5 Reasons the Finance Sector Should Pay for Full Tuition at Public Universities

AlterNet / By Les Leopold

Free College on Wall Street's Tab? 5 Reasons the Finance Sector Should Pay for Full Tuition at Public Universities
We are the richest country in the world, and we have the means to create employment for the 20 million who are without work.

May 17, 2011 |


It’s now crystal clear that our economy is not producing enough jobs for all who want and need them. It’s also clear that our economy is doing an excellent job at putting more and more wealth in the hands of the few. It’s time to change this equation with one simple proposal that would put millions of Americans back to work in a matter of months: free tuition at all public colleges and universities.

The spinmeisters can’t hide the fact that unemployment is still at horrendous levels and causing enormous suffering for millions of Americans. Job growth is so paltry that at this rate it will take over a decade to return to full employment. Worse still, there are 5.8 million Americans who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer, the highest number since the Great Depression. Meanwhile, Wall Street, which caused the economic collapse, is returning to record profits and bonuses. We can no longer afford to wait for the trickle-down economics to put our people back to work. And we can easily afford a free higher education program provided we have the nerve to make Wall Street pay for it.

We’ve Done it Before

At the close of WWII, policy planners worried that the return of 12 million soldiers to the civilian workforce would bring back the Great Depression. To combat this possibility, Congress passed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, which became known as the G.I. Bill of Rights. It provided $500 a year for GIs who attended technical or higher educational institutions, which was more than enough to pay tuition at any college in the country. (Harvard cost $400 a year at that time.) GIs who went to school also received a generous stipend as well. As a result, the number of college degrees more than doubled between 1940 and 1950. Overall, 7.8 million veterans went to school on the GI Bill.

Was it worth it? In 1988, the Joint Economic Committee analyzed the impact of the GI Bill on the economy. The program cost taxpayers approximately $70 billion (in 2010 dollars). However, the committee estimated that the GI Bill generated an extra $120 billion in federal tax revenues and $350 billion in extra national output. Overall, for every one dollar invested in this massive educational program, $6.90 was returned to the economy. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/economy/150976/free_college_on_wall_street%27s_tab_5_reasons_the_finance_sector_should_pay_for_full_tuition_at_public_universities/

Pro sports should pay as well considering they use colleges and universities as FREE recruiting and training facilities.

for the entertainment and sports industries.

They are probably getting sports scholarships and other forms of compensation. In part I feel like this is all part of an education. Lot's of grad students and some undergrads receive tuition waivers and scholarships from doing industrial research in the schools facilities.

The difference is in the magnitude of the payout - sports and media rake it in by exploiting the relationship. Industry is a bit more subtle and there is typically much less money involved.

Top ranked sports teams also attract non-athlete students.

can snip their balls off at the appropriate time.