Middle Class Task Force report on college affordability warns about dangers of… equal opportunity

By Doug Powers  •  September 9, 2009 02:39 PM

Huh? Yeah, that’s what I thought — at first — then I remembered who we’re dealing with.

This afternoon, the White House posted a piece on their blog called “Saving and Paying for College.” This is part IV of the Obama admin’s “back to school” series, featuring Nickelodeon’s “Gimme gimme gimme” initiative, yesterday’s pep talk on Hope & Change to school kids, the introduction of a new patch for Girl Scouts who successfully undergo Dept. of Homeland Security training (remember when the DHS was an affront to freedom and civil liberties?) and today’s announcement that wealth will be massively re-distributed under the guise of “higher education.”

Here’s just a part of that post:

Vice President Biden and the Middle Class Task Force just wrapped up a town hall meeting on college affordability at Syracuse University. The back-to-school discussion focused on helping families save and pay for college amid rising tuition costs and flat-lining middle class incomes. Joining the Vice President at his law school alma mater were Task Force members Secretary Geithner and Secretary Duncan, Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor, State University of New York Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, and a panel of education policy experts.
[...]
In conjunction with today’s meeting, the Middle Class Task Force released a staff report (pdf) documenting the barriers that still block the pathway to higher education for many students. Please check it out and share with others.

Maybe public education could be better funded if Geithner and his ilk would pay their freakin’ taxes — but I digress.

So anyway, I decided to punish myself for having too much free time this afternoon and actually accept the invitation to check out the report (PDF) written by the Middle Class Task Force, an odd title considering most of the people on the task force aren’t middle class (if you attended any number of congressional town hall meetings or tea parties recently, you saw a real Middle Class Task Force).

Aside from featuring some semblance of the word “inequality” more times than the extended dance mix of Das Kapital, this gem sums up this administration as well as anything (if you can’t read this very well, it’s on page 12 of the report):

*****
Education1
*****

So, equal opportunities are useless without guaranteed equal outcomes — which of course renders moot the equal opportunity, leaving government free to give some of yours to somebody else. Notice too the assumption that it’s up to the government to distribute opportunity equally. Hopefully they’re not sending it with the Cash for Clunkers checks to car dealers, or we’re all screwed.

Sadly, the report doesn’t address why the hell anybody would want to go to college if their outcome was already determined. And these are the people who wonder why so many of us don’t want them giving pep talks to our kids?

Van Jones the man is out of the Obama administration, but his philosophy lives on, and sadly in people far more powerful than he ever was.

Twitter @ThePowersThatBe

~ For the latest breaking news, be sure to join Michelle's e-mail list ~

See what others have said

Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.

Comments


  1. #1
    On September 9th, 2009 at 2:45 pm, Dimsdale said:

    “Inequality” is just a code word for race baiting.

    I guess it is another newly discovered “right” to go to college now.

  2. #2
    On September 9th, 2009 at 2:49 pm, tarpon said:

    Race baiting, social justice, it means the same thing, reparations in disguise.

  3. #3
    On September 9th, 2009 at 2:51 pm, John Deaux said:

    Sending everybody to college won’t diminish the value of a degree one bit.

    Hey, can we all be millionaires, too?

  4. #4
    On September 9th, 2009 at 2:51 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    I just told my son, “You can have an unequal outcome or a diminished opportunity. Pick one.”

  5. #5
    On September 9th, 2009 at 2:52 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    Learn a trade.

  6. #6
    On September 9th, 2009 at 2:53 pm, Jet Jaguar said:

    Sadly, the report doesn’t address why the hell anybody would want to go to college if their outcome was already determined.

    We should go to college, not for that “evil profit motive”, but in order to learn how to support the state. Anyone who does not demonstrate agreement with this philosophy will need to be reeducated until they learn to cooperate.

    …we’re not too far away from this, people. It CAN happen here.

  7. #7
    On September 9th, 2009 at 2:53 pm, bigboy said:

    I actually worry about this one myself…but in the typical conservative way. Individuals need the opportunity AS individuals (not class members, race members, etc.). With the rising cost of higher education, we increasingly teeter on condemning each new generation to outcomes that reflect the success or non-success of their parents.

