@RichardB: Not to be a stickler, but shouldn't Bank of America be on Obama since he basically became Chairman of the Board after the bailout which nationalized Bank of America. He'll be giving his acceptance speech at Bank of America Stadium for the Democratic Convention. Which is in Charlotte. Which is the headquarters of Bank of America. You also forgot to have Solyndra on him as well.

You think it would help? Nobody would wise up, they would just start picking candidates based on their favorite company sponsors.

@Anonymous: It is NOT associating Paul with the Weimar and no one said Bruning's economic measures were the cause of the Weimar's economic collapse, they were a reaction to it. It is the closest example of a government making the massive cuts Paul proposes. According to Paul's own "Plan to Restore America", he wants to cuts about 1/4 of federal budget in one year. Bruning's cuts were nowhere near that severe and spread out over a couple of years and it trashed what was left of the German economy. The Weimar Republic had actually overcome the oppressive terms of the Versailles treaty and enjoyed relative economic stability for several years up to the crash of 1929. Bruning's austere financial reforms helped turn the working people against him, followed shortly thereafter by the monied powerbrokers who began supporting Hitler and Alfred Hugenburg and helped lay the groundwork for the worst kind of fascism the world has yet seen.
And what has all this Ron Paul crap have to do with the OP?

@Anonymous: And as much as I dislike Ron Paul, that idiot son of his doesn't amount to a pimple on his dad's butt.

@Anonymous: List of corporate donations to Ron Paul

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cid=N00005906

@Anonymous: It may seem that simple, but that doesn't solve the problem. Even with a state university, and working through college, I have a circle of friends at different levels of debt drowning.

There are only so many scholarships to go around, it isn't a solution for everyone. Prices for tuition aren't just going up, they are growing at rates well beyond the cost of living. This wouldn't be a problem if we didn't live in a country where a college degree wasn't a basic requirement for getting a job.

This isn't a case where the solution is 'work hard, pull yourself up', Ron Paul libertarian BSery. The solution is for us to look at other countries and realize we can have strong colleges that don't cost you the rest of your life.

@Merdle: As an individual without a college degree (though I did go to college for a couple of years until I couldn't afford it any longer) who makes more than 80k/year ... I disagree strongly with the assertion that a college degree is a basic requirement for getting a job. Intelligence, ability, and a work ethic are basic requirements for getting a job. A college degree helps you start a little (a LITTLE) further up the ladder ... but I've seen so many 'college grads' fail to pass muster while I simply kept going.

Anyway ... yes, tuition IS climbing much faster than the cost-of-living because demand for college enrollment is gigantic. It's simple market economics. Unfortunately, quality of education at college is also dropping through the floor, especially as more and more students from under performing high schools enter the student ranks (thus requiring more remedial class offerings ... and yes, colleges want you no matter how "dumb" you are ... they want your money).

As for drowning in debt ... if you've got under 40k debt, you'll do fine. If you've got more than that ... WTF were you doing?

@Anonymous: Oh, your anecdotal evidence has completely disarmed my whole argument.

@Merdle: Similar to how your assertion-without-evidence arguments disarmed the original statement, eh?

Here are some great paying jobs that do not require college degrees:


Air traffic controller – Annual income: $102,030
Storage and distribution manager – Annual income: $66,600
Transportation manager – Annual income: $66,600
Police and detectives supervisor – Annual income: $64,430
Non-retail sales manager – Annual income: $59,300
Forest fire fighting and prevention supervisor – Annual income: $58,920
Municipal fire fighting and prevention supervisor – Annual income: $58,902
Real estate broker – Annual income: $58,720
Elevator installers and repairer – Annual income: $58,710
Sales representative – Annual income: $58,580
Dental hygienist – Annual income: $58,350
Radiation therapist – Annual income: $57,700
Nuclear medicine technologist – Annual income: $56,450
Child support, missing persons and unemployment insurance fraud investigator – Annual income: $53,900
Criminal investigators and special agent – Annual income: $53,990
Immigration and Customs inspector – Annual income: $53,990
Police detective – Annual Income: $53,990
Police identification and records officer – Annual income: $53,990
Commercial pilot – Annual income: $53,870

I would add to that list the obvious additional options of computer programmer an entreprenuer.

@Anonymous: I can attest. I'm in the same boat and make 105k year now. I didn't even complete 2 yrs of community college. I may not ever be an industry leader, or president, but I'm doing ok. Making enough money to live has more to do with being intelligent, vice-free and hardworking then where you went to school.