April 17, 2009 3:30 PM

Biden Calls Affordable College A Priority

By
Igor Kossov
Topics
White House
(AP)

Vice President Joe Biden announced college affordability as an administration priority during a Middle Class Task Force speech in St. Louis today.

The cost of college tuition has risen much more than household income, according to the Task Force. Since 1979, average household income went up 10 percent, compared to 154 percent for private and 186 percent for public tutition.

"The challenges of paying for college in America is well understood - the growth of college tuition is far outpacing that of family income" said Vice President Biden. "This is something we are genuinely, genuinely committed to changing," he added, according to the Washington Post.

"This is the largest investment in education since the G.I. Bill," said Education Secretary Arne Duncan who was also at the forum.

Biden talked about multiple strategies by the federal government to make college more affordable:


  • Invest close to $225 billion in scholarships and tax credits for students over the next decade.

  • Replace current tax breaks for students with a more generous, all-inclusive American Opportunity Tax Credit. This credit can be claimed for four years of college and raises the maximum to $2,500 per year. It can also be claimed against fees and textbook expenses.

  • Adding more money per student on Pell Grants. The grant will increase by $500 in the 2009-2010 academic year and the maximum value will rise to $5,350. It will continue to grow each year based on the Consumer Price Index.

  • Expand and simplify direct loans, making the application process easier for students. The complexity of FAFSA was a major deterrent against students using federal loans, according to Biden's report.

  • Direct federal administration of the loans instead of farming it out to banks. This could be controversial, but the administration says it could save $94 billion over the next decade.


In addition, the task force called on colleges and universities to do more to eliminate wasteful spending and operate more efficiently.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Gov. Jay Nixon (D-Mo.) and Cecilia Rouse, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers also joined the Vice President at the forum at the University of Missouri at St. Louis.

Add a Comment
by wardoglrs April 20, 2009 3:42 AM EDT
As long as Government has it's nasty hand in it like everything else you will never get the quality.
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by quapawsix April 19, 2009 2:42 PM EDT
Education is a right not a privilege.
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by stychokiller April 19, 2009 4:27 AM EDT
Like any other market that the Govt has a hand in, i.e., health care, the costs will rise when unqualified students are receiving govt subsidies to attend classes. College tuition should be based on merit -- the higher your SAT/ACT scores, the lower your tuition payments should be. Not quite as egalitarian as the typical Deceptocrat would like it to be, but allowing unqualified students to essentially receive a free education, when in most likelihood, they won't make it to graduation, is a waste of teaching time and college resources. This doesn't mean that poor QUALIFIED people should not receive a govt. subsidized education, just those that are a waste of money. Govt is in no position to decide who's qualified and who isn't. Most of the college market distortion can be traced to affirmative action programs, that made it acceptable for private institutions of higher learning to receive govt. funding. Now they're hooked and aren't in any position to refuse Federal payola.
What makes everyone think that EVERY American should receive a college education?? Some of the brightest people that I've met in my field of Electrical Engineering did not even have a college degree, so college credentials are also overrated. Face it folks, not everyone needs a college degree to be a productive member of society.
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by jxknowles April 18, 2009 5:04 PM EDT
I was able to pay my way through college at one of the Big Ten's finest institutions by working part time and saving money from summer jobs. It's absolutely astounding that the cost of education has sky-rocketed in just a few decades.

This is just another in a long line of cash draining schemes perpetuated on the middle-class. They steal our pensions, health insurance, mortgage money and tried to rip off our social security a few years back.

Making the education of our best and brightest young people into a money-making scam is truly a national disgrace.
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by ianlou April 18, 2009 12:20 PM EDT
The answer to affordable education is fire all but the most essential administration staff. If you have effective teachers, most administration is a waste of time and money.
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by oftencensord April 18, 2009 10:48 AM EDT
As long as everyone has equal access and opportunity for the tax breaks and loans. The US Government policies over the past 50 years regarding student aid has been more "social engineering" than opportunity. My nephew, Mr. C'de Baca gets a "scholarship" with less of a GPA than my niece Ms. Smith, who missed out ! WHY ? We are the same family ! This US Government is outright racist and absurd in its perception and treatment of it's citizens. You give opportunity to one person, and deny it to another ! What gives you that right ?
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by flreason April 18, 2009 10:20 AM EDT
With the exception of Enjoylife63's hate-filled diatribe, all these posts have a kernel of truth in them. Americans, Biden included, need to look at the larger picture.

Our intellectual capital is a resource that shouldn't be wasted. For America to prosper, we need an educated workforce. But big business must not be the sole driver of educational goals. Our public universities have sold out to corporate interests.

One of the reasons that America has prospered for so long, and has been a magnet for inventive and independent individuals, was because we didn't have an oppressive class structure. The Horatio Alger model had enough reality to attract the best and brightest from around the globe. However, the consolidation of U.S. wealth in a shrinking, tightly controlled business group narrowly focused on financial gain, is creating a privileged class that seeks control in all venues of the society. Their control of government is allowing them to create monopolies that "can't be allowed to fail." They are moving ever closer to privatizing schools so that they can control who gets access to education and entry to the monied elite. The dirty little secret that they don't want the masses to understand is that the institutions supported by taxes are the same ones that allowed an educated middle class, and for our democracy to flourish. Public education should be the top priority for Americans who value our freedoms and the ideal of a merit-based democracy.
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by mzilikazi-2009 April 18, 2009 2:46 AM EDT
These seem like commendable efforts and might prove to be valuable in the future provided that enough jobs can be created to employ both the already educated and skilled workers we have as well as the younger generation. Higher education is great, if you can find a job. Otherwise it is just another scam at any price unless you enjoy thinking critically while waiting in line at the soup kitchen.
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by DefendLiberty April 17, 2009 5:22 PM EDT
Now there is an idea the GOP will fight to the death. More education for Americans? How would the GOP keep their sheep stupid and compliant? Who would believe Rush, Hannity, and Fake "News" Network? No doubt Rush and the rest are plotting their attacks at this very moment. What fear the idea of an educated electorate must spark in their tiny little hearts!
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