State Treasurer John Chiang, who is running in the Democratic primary for Governor, has proposed dramatic reductions in the cost of higher education. He wants two years of tuition-free community college, accompanied by sharp reductions—nearly 50%— in the cost of tuition at four-year state campuses.
https://johnchiang.com/the-latest/press-releases/john-chiang-higher-education-plan-cuts-tuition/
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The greedy, power hungry, lying, corrupt, autocratic, U.S. Constitution hating, Alt-Right billionaires (or anything else you want to call them) are going to pour a lot of money into this election in an attempt to defeat John Chiang.
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Rival candidate, Delaine Eastin, has made similar proposals.
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Now this sounds like a great idea: both community and four year colleges are free or at least 50% off. Eastin also proposes free healthcare. She even says “healthcare is a right, not a privilege”.
I did not see Chiang talking about healthcare but he says all the right things about education—and not just higher education but K12 as well: https://johnchiang.com/road-map-for-educationca
Maybe those in CA (like Lloyd) can say more about these candidates.
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I don’t trust much of what I hear from the media because so much of the media obviously has been subverted by Bannon, Mercer, Gates, Walton, Koch, ALEC, fundamentalist Christian organizations with too much cash, et al, so I tend to refer to Vote Smart to find out what I can about candidates, but I wait until closer to the election to see what Vote Smart offers to discover more about someone.
And, wow, John Chiang has been endorsed bo a lot of organizations.
https://votesmart.org/candidate/71353/john-chiang#.Wr0jU5oh2Uk
For those that don’t know about Vote Smart, it isn’t a fact check site and it doesn’t report the news or spout off opinions. It only lists the facts.
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Right now the main issue is gun violence. I just hope the student activists also turn their attention (if they haven’t already and I missed it) to the high cost of post-high school education and a host of other economic issues.
These young citizens will have to deal with our huge national debt, which their generation will be paying off. And, blowhard Donald Trump has done nothing but further mortgage their futures, giving handouts to the alt-right billionaires Lloyd mentions above.
Any time I see the issue of college tuition brought to the forefront it brightens my day.
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“Any time I see the issue of college tuition brought to the forefront it brightens my day.”
Nowadays admins also bring this issue up, talk emphatically about poverty and high salaries—then they end up receiving multiple times the raises of regular educators and propose plans for new buildings that would cost millions in student fees and revamp the school’s internet system for more millions to get it ready for online courses.
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The Republicans have proven that debt does not matter . Every time they are in office they prove it and then cry about it when they are out of office . But if debt does matter, it is time to reverse the near 40 years of republican tax cuts and cut the biggest welfare program in the country defense spending .
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More proof that people cling desperately to the political party which they, their parents and their grandparents have traditionally espoused: friends/acquaintances who repeatedly say that they have to support the Republican party even now because they are “fiscal conservatives” who hate the idea of wasting money or going in to debt…
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“fiscal conservatives”
Fiscal conservatives want to save money for corporations by cutting taxes for them, because somehow that trickles down to all.
Fiscal liberals want to save money directly for all.
Fiscal conservatives cut state spending on education so that it can be given to corporations (in the form of taxes) which then will let it trickle down to us all.
Fiscal liberals cut college tuition, immediately saving us money.
Who, in his right mind, believe the convoluted fiscal conservative version?
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I am supportive of making college affordable for everyone. This is a noble cause. But, most states charge the same tuition costs to all students at their public universities. Children from wealthy families pay the same costs as the people from lower income groups. This is “taxing people from Watts to subsidize the education of children from Beverly Hills”.
Why doesn’t someone come up with charging tuition costs on a “sliding scale”? If tuition costs were adjusted on an index based on the families ability to pay, it would result in wealthy families contributing more, and also enabling families from lower income levels to afford college costs.
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Charles,
I favor free higher education in two-year community colleges, and generous student aid based on need in four-year colleges.
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So you are not supporting free 4-year colleges?
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