A recent report stated that about half of college graduates work in occupations that don’t require a college degree. Corporate presidents almost certainly have a four-year bachelor’s degree and many others also have a law degree, MBA,MS or even a PhD. That’s quite impressive indeed. But must the President of the United States, one of the most powerful jobs in the world, possess a college degree? Does the office of President of the United States even require a high school education?
The answer is that nine (9) former Presidents of the United States of America served their country without the benefit of a college degree. George Washington attended our iconic College of William and Mary in Virginia and collected a surveyor’s certificate but no four-year degree. Many recall reading about Abraham Lincoln studying law books by firelight. He practiced law without attending law school. He is considered one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history. In modern times President Harry Truman ‘The buck stops here’ and Give ‘em hell, Harry’ had a lot of experience in the Army and a haberdashery store but no college degree. Others lacking four years of college include: Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, Willard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson and Grover Cleveland.
In contrast, our current government is head-over-heels in favor of everybody having a college education. Not only is our government in favor of all 18-year-old high school graduates heading off to college, the paternal Obama administration has placed the government in charge of the money needed to assure that all get a shot at taxpayer money laundered through the government bureaucracy. Right now, student loan debt is more than $1.2 trillion; that’s $1,200 billion. As of January 1, 2016, 43% of the 22 million student borrowers were delinquent by permission or by default; that’s about 9,500,000 students who haven’t or can’t or won’t and may never pay their education loan.
Is it possible that the President, when he signed this college loan bill into law in 2010 knew this would happen? He had to know that money loaned by government for one purpose is often switched to a different use. The math of delinquent student borrowers amounts to as much as 43% of $1.2 trillion or more than $525 billion (over ½ trillion dollars). We taxpayers are subsidizing someone else’s college students to receive an education or part of an education or no education or play money for irresponsible use.
As fiduciaries of taxpayer money, government has a responsibility to use it wisely. Did the government insist on parents or other relatives co-signing the education loan? If not, why not? Did the program establish reasonable qualifications when the agreement was drawn up and executed? Were there required points in time when student borrowers were obligated to provide certifications of attendance, passing grades and other indications of progress? If not, why not?
Obama is encouraging students at one for-profit college to claim that the college misled them about job-placement rates, and the U.S. Education Department expedited claims for 40,000 of their former students. With an additional 85,000 probably filing claims, we taxpayers may be on the hook for more than $1 billion – for only one school closing without money to pay the discharge claims. The administration (and Bernie and Hillary) think we need to provide more college degrees that graduate with less debt. This is insane; what we need is to graduate more students with job-related degrees and virtually no debt.
There are 33 corporations (with names we see every day) that provide all or partial financial support for college. A corporation in North Carolina set up a high school apprenticeship program. Young men and women can join the military and receive credits toward college. High school graduates can postpone college a year and earn money for tuition and books. Athletic and scholarly HS grads can apply for partial and full ride scholarships. Students can find part-time jobs to cover some costs of education and living. High school grads should consider the benefits of study at a community college.
The education department is unnecessary and obsolete. There may not be any liberals who recognize these facts.
Dick Baynton