    College loans that are federally guaranteed are a workable solution to this, but the repayment of them should be vigorously enforced and the repayment should reflect the real cost of the loan. College shouldn’t just be for rich kids, and middle class families shouldn’t have to go into hock to get their kids educated.

    So I guess now I’m a liberal…do I have to turn in my guns?

  8. #8
    On September 9th, 2009 at 2:55 pm, chapoutier said:

    I just told my son, “You can have an unequal outcome or a diminished opportunity. Pick one.”

    No no no. You have to put it in terms that the yoots these days understand. “You can either get an Ipod Touch, but I can’t guarantee it will be the 32 GB, or you can have a Zune.”

  9. #9
    On September 9th, 2009 at 2:57 pm, chapoutier said:

    So I guess now I’m a liberal…do I have to turn in my guns?

    Yes. We have a gun collection program that redistributes them to needy crack dealers and pimps.

  10. #10
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:05 pm, txvet2 said:

    On September 9th, 2009 at 2:57 pm, chapoutier said:

    So I guess now I’m a liberal…do I have to turn in my guns?

    Yes. We have a gun collection program that redistributes them to needy crack dealers and pimps.

    ACORN needs more guns?

  11. #11
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:18 pm, tre said:

    But if unequal outcomes start to significantly limit the opportunities of the next generation along income lines, opportunity itself can become unequally distributed. In the presence of strong income barriers to higher education, unequal outcomes themselves—such as higher income inequality—lead to diminished opportunities.

    Those people need to realize that we give people the opportunity, and that’s it. The outcome depends on them. We have no control over that.

    When I was in college I saw many smart people ruin their own outcomes because they wanted to play and party.
    I saw many not-so-smart people graduate because they applied themselves and, maybe they weren’t ‘A’ students, but they got their degree.

  12. #12
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:21 pm, Danceswithdachshunds said:

    Simple:

    College Tuition Insurance!

    … with a public option.

    Everyone can then get affordable college education. We can reign in those greedy universities, cap professor salaries, and students can pursue any degree they choose, (between a Liberal Arts degree or Political Science).

  13. #13
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:22 pm, Danceswithdachshunds said:

    (oh, I forgot one more – Psychology)

  14. #14
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:22 pm, Pahlavan said:

    I believe I’ll trump the anti-unequal outcome crowd and “Americanize” the process from one of “group-think” to one of individual-centered policy. Specifically, both Barack Obama and I have arrived at unequal outcomes – he, President of the United States – and me, middle-class schlub. I claim first rights to the co-presidency with Barack. Once the President announces his power sharing with me, we will have created a new paradigm of equality and individualism in America. Since I’ve got the presidency – start reserving your new “equal outcome” government position. Not only will you gain stature without effort but will guarantee a 50/50 split in government representation!

  15. #15
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:24 pm, verogolfer said:

    the report states that opportunity itself can become unequally distributed. But opportunity is not handed out like slices of cake on a cafeteria line. Hark-working, entrepreneurial types use freedom and creative thinking to take advantage of whatever opportunities they see.

  16. #16
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:25 pm, conservativesRus said:

    and a panel of education policy experts.

    I would like to know how does one get to be an “education policy expert”. Do you self declare? If not, who decides? What are the credentials?
    Until we know what makes an “expert” the speakers are simply “random people”.

  17. #17
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:28 pm, right_on said:

    Secretary Geithner and Secretary Duncan, Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor, State University of New York Chancellor Nancy Zimpher

    Nancy boys

  18. #18
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:29 pm, SHoward said:

    On September 9th, 2009 at 2:53 pm, bigboy said:

    So I guess now I’m a liberal…

    Yes, and as such you have to bring us all cookies.

    Actually there was a special on this very topic some time ago on Fox News. It seems most of us think college has become too expensive, but Surprise! Some folks think it isn’t expensive enough. An egg head from some ivory tower said plainly he thought college should cost much more because of the benefit graduates receive.

    Excuuuuuse me?

