Please Pay Our Tuition
My birth cohort, unfortunately also known as the "hand-it-to-me-on-a-silver-platter" generation, is getting involved in politics:
The goal is not to influence candidates’ platforms but to encourage them to engage with young voters on topics that matter to them, said Rice, the campus coordinator for the program’s chapter at Meramec.
"Politicians talk about Social Security and talk about Medicare, but they’re not talking about college affordability because students aren’t forcing them to," she said.
"It’s our time to let everyone know what we think," she said.
In fact, college has never been more affordable. Besides subsidized student loans, there are grants, including some specific to Missouri. The most expensive private colleges are pledging to give huge scholarships to middle-class applicants. And many economists believe that the gains from college in terms of lifetime earnings, health, and happiness far outweigh the costs, although others (most notably Richard Vedder) disagree about some of the details.
So I think the students in the article are misguided in their fight for college affordability. If you can borrow money to finance your education and then reap the rewards for the rest of your life, it’s not unaffordable. It’s just a large investment.
I’m also confused by the claim that these students don’t intend to influence politicians. What are they trying to do, then? Flirt with them?
