Amy Klobuchar on no free 4 year college

[Lotusflower70]

Link to tweet

?s=19

Thoughts?

[manor321]

1. She has really dropped on my list

Her entire candidacy seems to be a message about things we can't do because of the deficit. It's like listening to Susan Collins.

[dflprincess]

4. Amy is setting herself up to be the status quo candidate

She also says no to Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.

In her years as County Attorney and especially as Senator, she has built her career around never rocking the boat.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

43. Shows a lack of creativity. You can be for something in theory

and approach a solution more pragmatically and incrementally over time

Just saying no is lazy and doesn't show she's a moderate at all. Just shows a serious lack of passion toward liberal thought.

[brooklynite]

112. Just saying yes is also lazy when you have no way of implementing it

[Power 2 the People]

80. +1

[pnwmom]

103. That's not true AT ALL. Free community college isn't the status quo.

Neither is letting students renegotiate loans for better terms. And she's open to Medicare for all as a goal, but isn't making a promise it could be accomplished instantly.

And she thinks we should re-enter the climate change accord treaty on Day 1. That isn't status quo either.

[Lotusflower70]

7. She is definitely playing it safe

She is coming across as middle of the road. At least she isn't promising more than she can deliver. We want to have dreams and aspirations but she has a strong practical streak within herself. I think some older people will consider her approach the right way to go and some younger people will say she isn't giving them enough.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

44. Not middle of the road to me. That implies that

Middle of the roaders lack ideas and passions.

[Codeine]

92. That's pretty much the definition of

a middle-of-a-roader.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

97. Ya well I am not voting for anyone in primary

Who was a part of the Kavenaugh fiasco.

[pnwmom]

41. Four year college degrees aren't necessarily the best for everyone.

Unlike healthcare, for example, that everyone needs.

Should free 4 year degrees really be supported with tax dollars from everyone?

[Adrahil]

69. With out current public/private university spit....

... it's not really practical to make public universities FREE, but we do need serious and comprehensive changes to the student loan system, and we need commitment to affordable, high quality public universities. We've starved them of funding. And UNiversities have been top heavy with management. Too many damned MBA's running universities.

[dflprincess]

85. True

One would hope that any change in how tuition is covered would extend to community colleges and trade schools

[zipplewrath]

86. Well, sorta

should free 4 year degrees really be supported with tax dollars from everyone?

For various values of "everyone". People will still go to Harvard. That won't be free. People already go to the Military Academies for "free". You'll still have to get into college some where, that won't be guaranteed. You'll still have to pass your courses. And of course there will still be alot of expenses that won't be covered.

Florida has two government programs for college. There is the pre-paid system where your parents pay soon after you're born and then college (in the Florida University system) is assured (for 4 years or some number of credits, I forget which). There there is the "Bright Futures" scholarships which can be "earned" by a significant number of high school students. Both of these involve the use of taxpayer funds.

It is probably true that the vast majority of students will only be able to go to community colleges, or small participating nonprofit liberal arts colleges for at least the first two years if they want "free". Performance will then be key for them, i.e. they'll literally have to "make the grade". They won't get the last two years if they don't "earn" them.

Top flight students may get "invited" to enter straight into 4 year degrees, but we're probably talking top 10% kinds of students.

My hometown figured out how to do it. I think the nation can too.

Research published by the Upjohn Institute in 2015 shows that the Kalamazoo Promise significantly increases college enrollment, college credits attempted, and credential attainment, and the researchers conclude that such scholarships can both increase educational attainment and provide net economic benefits.[5]

Tuition checks began to be distributed in 2006. As of summer 2010, the program had paid out $18 million in tuition for about 2,000 high school graduates of Kalamazoo's two high schools and three alternative schools, according to executive administrator Robert Jorth. Most of the money has gone to the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Western Michigan University. Promise-funded students have enrolled in all but one of Michigan's 15 state universities.[1] As of October 2010, 60% of Promise-funded students had obtained bachelor's degrees.