    Yep. We have middle class families going into hock to put their bright kids through decent schools, and various nutjobs think it should cost even more.

    BTW: graduating college does not guarantee anything. There is still this matter of individual initiative and talent. College can’t teach those things. Life can, however.

  19. #19
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:47 pm, spaceycakes said:

    the extended dance mix of Das Kapital

    Doug, that is freakin’ proletariatly hilarious.

  20. #20
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:48 pm, J S Ragman said:

    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:25 pm, conservativesRus said:

    I would like to know how does one get to be an “education policy expert”.

    I think there was an appropriate quote from Bill Ayers a few days ago. Something about stepping out of prison and into his first teaching position.

  21. #21
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:49 pm, RedDog said:

    They can steal as much money to spend as much time in college as they like, but the Left will remain hopelessly incapable of productivity or independent thought.

  22. #22
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:52 pm, Freddy said:

    With so much information available on-line and even degrees that can he earned, it would seem that yet again the ‘leaders’ of this country are at best lost in the past.

    More likely this is going to be yet another attempt to feed even more money into university/school system coffers.

    Oddly, after watching what is going on with the pay levels of teachers out here in California, it is clear that they are NOT underpaid. In fact, it is time to cut the pay scales of all teachers and professors. This is what is really driving university costs sky high.

    (It was the 800k for a professor that convinced me cal pays far too much!)

  23. #23
    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:55 pm, cabrerski said:

    On September 9th, 2009 at 2:52 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:
    Learn a trade.

    But if Americans learn trades and work with their hands, what are all the illegal aliens going to do? Besides, I would imagine that one of the next moves of the Obama administration is forcing union membership among all those enrolling in trade and technical schools.

    No union card…no financial aid…no jobs.

  24. #24
    On September 9th, 2009 at 4:00 pm, Hangfire said:

    The biggest barrier to me getting a higher education was….

    …walking into the enemy camp.

    I refuse to contribute to a system that has as a primary function the task of converting Americans into, at best, Socialists, and, at worst, Communists.
    The few college courses I undertook in my youth made me feel as welcome as a Jack Daniels distributor at a Baptist picnic.

    I’d rather have a sister in a whorehouse than a brother teach at a University.

    My wife has to deal with the arrogant remoras that claim to be tenured professors daily at the University credit union. Stuck in the ’60s, the lot of them.

  25. #25
    On September 9th, 2009 at 4:05 pm, SHoward said:

    On September 9th, 2009 at 3:55 pm, cabrerski said:

    But if Americans learn trades and work with their hands, what are all the illegal aliens going to do?

    Good point. However, there is a severe shortage of automotive technicians all over the country. I can say from first hand experience, there aren’t many illegals getting jobs fixing modern cars.

    It isn’t unusual for a decent, not super just decent, tech to make $70k in most states. Really good ones earn over $100k. Most college grads don’t earn that, and never will. (The average does go down when you factor in the tire shop, etc. guys.)

    Learning a trade is a great idea, if only more people were willing to get their hands dirty.

    BTW, my plumber friends back home earn as much as techs. But there are some places even I’m just not willing to go.

  26. #26
    On September 9th, 2009 at 4:17 pm, Mister P said:

    Understand that the “Church” Obama pretended to go to for 20 years, preached that the white man owes the black man conpensation for slavery. He is now getting putting it into action. Obama is just too clever to ever admit it.

  27. #27
    On September 9th, 2009 at 4:24 pm, docflash said:

    On

    September 9th, 2009 at 2:57 pm, chapoutier said:
    Yes. We have a gun collection program that redistributes them to needy crack dealers and pimps.

    You called it chap.If everything Obummer wants gets passed these will be about the only jobs available.Who will need a college education anyway?

  28. #28
    On September 9th, 2009 at 4:29 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    On September 9th, 2009 at 4:00 pm, Hangfire said:

    I’d rather have a sister in a whorehouse than a brother teach at a University.

    She’ll make more and won’t have all them student loans to pay back.

