public Two-Year Colleges Rose 5.8 Percent.“Average published in-state tuition and fees at public two-year colleges increased by $172 (5.8%), from $2,959 in 2011-12 to $3,131 in 2012-13.” (“Trends In College Pricing 2011,”College Board, 2012-13)

Sandy Baum , Senior Policy Analyst At The College Board : “ The Burden On Students Is Rising.” “‘The burden on students is rising. The federal government cannot and will not continue their (subsidies) at the same rate,’ Baum said.” (Kathleen Kingsbury, “College Costs Stall As Borrowing Falls, Study Says,” Reuters, 10/24/12)

Due To A Decrease In Pell Grants, “The Average Family Is Now Paying $960 More Per Year For A Public College Education Than It Was Three Years Ago, A 49 Percent Increase In Net Costs.” “Overall, federal grants declined to $49 billion last year, after doubling from $26 billion in the fall of 2008 to $52 billion for the 2010-2011 school year, according to the College Board. Policy changes, falling enrollments and economic conditions are all factors behind this drop. A significant cause was the end in 2011 of a three-year experiment that allowed students to qualify for two Pell Grants per calendar year and attend school year-round. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has said the decision to cut the program was made in order to sustain the Pell’s maximum grant at $5,500 amid budget deficits. As a result, the average family is now paying $960 more per year for a public college education than it was three years ago, a 49 percent increase in net costs, the College Board said.” (Kathleen Kingsbury, “College Costs Stall As Borrowing Falls, Study Says,” Reuters, 10/24/12)

Via: GOP.com

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Obama And The Triumph Of Cargo Cult Economics

Over the past four years the American middle class has suffered an unprecedented decline. At this writing the labor for participation rate is the lowest since 1981 and for men it is the lowest since that statistic has been gathered. Household income has plummeted by 7.3% equating to over $4,000 per family. The number of persons on food stamps has nearly doubled in a mere four years. The unemployment rate continues to decline only by statistical legerdemain and reducing the number of people actively looking for work by demoralizing them.

Instead of taking firm action to preserve the middle class, the Obama regime has engaged in a full frontal assault on the middle class in order to reduce it to a state of government dependency.

Our home loans are no longer held by local banks, they are secured by the United States government. Superficially private sector jobs in industry sectors chosen to be winners by government bureaucrats only exist because of extravagant government subsidies… and some of those jobs being created in foreign countries. The agricultural sector is being wildly distorted in the service of ethanol production. Students are being inveigled into taking out loans to acquire an education that is either irrelevant or superfluous in the modern world (really, a master’s degree in jazz flute? What did you think was going to happen?)

As we’ve chronicled over the past month, the economic strategy pursued by the Obama regime is nothing more that cargo cult economics (here | here | here | here). Simply put, the regime has attempted to bolster the middle class using exactly the same method that Neolithic South Pacific islanders have used to continue receiving food and supplies from the United States. Instead of building a bamboo C-47 they are creating the trappings of a middle class society, e.g. a college education, a job, etc., without strengthening the underlying economy which supports it.

Via: Red State

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Obama campaign shuts down campus, requires students’ personal info

President Barack Obama paid a campaign-related visit to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Thursday, drawing complaints from several professors who criticized the mass disruption to classes.

Kenneth Mayer, a political science professor at UW, sent a letter to university administrators chiding them for renting central campus to the Obama campaign.

“It hardly seems appropriate to shut the central campus down for an entire day, closing offices and seriously disrupting our mission,” he wrote. “I have several colleagues who had scheduled exams for Thursday. Surely there were other venues that would pose less disturbance.”

Others were more concerned with the registration process for the event. To attend, students followed a link from the university website to the official Obama campaign website, and gave their names, e-mail addresses and phone numbers. Then they had to click a box that reads, “I’M IN!”

Donald Downs, a political science professor at UW, found this troubling.

“I’m all in favor of Obama coming to campus … but in order to go, you have to go through the campaign website and provide information, and you have to click a box that says ‘I’M IN!’” he said in an interview with The Daily Caller News Foundation. “Am I in for the event or in for Obama? If you really want to go to this important event, at least for a short while you are associating yourself with the campaign.”

Brown said many of his colleagues — including those who plan to vote for the president — agreed with these criticisms.

Via: Free Republic

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Obama to Jobless Law-School Grad: No Immediate Solution, But 'Don't Be Discouraged'

Your not getting a job anytime soon

(CNSNews.com) - "I understand how tough it is out there for recent grads," President Obama told a jobless law school grad during an online chat on Wednesday. In the "long-term," things will get better he said -- but he couldn't make any promises about "our  immediate economic challenges."

"So don't be discouraged -- we didn't get into this fix overnight, and we won't get out overnight, but we are making progress and with your help will make more," Obama said.

In an "interview" with users of the online news-and-comment website Reddit, President Obama took a question from someone who recently graduated from a "top law school" with big student loans to repay -- and can't find a job.

"While I'm sure my immediate prospects will improve in time, it's difficult to be optimistic about the future knowing that my ability to live a productive life -- to have a fulfilling career, to buy a house, to someday raise a family -- is hampered by my debt and the bleak economic outlook for young people." 

The questioner said he knows many people who are similarly demoralized, particularly young people who campaigned for Obama in 2008: Why should they vote for Obama again? "What hope can you offer us for your second term?," the law school grad asked.

President Obama mentioned his health care law, the student loan bill, "advanced manufacturing," his green energy policy -- and tax hikes on the wealthy:

"You're right -- your long term prospects are great, but that doesn't help in the short term," Obama responded. 

"Obviously some of the steps we have taken already help young people at the start of their careers. Because of the health care bill, you can stay on your parent's plan until you're twenty six. Because of our student loan bill, we are lowering the debt burdens that young people have to carry. 

Via: CNSNews

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