[pnwmom]

87. I said 4 years, not 2 years. I think most people could accept the idea of taxpayers

funding 2 years at community college.

[workinclasszero]

75. Totally agree

Funny how the damn republicans have no f***ing deficit barrier stopping them from rewarding their billionaire base huh?

I can really get behind a candidate that tells me no, no, no while the GOP laughs its ass off at the poor and middle class!

[marylandblue]

2. I agree with her. For most people, 2 years of CC is better than a 4 year degree.

Most people aren't academically inclined and we shouldn't be pushing it on everyone. Better to learn marketable skills and start working.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

45. Yet she didn't say 2 years did she? She doesn't seem

To want anything free about college does she?

[marylandblue]

50. I just watched the video and she definitely said 2 years free.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

64. My bad. That is great... sorry only saw clip

Where she kind of dismissed the idea of free college in general.

[oasis]

3. 2 years of free community college would put many in position for a

scholarship at a higher level.

[BannonsLiver]

10. Yes this is more attainable than gratis 4 year college degrees

[oasis]

14. Plenty of hard work and soul searching can occur within 2 years. nt

[dawg day]

54. And they might get a job after two year of CC which gets them tuition benefits

I'm a CC teacher. I very much believe in the more focused education for those who need/want to start their careers soon.

It's a terrific investment for our country-- think about it.... low-income bright kids can go to CC and get an associates degree or one-year certification in jobs that are needed-- nursing assistent, cyber-security, electronics, respiratory therapy, paralegal.

They will come out and get a job and spend 50 years contributing to the economy and being able to support their families. There is literally no better investment for the United States.

[oasis]

61. Agree 100%. nt

[susanna]

60. This is true.

As a tutor at a community college, I am here to tell you that the kids who struggle with their general education requirements at "big universities" come back home and do their Gen Eds under the radar at their local CC when they fail them in their more prestigious school. Usually during summer.

They aren't stupid; they just didn't count on how tough college really is.

So it stands to reason that many students can save a ton of money and study at the CC level before they launch into the higher schools, if they figure out what CC classes their universities take as credit-to-credit (depends on the state/school).

My CC has scholarships to UofM (Michigan) for well-qualified students in certain disciplines. Don't count that out, prospective students. You can get your feet wet in a CC and finish at a prestigious university...it's true. I have seen it so many times. Always so proud of all the students who make it happen for themselves.

on edit: spelling problem

[oasis]

62. Yup. The value of Community Colleges should never be underestimated.

I've seen many sucessful careers get launched from a CC springboard.

[susanna]

100. Thank you, oasis!

I admit I was skeptical at first; all my high school teachers kind of dumped on CCs .

Having worked at my local CC and really interacting with the community there, it is such a great place for people who don't have a ton of money to start.

As a tutor, watching CC students' confidence in their abilities grow has been one of the most wonderful experiences of my lifetime.

I ended up in my job as tutor by going to classes myself as a 40-year old woman looking to continue my own education.

I am a staunch CC supporter. Always.

[BannonsLiver]

5. I agree with her

Totally free is a pipe dream. Unicorns and moon pie stuff.

[Lotusflower70]

6. Agreed

I am thinking it's unreasonable and unrealistic to expect 4 years of free college.

[BannonsLiver]

8. It's not free in Europe either

Was in Edinburgh last year and our taxi driver remarked about his son was at the a University of Edinburgh studying history. I said wow that must be nice, free college and all and especially to such a respected school. He quickly corrected me and said they spend about 7 thousand pounds a year. So it’s heavily subsidized as far as costs passed on to students, but it’s not free.

[TJKay]

15. I dont have a problem with it not being totally...

Certainly, no one should be anchored to a mountain of college debt for the rest off their adult life. Heavy subsidation by the govt works for me. Of course, if we give the govt the bill, they ought to get to have a say in the particulars....no indefinite time periods ( eg, no 6 years to get a bachelors), no useless majors (eg Hungarian literature, anthroplogy, etc), limits on big athletic programs, govt payscales for faculty, etc.

