Who would have thought the generations after the “Baby Boomers,” would become inhabitants of “Debtor’s Prison.” The cost of any education beyond public high school can soar to $100,000 a year with a full 4 years costing nearly half a million dollars! Higher education beyond the initial 4 years in medicine, science, engineering and business can be in fact a multiple of the the first 4 years cost. We need to eliminate “Debtor’s Prison,” which for the young graduate is a payment sentence of 5-10 years.
For years we have rewarded business for innovative ideas in health, energy, construction and so forth. Business was given the opportunity to go into the public and gather huge sums of money based upon tax credits of one to three times the investors actual hard dollar contribution. The results have been mixed but more importantly we need to remember business doesn’t think people do!
Universal Free Education would be available for students to study in areas of human need and public necessities. This would include vocational training in construction, manufacturing, agriculture, etc. and it could include academic studies in environment, health, engineering, science, technology, etc. The student would have a wide array of opportunities to choose from with scholarships based on what our society places a priority upon.
Just as there is a Federal Reserve Board to set economic standards and policy non-politically there should also be a Federal Education Board. Its responsibility would be to assign “US Income Tax Credit,” values on the various educational and training priorities of our society. This Board would establish qualifications, approve education and training institutions, set standards for scholarship compliance and determine tax credits applicable for higher education and training.
Billions of tax credit dollars are wasted on business ventures tailored for tax credits. Why not redirect these funds to develop the intellect of people and skills of people for the betterment of our future. We all realize the huge task of the Education Board but isn’t it worth it to offer again “The American Dream,” of a brighter future in The Free Land of Opportunity?