  29. #29
    On September 9th, 2009 at 4:38 pm, SpeakEasy said:

    There is already a nearly unlimited college tuition opportunity; It is called the GI Bill and is available to most Americans. That’s how a lot of our (my) parents and grandparents did it.

  30. #30
    On September 9th, 2009 at 4:38 pm, SpeakEasy said:

    Hangfire, your sister is in Congress?

  31. #31
    On September 9th, 2009 at 4:42 pm, xler8bmw said:

    And we see what Affirmative action has given us….Barack Obama, Michelle Obama,Van Jones, Maxine Waters, Sheila Lee Jackson, Diane Watson and I could go on and on!

  32. #32
    On September 9th, 2009 at 4:53 pm, Hangfire said:

    On September 9th, 2009 at 4:38 pm, SpeakEasy said:
    Hangfire, your sister is in Congress?

    Rimshot to you, Speak!!!!!!!!!!

  33. #33
    On September 9th, 2009 at 4:59 pm, jwm said:

    There was only one way that I would have been able to attend college and I jumped at the opportunity. It was to join the US Navy and go to college on the GI Bill. That and working at part time jobs paid for my tuition and other expenses.

  34. #34
    On September 9th, 2009 at 5:03 pm, cheapseat said:

    perhaps if we did away with tenure which keeps useless professors making a living on past history, college wouldn’t cost so much. how about mandatory retirement? if they are so intent on teaching, do it on their dime. (that’s gratis to democrats who wouldn’t know what spending their own money was.)

  35. #35
    On September 9th, 2009 at 5:26 pm, CO2 Producer said:

    How the heck did Obama get into Harvard and the White House, then? Did he get there through unequal opportunities and income?

  36. #36
    On September 9th, 2009 at 5:44 pm, Common Sense said:

    Affordable college – community college or tech school where they cut out most of the touchy-feely crap.

    Oh, and instead of partying your way through, get a job.

    So the winning formula is:
    1) Live at home to save room and board
    2) Attend community or local state college
    3) Work full-time to pay for it

    Equals college degree earned and paid for, no loans, good self-respect, no alcohol or drug addictions, and it’s probably a much better education than Harvard.

    The only real sacrifice here is sleep. As my sister says “You can sleep when you’re dead”. And it’s good practice for parenthood.

  37. #37
    On September 9th, 2009 at 6:15 pm, Buy Danish said:

    Ooooh! Do they get to go to Camp Obama in the summer? Will they tax Girl Scout Cookies to pay for ObamaCare?

  38. #38
    On September 9th, 2009 at 6:35 pm, MarcoPolo said:

    On September 9th, 2009 at 2:53 pm, bigboy said:

    College loans that are federally guaranteed are a workable solution to this, but the repayment of them should be vigorously enforced and the repayment should reflect the real cost of the loan. College shouldn’t just be for rich kids, and middle class families shouldn’t have to go into hock to get their kids educated.

    All these programs have done nothing but drive the cost of college up, and line the banker’s pockets with guaranteed income. Before the government passed out our money to college students, lots of colleges had their own programs that arranged very inexpensive educational loans from their endowmments.

    Today’s kids don’t have a prayer of working their way through college like we did, because the government made funding too available and drove prices through the roof.

    The intentions are honorable, but seniors graduating with more than $100,000 in debt before they’ve even started a career is insanity. (The bankers would, of course, disagree.)

  39. #39
    On September 9th, 2009 at 8:11 pm, GraniteMan said:

    Forget these snot nosed kids, let’s take up a collection for Joe and Barack–those guys came from poor families and suffered terribly…..Probably didn’t have health care either.

  40. #40
    On September 10th, 2009 at 2:12 am, emjem24 said:

    A big problem that these nitwits fail to address is that TOO many people attend college which drives up costs. Universities and private colleges take great pains in outdoing each other competing for those highly prized Affirmative Action applicants. Gosh, we wouldn’t want undergraduate applicants to be accepted on “equal merits” when race is so much more import and it can sooth the liberal white guilt so many of these elitist administrators already feel.

    There are so many people that pay for not only an overpriced, but useless college education. I’ve had friends who’ve gone to prestigious colleges and universities and come out the worst for it. After college, you’re ill-prepared for the real world unless you have a highly desireable skill such as engineering, nursing, and the sciences.