[Raine]

55. So do I

it's much more realistic.

[DURHAM D]

9. Someone needs to explain to me how the federal government

can mandate to state universities that they provide free college.

Who pays for it?

How can they possibly fund it?

What about trade schools? Are they in the mix?

[Lotusflower70]

12. Good question

I don't see how sustainable that would be as far as running these institutions.

[Eric J in MN]

13. Bernie Sanders' College for All Act says

...that if a state chooses to make its public universities tuition free, then for every dollar the state spends on the universities, it gets two federal dollars.

There are exceptions such as a state spending money on building new campus buildings wouldn’t get federal matching funds.

[DURHAM D]

23. iows - this four years of college for free is

dependent on the states to act. The policy is complete nonsense and just drivel, drivel, drivel but I guest the real point is that young people might believe it.

[leftofcool]

33. They will fall for it.

[marylandblue]

52. So he wants to charge taxpayers double the cost for free tuition?

Why not just pay the tuition directly?

[Eric J in MN]

98. If the federal government said it would cover

...any tuition amount then states would say tuition is a million dollars per student.

[Skidmore]

57. It's still not free.

Taxes pay for it. Taxes are paid by citizens.

[Demsrule86]

71. There is no income test...that was horrible in Georgia's hope scholorship program...as the wealthy

with their tutors and private schools crowded out the middle class and the poor.

[shanny]

40. How can they fund it?

How about diverting the annual obscene increases (never debated of course) to the already bloated defense budget.

Or, y'know, taxing rich people.

We are he richest country in history. We can afford it, if we want to.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

46. Why do we need 1.3 million active military?

[apcalc]

11. Sensible approach.

[Awsi Dooger]

22. Realistic no longer plays well in primaries

Trump fed nothing but lies to his base, and it worked. Now our base apparently wants one fanciful declaration after another.

Meanwhile I'm stuck with Ron DeSantis as governor. That's my reality every day. I no longer open and read the daily Marc Caputo political email updates because they are too depressing.

It is particularly hilarious in this thread to read about a more moderate female Democrat ripped for her views on education. Gwen Graham had education as her top commitment. She had every related endorsement and was called, "the public education dream candidate." But our genius primary voters didn't want that. We tried for the slam dunk with Gillum and instead hit our head on the backboard with a ridiculous self-inflicted defeat that will do incredible damage to the state of Florida likely for 8 years and counting.

Now I just hope we don't mirror that on the presidential level.

[TexasTowelie]

16. I think that there is more bang for the buck

by placing money in early education such as pre-K, kindergarten and primary school than there is investing in higher education. The money is spread among all students rather than concentrating it among those eligible for college who will have the best prospects of earning a high income with their degrees to pay off loans for college.

[kennetha]

17. She's for debt free college

But FREE tuition in STATE universities is typical Sanders blather. Slogans and gestures with no real thought behind them.

I could go on, but just slow down and think about what this would involve. First a LOT of federal tax dollars. If the states can’t afford to make their state universities tuition free — which they can’t — where is the federal government going to come up with enough money to do that for all 50 state university systems? We’re talking about a big increase in taxes to make this possible.

But that’s just the beginning, if the feds are going to pay a significant part of the freight for every state university system in the country, it’s going to demand a TON of control to try and keep cost reasonable. Think of what that would involve. Not exactly nationalizing all state university systems but a step in that direction.

But wait there’s more. Did you know that the single biggest contributor to the student debt crisis is the amount of remediation students need ... especially in math. The need for remediation increases time to degree. While most financial aid packages contemplate 4 years of aid, many students spend a lot more time then that. And they borrow heavily to finance those extra years.

Now ask yourself what the Feds, suddenly faced with the responsibility of paying a significant portion the freight for all those students the would do about that. Restrict access to those most likely to finish in 4 years. That’s going to be those who are most prepared from the best school, that is, the already advantaged. So instead of making college more accessible it might actually end up making it less accessible.

