Column:

Free education is economic solution

By Trevor Turner

Published Oct. 10, 2008

I have a solution for our failing economy. Why don't we stop investing in Wall Street and start investing in education? It seems to me that a smarter work force would be able to solve our financial crisis and prevent us from getting into another Wall Street mess.

All levels of education are beneficial to our country, but the benefits of higher education are staggering. We all know that if you have a college degree you are most likely going to earn significantly more money than your high school buddies who didn't go to college. But according to the College Board, Americans with college degrees are on average healthier, so a more educated America would strain our health care system less. Crime rates are lower among Americans with college degrees and they volunteer more. College educated people vote more, so a more educated America would vote for politicians that better reflect our country's views. Children who have parents with college degrees are more likely to succeed and go to college themselves. College grads even give more blood so a college-educated United States would save more lives.

College education is great and very beneficial to society. One would think investors and politicians would be lining up to invest and support higher education. Unfortunately, our higher education system is sub-par to what it could be. It is not inclusive enough and the high cost of going to college prevents many young people from doing so. It will be even harder for students to pay for college now that student loans are more difficult to get.

Politicians and business leaders should be saturating high schools and colleges with scholarship opportunities, public service programs and internships that will help more people pay for higher education. Some politicians are already taking this approach.

John Edwards, and later Barack Obama, called for the creation of a public service academy where students can get free college if they promise to serve in the public sector, much like the way our military academies work. The Democratic nominee for Missouri governor, Jay Nixon, plans to expand the A+ Scholarship program if elected. The program already gives high school students two free years of community college for public service. Nixon would expand that to public universities after students complete their two years of community college and continue to serve the public.

Education is the most important part of anyone's life and it is beneficial to society. Higher education should be a right guaranteed to all Americans and our politicians should be doing everything they can to ensure that everyone gets that right. Our colleges and universities are turning out scientific breakthroughs, medical cures and new technology now more than ever. Politicians might promise solutions, but our universities deliver solutions, so it makes sense to invest all we can into these institutions. American colleges and universities are lagging behind other universities worldwide, and I know America could do better. America has the largest financial budget in the world. There is no reason we shouldn't have the largest and best education infrastructure in the world.