    Then, there are the humanities majors who can’t find employment after they’ve paid way too much for a degree that won’t get them anywhere. Their only recourse is usually graduate school or moving back in with Mom and Dad. These schools do such a disservice to these graduates, especially the ones with no useful “skills.”

    Higher education is a scam. So many people are going into debt just to get a degree that doesn’t even help them in the real world. Many people don’t even use the degrees they get.

    As someone who grew up in a college town, I’ve observed how higher education is big business… for the schools. Many kids and their parents are duped into the promises these schools make. A college education means nothing anymore because more and more people are going to college. And, more importantly, what you learn in college, like the humanities majors, doesn’t translate into the real world.

  41. #41
    On September 10th, 2009 at 2:22 am, emjem24 said:

    Uggghhh… self-edit: import= important in the first paragraph.

    See, college doesn’t always give you the best spelling skills. ;-)

  42. #42
    On September 10th, 2009 at 9:10 am, MarkD said:

    A college degree in XXX Studies guarantees I will never hire you. I’d kiss a rattlesnake before I’d let a professional grievance monger work for me.

    Many college degrees are simply not worth the money, but it’s your life and your money.

    There is a difference between education and indoctrination. Caveat Emptor.

  43. #43
    On September 15th, 2009 at 12:43 pm, Micheleeroo said:

    Dang it! This kind of crap is why my kids don’t go to public school anymore. It’s a cesspool!! And obviously the school authorities (in this case, the bus driver) allow animal behavior and couldn’t care less. If this kind of thing happened to adults, there would be arrests and prosecution. There should be here, too, whether or not race played a factor. Nobody should have to get beat up simply because somebody obeyed the school bus driver to sit down!
    grrr
    Public school is a zoo. Heads should roll, but won’t. It will be swept under the carpet.

  44. #44
    On September 15th, 2009 at 12:44 pm, Micheleeroo said:

    PS— I want to commend the one decent student who pulled the jerk off the poor victim.

  45. #45
    On September 15th, 2009 at 9:57 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    Oh the EVIL ArizonaNeanderthal can not resist this terrible temptation:

    the introduction of a new patch for Girl Scouts who successfully undergo Dept. of Homeland Security training

    Aim for center mass ladies, aim for center mass. That and basic first aid is what you need most-terrorist, rapist, burglars or others- aim for center mass. ;)

    You do not need a Task Force, Obama, Biden or the Department of Homeland Security training but a .38cal/9mm is minimum as you aim for center mass ladies.

  46. #46
    On October 1st, 2009 at 10:35 pm, mytake said:

    So only the kids of wealthy parents get into the “good” colleges. But then they are indoctrinated in socialism and leave their capitalists’ roots behind. Sounds like a win-win to me!? The less fortunate are already socialists, no need for “college”, waiting for the redistribution check. I don’t understand why this group of educators didn’t come to this conclusion?

You must be logged in to post a comment.


Cincinnati-Area School Pays Kids to… Show Up to School

February 13, 2012 09:43 PM by Doug Powers

12 Comments

Nancy Pelosi Explains Why Obama Flip-Flopped on Super PACs

February 9, 2012 10:08 PM by Doug Powers

50 Comments

Stealth altruism

Former Democrat Rep. Regrets Vote for Obamacare Due to Contraceptive Coverage

February 7, 2012 03:40 PM by Doug Powers

75 Comments

She wasn’t kidding

Accents, politics, and double standards

February 6, 2012 11:19 AM by Michelle Malkin

129 Comments

Hiring Spree in NYC

February 1, 2012 02:47 PM by Doug Powers

43 Comments

Biden Prediction: Dems Will Retake House

January 27, 2012 07:31 PM by Doug Powers

106 Comments

Joestradamus

Mr. and Mrs. Cranky Pants

January 27, 2012 10:35 AM by Michelle Malkin

138 Comments


Categories: Barack Obama,Education,Joe Biden

Follow me on Twitter Follow me on Facebook