[DURHAM D]

24. Good points. nt

[phylny]

81. I like the idea of debt-free or very, very low interest college loans.

We paid to put our kids through undergrad, but our sons-in-law's parents did not. Our daughters, their wives, have stepped up. Our oldest has pitched in and her husband's loans are paid in full. Our middle daughter is helping her husband pay off his. Our youngest has grad school debt, but we've given her two rather large lump sums (and her sisters have gotten the same) that she's using to pay it down. The youngest's boyfriend has debt that she'll end up helping with if/when they get married.

College loan debt is hamstringing the millennial generation.

[allgood33]

18. I agree with her. Maybe free for children in families with under $500,000 gross income for all

sources. I would much rather see schools of trade, construction, etc. Lots of young men and women have very mathmatical and engineering talents but would not do well in the humanities, Writing, etc. My grandfather had an 8th grade education but was a master carpenter and could fix damn near anything with a movable part. We need to train and enhance those skills as well as train the working population in green industries, patient care, etc.

And Medicare for All was considered when Bill and Hillary were in the White House and a bill was introduced by John Conyers years ago. There is practically nothing that Bernie campaigns on that has not been a staple of a Democratic platform and party for decades. The $15 minimum wage is new because it is raising the minimum wage close to being commensurate with today's economy but minimum wage increases have been a part of the Democratic Party's policies since I can remember.

Give me a break trying to make like most of the BS camapign stances are only a result of BS.

[ProudLib72]

19. I tentatively agree

I'm especially excited by community colleges offering bachelors degrees. Also, the community college where I teach has worked out a system whereby most, if not all, of a student's credits will transfer to state colleges. There are many options out there now. Honestly, many students are ill equipped for a four year college. We have a lot of first generation college students (TRIO program). Most of our students are ESL or developmental. These students would fall between the cracks if they were simply dropped into a four year setting with huge class sizes and not much support. I would prefer to focus on the community colleges first as sort of a preparatory stage.

[Lithos]

20. Unless there is a plan to shore up General Education (K-12), then this is a waste

The biggest failure is not in getting people thru College, but in educating the general public so that they're prepared to handle the role of citizen. Also comparable to that is fixing the cost of child care and adding sufficient coverage of gaps (lunch programs, early intervention, pre-K, child care) so that the kid can not be left behind in the first place.

The lack of critical thinking tops the list followed by callousness of the system to those who require extra effort.

Fix this, then fix the college opportunity while recognizing most college degrees really should be replaced by Associate Trade degrees - many people do not need a BS for the career they might desire.

L-

[radical noodle]

21. Having seen first hand

what kids sometimes do with their first year of college and the way they sometimes squander their opportunity for higher education, I can honestly say that I'd rather see us spending that money to aid successful students by paying off their student loans. We have a huge student loan problem and that should really be our first objective.

I think free college for all is asking for problems that we haven't even considered. Maybe someone can convince me otherwise, but I've seen too many kids crash and burn in their first year or so.

[KPN]

36. Reasonable. But there's a big difference between

paying off successful students’ loans and “ways to make refinancing loans” easier. Klobuchar loses my vote with that position. Your comments on the other hand have merit.

[radical noodle]

51. Agree. We need more than refinancing

Interest rates are outrageous. My daughter has managed to refinance her loans and is paying in accordance with her salary as a special ed teacher in a rural school, but she will never pay it off. She's essentially just paying the interest.

[KPN]

76. Right. We need to expect more from our candidates if we actually want to get more relief than the

ability to make interest payments.

[radical noodle]

84. Elizabeth Warren talks about student loan issues

but I've never heard her say how she would address the issue. This and stopping the defunding of public education are the big issues for me.

[Recursion]

25. 36% of high school grads enroll in college by age 25

The vast majority of those 36% are from the upper half of the income distribution. (The students from the lower half generally aren't taking on debt anyways because of need-based aid.)

