do you like this idea?

[WalterMitty]

every young black male, with at least a B average should be given a free college education to any state school within his state of residence.

the costs would be partly subsidized by taxpayers.  isnt it cheaper than sending them to prison or having them on the public welfare dole?

[Alcon]

No, I do not even remotely like that idea, unless everyone with a B average gets in. But it's still not appropriate in my mind.

[opebo]

Yes, it is a good idea, though free education of that sort should be provided for other races as well.

[Rob]

That plan is utter BS. No offense Mitty, but that's one of the worst things I've ever heard.

[WalterMitty]

i would include other races if the money was available (doesnt georgia do that kind of thing?)

i, for one, am sick and tired of young black men being sent to prison en masse and/or killed.  of course there are a lot of sociological problems that contribute to that.  however, id like to think if my plan was implemented it would bring a lot of hope and opportunity to a community in despair.

[Rob]

i would include other races if the money was available (doesnt georgia do that kind of thing?)

i, for one, am sick and tired of young black men being sent to prison en masse and/or killed.  of course there are a lot of sociological problems that contribute to that.  however, id like to think if my plan was implemented it would bring a lot of hope and opportunity to a community in despair.

You sound like LBJ with his "Great Society".

[opebo]

i would include other races if the money was available (doesnt georgia do that kind of thing?)

i, for one, am sick and tired of young black men being sent to prison en masse and/or killed.  of course there are a lot of sociological problems that contribute to that.  however, id like to think if my plan was implemented it would bring a lot of hope and opportunity to a community in despair.

It would.  Though I think most of the whites who send their daughters to state universities would hate the idea.  It would probably lead to a tremendous boost to the private universities due to white flight.

[migrendel]

It sounds like a reasonable proposition, though I would agree with Opebo that this type of program should eventually be extended to persons of all races.

[Hitchabrut]

I love taxes! :-)

[patrick1]

every young black male, with at least a B average should be given a free college education to any state school within his state of residence.

the costs would be partly subsidized by taxpayers.  isnt it cheaper than sending them to prison or having them on the public welfare dole?

Mitty didn't you hate poor people a few weeks ago?

[dazzleman]

First of all, it wouldn't work, because the young black men being sent to prison don't have B averages.  Their problems start well before college, with fatherlessness, irresponsible mothers who are too young and immature, lack of interest in and respect for education, etc.

I absolutely oppose doing something like this on the basis of race.  It would be an outrage to give free education to academically promising blacks but not to poor whites.  Some blacks are better off economically than certain whites, and this would not take that into account.

I don't think anybody who is qualified should be denied an education on the basis of economics.  Unfortunately, our strategy has been to waste a good amount of public money, and the public's goodwill, on aid for unqualified students who aren't really interested in college education, but are just looking for a free ride.  I favor more targeted financial aid, with a uniform standard.  I think relying on grades is very iffy since the same grade means different things at different schools.

Still, this is not the answer to the problems of the black community.  As I said, the young black men being sent to prison would be out of this game long before they got anywhere near college age.  Blacks have to change their culture from within, and do away with the contempt and loathing for education  that many of them have.

[WalterMitty]

every young black male, with at least a B average should be given a free college education to any state school within his state of residence.

the costs would be partly subsidized by taxpayers.  isnt it cheaper than sending them to prison or having them on the public welfare dole?

Mitty didn't you hate poor people a few weeks ago?

no i said i dont worry much about them.

however, what is happening in the black community is different.  it goes beyond poverty.

[David S]

Sure. The country is not going broke fast enough, so we need to create some more unconstitutional social programs to speed up the process.

OK let me drop the sarcasm and try to appeal to logic. Everyone on this forum is aware of the fact that existing social programs like Social security, Medicare, and Medicaid are underfunded by trillions of dollars and will face serious budget shortfalls in the near future. Yet we have one forum member proposing a new social program targeted at a narrrow group. Then another member suggests expanding it to include everyone. Where the money will come from does not seem to be a concern.

This is a reason why such programs should not be allowed at all. (And in fact they are not allowed under the US constitution.) Once one program is allowed there are cries for new programs and expanding old programs. They simply cannot be contained. Concerns about costs are ignored. Eventualy you end up broke and wondering how you got that way.

[Cashcow]

This idea is not only inane, but it's clearly racist.

[WalterMitty]

ideally, this program would not be entirely government funded.

i would expect corporations to donate money to such a great cause.

[David S]

If you pay for the whole program out of your pocket then I'm all for it.

You can even erect a statue in your own honor, with your own money of course.

[ian]

Yes, I like the idea, but obviously not for the reasons you listed.

[WalterMitty]

ideally, this program would not be entirely government funded.

i would expect corporations to donate money to such a great cause.

I never realized how naive you are. Are you putting us on about this? Somehow I think you are having a bit of fun with us!

i realize the idea is unworkable.

i just think it would be nice in an ideal world.

[Akno21]

ideally, this program would not be entirely government funded.

i would expect corporations to donate money to such a great cause.

I never realized how naive you are. Are you putting us on about this? Somehow I think you are having a bit of fun with us!

i realize the idea is unworkable.

i just think it would be nice in an ideal world.

In an ideal world we wouldn't need it.

[Citizen James]

ideally, this program would not be entirely government funded.

i would expect corporations to donate money to such a great cause.

I never realized how naive you are. Are you putting us on about this? Somehow I think you are having a bit of fun with us!

i realize the idea is unworkable.

i just think it would be nice in an ideal world.

Are you talking about Bill Gates?  He set up a fund of a billion dollars to help minority college applicants, which is administered by the United Negro College Fund.