THE WALL STREET JOURNAL IS REPORTING THAT FOR THE FIRST
TIME MORE THAN HALF OF THE STATES IN THE US ARE REQUIRING
STUDENTS TO PAY MORE INTUITION FOR STATE SCHOOLS AND
UNIVERSITIES COMPARED TO WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS
CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR TUITION.
THESE AGAIN ARE GOVERNMENT-FUNDED, THEY ARE NOT
PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
HOWEVER HISTORICALLY THE GOVERNMENT HAS STEPPED IN AND
PROVIDED ENOUGH FUNDING SO THEIR PORTION OF THE TUITION
ACTUALLY OUTWEIGHS WHAT THE STUDENTS PAY FOR THEIR TUITION.
FOR THE FIRST TIME STUDENTS ARE PAYING MORE INTUITION TO ATTEND
THE SCHOOLS COMPARED TO WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS CONTRIBUTING.
WHAT THEY FOUND WAS THAT ALL OF THESE STATES ARE USING THE
FUNDING IN ORDER TO PAY FOR THEIR STATE MEDICAID PROGRAMS
AND ALSO FOR STATE EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT AND HEALTH CARE
SERVICES.
BUT THEY HAVE NOT INCREASED TAXES TO ACCOUNT FOR ALL OF
THESE THINGS.
THE LAWMAKERS REFUSED TO PAY THE TAXES OR RAISE THE TAXES AND
GUESS WHAT HAPPENED?
WE HAVE THE EMERGENCE OF REGRESSIVE TAXES
AND IN THIS CASE TUITION SERVED AS A REGRESSIVE TAX.
TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF HOW MUCH THIS IS IMPACTING
STUDENTS, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AVERAGES HERE.
THE AVERAGE TUITION FOR A FOUR-YEAR PUBLIC COLLEGE OR
UNIVERSITY WAS ABOUT $6572 AND 2017, UP FROM 4784 IN 2008.
SOME MIGHT THINK IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL BUT THINK ABOUT IT,
THESE ARE PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.
THESE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE AFFORDABLE OPTION FOR KIDS WHO
GREW UP IN UNDERPRIVILEGED SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS.
OR IN GENERAL FAMILIES THAT HAVE ECONOMIC STRESSES.
A LOT OF PEOPLE MOVED TO VARIOUS STATES BECAUSE THE SYSTEMS THERE
IN TERMS OF HIGHER EDUCATION ARE BETTER THAN THEY MIGHT BE.
IT IS A REAL PROBLEM AND THIS HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE FACT
THAT THE COST KEEP ESCALATING, IT CREATES THE DIVIDE THAT WE
ALREADY SEE BETWEEN THE RICH AND NOT RICH.
WE ALL KNOW WHAT WE ARE SAYING.
BECKETT WIDER AND WIDER.
PUBLIC EDUCATION ñ
PRIVATE EDUCATION IS NOT ACCESSIBLE TO ANY OF US.
THE LOANS YOU HAVE TO TAKE OUT TO GET INTO THE SCHOOLS ARE
INSANE.
YOU CAN GET INTO IT BUT YOU WILL GRADUATE WITH A LOT OF DEBT.
HERE WHEN IT IS PUBLIC EDUCATION, UNDERWRITTEN BY THOSE
OF US WHO LIVE IN THE STATE SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL OF
US WHO LIVE IN THE STATE.
THAT IS A CRISIS.
IT IS BECAUSE EDUCATION ESPECIALLY HIGHER EDUCATION
SERVES AS A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO PULL THEMSELVES OUT OF POVERTY.
AND WENT ON THE RIGHT WHO MAKES THESE ARGUMENTS ABOUT PICKING
YOURSELF UP TO THE BOOTSTRAPS ñ IT IS JUST SUCH A DISINGENUOUS
STATEMENT WHEN YOU CONSIDER WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO AFFORDABLE
EDUCATION FOR PEOPLE.
PUBLIC SPENDING PER STUDENT DECLINED 24%.
APPROPRIATIONS BEGAN TICKING BACK UP IN 2012 BUT THE RECOVERY
HAS BEEN UNEVEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHICH IS WHY YOU HAVE
HALF OF THE STATES NOT CONTRIBUTING ENOUGH.
THEY ARE NOT EVEN CONTRIBUTING AN EQUAL AMOUNT AS THE STUDENTS.
AND 2016 STUDENTS AND 24 STATES PAID MORE THAN HALF OF THE
COST OF THEIR EDUCATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
IT WAS THROUGH A COMBINATION OF BUDGET CUTS AND TUITION HIKES.
SO WE CAN SEE WHICH STATES PRIORITIZE THEIR STUDENTS
WHEN IT COMES TO THIS ISSUE.
STUDENT LOAN DEBT DOESN'T SIMPLY IMPACT THE LIVES OF THE STUDENTS
WHO CARRY THAT DEBT, IT IMPACTS OUR ECONOMY AS A WHOLE.
THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO WORN OUT TETHERED TO A DEBT THAT
THEY CAN NEVER GET RID OF.
AND THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ECONOMY
THE SAME WAY GENERATIONS PRIOR TO THEM WERE ABLE TO.
THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO PURCHASE HOMES OR DEVELOP THEIR LIVES THE
WAY THEIR PARENTS WERE ABLE TO.
IT IS SAD TO SEE HAPPEN.
I DON'T MEAN TO SOUND LIKE THE SUPER LIB PERSON HERE, BUT
THE PEOPLE WHO BENEFIT FROM STUDENT LOAN DEBT ARE
DONALD TRUMP AND ALL OF HIS BUDDIES.
SORRY FOR SEEING THE PROBLEM IS DONALD TRUMP, BUT IT IS.
THE STUDENT LOAN COMPANIES, THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE BENEFITING
AND AS WE HAVE SEEN THEY ARE INCREASING THEIR ABILITY TO TAX
THOSE LOANS, THEY HAVE CHANGED THE ENTIRE WAY THE STRUCTURE IS
WORKING.
AND THE WAY THAT THEY CAN GO AFTER YOU.
THEY CAN BE BRUTAL.
THOSE STUDENT LOAN COMPANIES, THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE
BENEFITING FROM THIS.
TO SEE IT HAPPENING WITH PUBLIC EDUCATION, IT IS HEARTBREAKING
BECAUSE IT IS THE WAY MOST OF US SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET UP
PASS INTO HIGHER EDUCATION.
IT IS NOT JUST PRIVATE LENDERS.
OBVIOUSLY PRIVATE LENDERS CHARGE THESE HIGH INTEREST RATES.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ALSO GIVES OUT THESE STUDENT LOANS
WITH LOWER INTEREST RATES, BUT THE INTEREST RATES ARE
HIGHER THAN WHAT THE BANKS RECEIVED WHEN THEY GOT THAT
BAILOUT MONEY.
IT IS JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
HE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY.
IT SEEMS AS THOUGH ACTIONS ARE TAKEN OVER AGAIN TO MAKE IT LESS
POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO CREATE A GREAT LIFE FOR THEMSELVES.
TO GIVE THEM ACCESS TO EDUCATION.
SHOULDN'T EVERYONE HAVE ACCESS TO EDUCATION.
WE ARE THE RICHEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD AND WE CAN'T GET
ACCESS TO EDUCATION TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE?
IT'S JUST
WRONG.