Taxing everybody to benefit the richer half of the country is regressive.

[KPN]

34. BS. The vast majority of college graduates with

significant student debt come from families that are considered middle class.

[Recursion]

35. Yes, and the "middle class" is mostly in the richer half of the income distribution

You aren't disagreeing with me.

I don't really care about programs to help the middle class. We need to be concentrating on the poor.

[KPN]

38. We're talking about students coming out of

college with enormous debt that significantly and adversely impacts the next 30, 40 or even more (retirement finances and ability) of their lives. That IS poor.

If taxing anybody to benefit the upper half of the population is regressive and, as you say objectionable, then you can write off a public option let alone single payer health plan and a whole lot of other public goods and services as well. Not to mention ee’re not talking about taxing just anyone; it’s about more progressive and wealth taxes. The middle class has been carrying the load for everyone — time for that to stop.

[Recursion]

42. I mostly do write off single payer. Again, it's regressive.

The middle class is doing fine. I want a candidate who worries less about them and more about the poor.

[KPN]

66. "The middle class is doing fine ...". How do you define "fine" Recursion? I'm curious about that.

Because I couldn't disagree more. Are kids of middle class doing fine? Again, help me understand where you are coming from. I see an entirely different world and wonder how our perspectives can be this different. Are people who are paying upwards of $1600 a month for self plus one health insurance doing fine because they can make that payment?

ps -- I'm not arguing that taking care of the poor is not important. Nor are any of the more progressive candidates or legislators as far as I can tell.

[Recursion]

67. Yes, anyone who *can* pay that is doing fine

That's exactly what I mean

[KPN]

74. Well, we disagree then. There are boatloads of

young people who can meet the minimum required payment on their student debt, but can’t save a dime for the ability of some day being able to put a down payment on a home or even a reasonably dependable car, or buy clothes or furniture from anything but hand-me-down stores and craigslist. Making that interest payment does nothing to reduce their overall debt. What we, as a society, are doing is creating more poor.

In my view, we need to break the stranglehold oligopolies have on American lives. They are reducing more and more people to a life of serfdom, a life of dependence on them (the oligarchs and oligopolies) and public welfare subsidies, not to mention the afflictions of despair (drug addiction, alcoholism, etc). Focusing just on poor in no way will break this cycle ... it simply perpetuates dependency.

We need to focus on ending the social and economic injustices of racism, misogyny, and other prejudices as well as economic injustices affecting society as a whole. That is how we prevail in the end.

[pnwmom]

104. And that is the problem with that pipe dream.

But I do support free community college or trade school. I think that could be justifiable.

[MichMan]

26. I have asked this question several times and have yet to get an answer

Let's assume that college is free to the student and the federal/state in combination are paying for it.

These three colleges are in close geographical proximity in Michigan

1) Washtenaw Community College with tuition of $4000 per year

2) Eastern Michigan University with tuition of $12,000 per year

3) University of Michigan with tuition of $16,000 per year


If the cost to the student is zero for all three, why would anyone decide to attend Washtenaw or Eastern, when they could go to a nationally known college like U of Mich with a large campus and reknowned athletic teams ?

Since cost is not a factor for the students, why wouldn't Eastern immediately raise their tuition $4000 to match Univ of Michigan? Or Michigan raising theirs substantually as well. Students don't care because they aren't paying any of it.

[Lotusflower70]

30. Good point

I wonder what sort of specific conditions would be set on the free college. Would it be all technical and community colleges or what?

[smirkymonkey]

27. I am not impressed with her.

She seems like a centrist bullshitter to me. She won't get my vote.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

47. +1. ( Although you forgot mean to her employees ;)

[smirkymonkey]

49. That is one of those things that I can't quite get over.

She never really denied it. I'm not ok with it. It speaks to her character.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

65. Seemed like it took some time to respond to it

and response too perfect, too canned for me.

I also think that it means more when staff openly complains about a politician's demeanor vs. one in the private sector.

