College funding robs Peter to pay Paul
I respond to the Monday letter “Rising cost of college likely to continue.” Writer John B. Lowe stated: “The only way to make higher education more affordable is to cut tuition. And that will not happen without an increase in (state) funding.”
Where does this thought come from? How does additional funding change the cost of a service? And Lowe’s comment that blaming colleges for the high cost of education is “like a rapist blaming his victim,” is not only illogical, it’s insensitive.
First of all, the state does not “have” any money to pay for anything. It only holds taxpayers’ money.
Second, the only way to make higher education or anything else more affordable is for it to cost less. If the money actually comes from somewhere else to pay for something, that doesn’t make that thing more affordable; it just transfers the true cost. Eventually, excessive taxes, fees, licenses — whatever term you want to call it — are felt by all residents.
Another tendency of governments is to delay the cost of a current service to the next generation. That doesn’t make it cost less; it just changes who pays for it. I would think that for fairness’ sake, our children should not have to pay for our generation’s expenditures.
Past governors of either party didn’t increase the cost of higher education; they only changed who pays for it. The lucrative benefits of government employees, including those in higher education, are much more responsible for the increased cost of higher education than is any governor.
Tuition freezes don’t accomplish anything other than to temporarily set a price at an unsustainable level, transferring the current cost into the future and to the future users of the service.
What the public needs to understand is that the problem is not in the funding; it’s the cost. Until the unsustainable cost of higher education is managed, the problem will not go away, no matter who funds it.
For our leaders to point at colleges and universities and blame them for the high cost of education is like blaming high-level management at Kroger for the cost of its groceries. No, wait a minute, I didn’t mean to say that! As Lowe said, “What were they thinking?”
The only way to make higher education more affordable is to reduce its costs. And that will not happen without better cost management. Since the universities and their employees already have made it clear that there will be increased costs for providing the service of higher education going forward, get ready for higher tuition.
I urge people to contact their state senators and representatives, as well as the governor. Change will happen no other way. It really should be a bipartisan issue. Democrats pay the same high tax rates as Republicans. JOEL BUCK
Columbus