In politics, appearances mean everything! And you are groomed to protect your boss's image all the time. So it was likely really bad.

[KPN]

28. Shoot low. That way you're never disappointed.

Bizarre that we have no institutionalized memory of how affordable public higher education was back in the 60s and 70s. It wasn’t always free, but anyone who wanted to go and had the grades could make it happen without putting their future in financial risk. But No, we can’t possibly do that today. Meanwhile .1% have accumulated more than half of all the nation’s wealth, and 1% have 80 percent of it. WTF is wrong with people?!

“Easier ways to refinance loans ...”. Geezuz!

ps — Klobuchar strikes me as very likable. But as most everyone prefers here, i’m going to be making my decision about who i’ll suppory and vote for in the primary based on candidates’ views and positions on issues.

[Renew Deal]

29. I don't think "free" four year college is possible but

Last edited Wed Feb 20, 2019, 02:03 PM - Edit history (1)

I think it's possible to have some free state schools for certain high performers in high demand fields. And broadly, "free" community college is feasible.

[hibbing]

31. The only thing "free" is war

The Iraq war paid for itself right? I do not like candidates offering "free college". I can get some language that references debt free college though.

Peace

[leftofcool]

32. I agree with Amy

Make all 2 year colleges free then allow more pell grants for those transferring to 4 year colleges.

[onecaliberal]

37. Unless it's made ALOT more affordable there are plenty of poor people who will be

Unable to obtain a college education.

[CentralMass]

39. Well, thats inspiring. .

[mvd]

48. There are candidates who more enthusiastically..

support my goals of Medicare for All (and while I think it can work I am open to doing it in stages, leaving strong employer plans available until we acclimate people to the new system), fighting climate change and free college, so she will not be my choice. But I have made it my mission to give our nominee full support this time, even if I am less than thrilled.

[dawg day]

53. i teach community college:

My choice would be:

Free community college through a 2-year degree.

Those who get the 2-year degree get an additional 2-years tuition at 4-year public university.
I'd put a limit on the amount so that the schools don't go to town and increase tuition because of this.

Community college is much cheaper than a 4-year state college, so it's sensible to guide students to the cheaper option first.

If students want the whole fraternity/sorority tradition of a state university (or the prestige etc of a private college), they can pay for that themselves. I don't see the point of subsidizing party school, and I do know what I'm talking about (2 degrees, private universities).

"Free" should be "free" for those who would otherwise not be able to go to college. They will make a great contribution to the country in the future.
We don't have to subsidize rich kids to make this happen.

[DFW]

56. I see the key phrase as "for all"

If you fail high school, you shouldn't be in college, free or paid (athletic scholarships should be a relic of the past). If your family has a post-tax income of $500,000 or more, unless you have five kids in Ivy League college at once, you should be able to afford tuition, room and board. I inherited some cash from my parents' estate, and I used ALL of it for my children's college education (barely covered it). Maybe my income couldn't cover it, but the inheritance did, and I wasn't going to deprive some other deserving kid of a scholarship if I had the means to pay and he/she didn't.

As far as college tuition is concerned, I think Marx was right: "from each according to his ability to each according to his needs." It wasn't free for my or my family, but we didn't need it. College isn't free. The buildings need maintenance, the professors need salaries, research needs to be funded, the library needs a librarian, and a LOT of etc. You can confiscate the net worth of Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and not come close to providing "free" college tuition for every college student in the USA for even four years. About 16 million college students in the USA, take the average in-state tuition of around $10,000 times 4 and that's around $640 billion unless I missed a zero somewhere.

[radius777]

58. School is mostly a waste of time

more targeted schools like charter schools and trade school models work better

our school system is too long and drawn out, only benefiting Big Education, is an overpriced product (for both the gov't/taxpayers and private consumers). there needs to be better market competition to drive down costs. 'free college' would only drive up costs, with no mechanisms to control price.

The middle class really gets fucked w/Big Ed... someone above mentioned they only care about the poor... ugh.. many middle class families get no/little help, ie too 'rich' to qualify for help, too poor to afford it.

[obamanut2012]

63. lulz

[Codeine]

93. Wow. That's a lot of nonsense

packed into a very short post.

[Luciferous]

59. I agree with her on this but her stance on healthcare

is off-putting to me.

[Blue_Tires]

68. Free community college was an Obama initiative

which sadly got stonewalled by congress which ironically was still in their "deficit hawk" days...

[Calista241]

70. I really like her. She's amazing, and true to her principles.

I 1/2 way feel that all these people promising everything have no intention of going back and satisfying their campaign promises.

I don't think we can beat Trump by just promising to give stuff away. Strong, principled, realistic leadership is something I'll vote for every day.

[mcar]

72. I agree with her

Why should college be free for the children of the wealthy? The idea is to make it easier for middle class and poor kids to get a college education.

[Drahthaardogs]

73. Only private schools should be expensive

It used to be state school tuition was cheap or free. We need that again

[cilla4progress]

77. Great, thoughtful, respectful discussion of

an important 2020 policy point.

I learned something

Thanks all!

[bunny planet]

78. It's my understanding that....

It is not across the board free four year college that is the policy.....it is free PUBLIC college tuition and free community college tuition that is being discussed. A good percentage of wealthy students attend private four year institutions and ivy league universities (and many get substantial merit based scholarships at those even though they don't need the financial assistance). State colleges and universities are the schools percentage wise that have higher attendance from middle class and working poor students and the free tuition at those (not free room and board, books etc. which also add up) would help out those families substantially. Yes, there would be some students from wealthy families that would also benefit....unless the free grant was structured differently but the give-a-way to the wealthy that is being di used as an excuse not to implement this free tuition program is a disingenuous way of characterizing it. I'm curious as to whether anyone is talking about free tuition for public universities for graduate school as well. Since the goalposts have been moved so much with higher education, and people with undergraduate degrees are at a disadvantage in the workplace unless and until they add at least a masters degree, lots of young people are in hock up to their eyeballs in loans at the graduate level too.

[gibraltar72]

79. She's better than Tulsi Gabbard

But not much. I really think go along to get along will inspire exactly no one in this race. Who exactly is her constituency?

[Lotusflower70]

91. It doesn't take much

To be better than Gabbard so I think that's selling Amy Klobuchar short. I think she appeals in the midwest. She has done great work in the state of Minnesota and in Washington. She is more approachable and practical. She is very much in favor of doing things in a reasonable and realistic manner. Too many people are expecting promises that they can't keep. Some people are not going to focus on the substance but they want the flash.

[Codeine]

94. It's Low Bar Wednesday!

[Renew Deal]

108. Midwest, women, educated, left to center left

[gldstwmn]

82. I want big ideas from a candidate at this point.

Even if it seems that they are impossible we need someone who at least makes us consider these things and how we might go about achieving them. She is too stuck in the meet them in the middle mode of the party from a decade or so ago.

[kennetha]

88. That's called being a grown up

Politics is the art of the POSSIBLE not the art of the utopian fantasies.

[gldstwmn]

90. Is throwing things and screaming at people

part of that too? I'll stick with the dreamers thanks.

[Act_of_Reparation]

83. No to free college...

...yes to hurling objects at staff in piques of rage.

That's gonna be a hard sell.

[gldstwmn]

89. That behavior bothers me. n/t

[Hortensis]

95. It's a reasonable position. Not everybody belongs in college,

for one thing. Even nowadays, when many courses of study are really just trade school, not everyone can handle it. Free community college sounds desirable, but with genuine requirements for achievement to be allowed to continue.

As it is, most colleges, especially taxpayer funded, already have a lot of people with no interest in learning who are using college to avoid going to work, and/or to get to body-build and play sports much of the day. When I was tutoring, a lot of people wanted to hire me to push and pull their disinterested kids through to a barely passing grade in some class or other. I learned quickly to turn them down.

Perhaps some day colleges will officially double as activity centers for people who have no desire to work, with lots of sports "classes," etcetera, but we're not there yet. And I'm in no hurry to rush to it. As an alternative to degrading higher education even further than it has been, perhaps we could use our community park system to help keep people who'll show up occupied with clay crafts or tennis rackets, whatever.

[GulfCoast66]

96. Totally agree with her.

Free college is a huge giveaway to the 1/3 of Americans who can afford to pay their kids way and who kids are assured of getting into one. I don’t have kids but could afford a college education at any Florida state school for a kid I did have. My hypothetical kid does not need a free ride.

The proposal rejects 70 years of Democratic policies of supporting those based on need. Increase Pell grants to a higher level than in 1970 in today’s dollars. Make college loans for true middle class kids interest free. Lots of things we have and could do.

Give a free ride to the very people who don’t need it? Not voting for that.

[RandySF]

102. Let's means test.

[Sapient Donkey]

99. I agree with her on this.

Free 2-year community college and legit trades training would go a long way. That would give people the practical skills they need to find gainful employment. Folks can still go to four year programs or longer if it makes sense for their goals, and steps should be made to reduce the overall tuition costs across the board. I'm sure free community college and vocational colleges could help reduce the tuition, as 4 year degree programs would not be seen as absolute required to get a job. Although, this would require a change in mindset too. We need to stop thinking every professional level job requires a four year degree. I've seen this change in mindset happening in some companies, though. IBM, for example, has what they called "new collar jobs"

I can think of many situations in which a system like that works out well for a lot of people. Imagine a kid fresh out of HS who doesn't really know what they want to do. So they do what many kids do now and they get some their basics done at the community college. In two years maybe they will figure out what they want and they can either go on to a four year program, and if that isn't their thing then at least they have some post secondary under their belt.

Another situation is a someone fresh out of HS who wants to become some sort of mechanic. They don't need to get a 4 year engineering degree to do that. In fact, if they had to spend four years then maybe they wouldn't even bother. A legit (non price inflated) one or two year program would put them on the best path.

Yet another situation is one in which maybe someone wasn't in a position that they were able to get any post secondary education until much later in life. If their goal is to start a new career, then they are prime candidates for a vocational training program that could jump start their career and maybe even future educational endeavors.

[RandySF]

101. I'm against universal free tuition

Trumps, Obamas, Bloombergs. Sanders, Rockefellers and Pelosis will easily afford college and should pay so that we can lift up those who cannot go without incurring massive debt.

[allgood33]

110. I agree.

i would rather see free tutition of targeted professions that are sorely needed in this country and that needs a training and educational boost and subsidies for those students who cannot afford college. I would rather see more money put into public schools from K-12.

[pansypoo53219]

105. mealy. wimped out. go bold or stay home. the moron is gonna promise the barn.

[Renew Deal]

107. She should announce a free space force college

That will show them she’s serious

[nightwing1240]

106. She is being realistic

Saying and doing it are two different things. Without Democratic control of all three branches of the government, free college for all or Medicare for all cannot be accomplished. At least she is being honest and not promising the moon.

[xmas74]

109. From what I understand

She would rather focus on two year and trade schools, which is fantastic.

We are entering a near crisis with trades. The emphasis for the past two generations has been four year college while looking down on the trades. As the Boomers retire there aren't enough people to replace them. Offering free or extremely low cost CC or trade school education would encourage a second look into the field. Instead of premed someone might look at an associates in nursing or radiology tech, with a skill in the field and an opportunity to build on it later? Or maybe someone might look into electrical,plumbing, solar, etc?

This can spin very well if done right.

[Vinca]

111. Given the existence of online learning, I don't see why this is such a big deal.

A basic education should be available to everyone. It bothers me education is only considered necessary by many for the reason of earning, not learning. We probably wouldn't be in our current mess if citizens had learned more about our government and how it works and its history.