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« on: July 09, 2015, 06:45:03 PM » |
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The Patriot Post Digest 7-8-2015
From The Federalist Patriot
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Daily Digest
Jul. 8, 2015
THE FOUNDATION
“History affords us many instances of the ruin of states, by the prosecution of measures ill suited to the temper and genius of their people.” —Benjamin Franklin, Emblematical Representations, 1774
TOP RIGHT HOOKS
Negotiations With Iran Blow Past Another Deadline1
Another day, another deadline. For the fourth time since April, the U.S. State Department extended its talks with Iran over the mullahs' nuclear program. The past few weeks have accomplished little, unless you take into account the 10 pounds of Twizzlers and 20 pounds of string cheese2 Team USA consumed during that time. The longer Iran stays at the negotiating table in Vienna, the more it gets. Earlier in the year, Barack Obama boasted that his administration’s diplomacy had halted Iran’s nuclear program, reduced its uranium stockpile and forced the country to agree to give nuclear inspectors access — any time, anywhere. Yet for some reason, the negotiation team has conceded these vital elements to a nuclear deal that would ensure Iran would not weaponize its nuclear material. In fact, the U.S. has conceded to Iran at least 12 times3. Robert Joseph, who was once the U.S. special envoy for nuclear nonproliferation, said of the deal4, “Instead of holding the line on those key issues that would actually determine whether the agreement was good or bad or whether it advances U.S. security interests or undermines them, the [Obama] administration has made concession after concession and the consequences are profound.” It is clear Iran is not sincerely negotiating with the West. Instead, it’s playing the same administration that negotiated with the Taliban, trading five of theirs doing time at Guantanamo for one deserter.
Obama Just Keeps Cutting Military5
While the U.S. military is facing a myriad of threats, a smattering of merry little wars, the Obama administration is pushing forward with its plan to cut 40,000 troops from the ranks. According to a pentagon document that USA Today acquired6, the administration wants to finish drawing down America’s military capability by Sept. 30, 2018. In 2013, the Pentagon said a reduction of troops past 450,000 would start to impair the military’s ability to respond to crises around the world. And these cuts would bring military strength right to that edge. The further budget cuts imposed by Obama’s sequestration could push the number lower. For an example of how this hampers the U.S., look to the fight against the Islamic State. The Obama administration would rather train proxy fighters in Iraq and Syria — but just 60 Syrian fighters have so far been trained. On Monday, Barack Obama said the U.S. is ramping up the training of the Islamic State Iraqi forces7. But the Senate Armed Services Committee found8 those training programs to be “anemic” and it called for reform of the airstrike campaign. If Obama continues these limp-wristed strategies, his only option will be to debate9 the Islamic State out of existence.
Many Americans Clueless About First Amendment Protections10
The Newseum Institute generates an annual survey called “State of the First Amendment,” and this year’s results illuminate the reason many Americans are nonchalant about the assault on religious liberty — because most have absolutely no idea that it’s constitutionally protected by the First Amendment. According to the 2015 survey11, “When asked to name the five specific freedoms in the First Amendment, 57% of Americans name freedom of speech, followed by 19% who say the freedom of religion, 10% mention the freedom of the press, 10% mention the right to assemble, and 2% name the right to petition. Thirty-three percent of Americans cannot name any of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.” Alarming, yes, but shocking? Not really. When education establishments become more interested in gender and sexual orientation studies than in civics, American heritage and character development, society cannot be expected to uphold Rule of Law.
FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
‘Free’ Money Doesn’t Make College More Affordable12
By Jim Harrington
Over the weekend, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) penned a Wall Street Journal opinion piece13 in which he claims that college is not too expensive — because of all kinds of free money from the government. Tell that to middle-class families paying the full bill.
Alexander discusses some costs of attending college in modern America, and, while he admits that school can set you back a few bucks, he says not only are costs not as bad as advertised but there are numerous ways to pay for most of them.
“Public two year colleges … are free or nearly free for low-income students,” Alexander writes, and “community college tuition and fees average $3,300 per year.” Coincidently (or not), the average Pell Grant is also $3,300, though it can be as high as $5,775, depending on need. Even better, students can get 12 semesters of them, and since a grant needn’t be repaid, recipients are relieved of the need to find summer employment.
Using the University of Tennessee at Knoxville as an example of four-year schools, Alexander says tuition and fees average about $11,800 per year. Besides Pell Grants, students in Tennessee and some other states also have access to Hope Scholarships. For each of the first two years, the recipient gets $3,500, then $4,500 for years three and four. He says other “states run a variety of similar programs — $11.2 billion in financial aid in 2013, 85% in the form of scholarships.” Scholarships needn’t be repaid either.
Alexander extolls the virtue of government subsidies, but, if necessary, the student also has access to loans secured by the government. The College Board estimates that students from four-year schools will have an average of $27,000 in debt when they graduate, about the same as a new car loan.
Nationally, the current outstanding total of these loans is $1.2 trillion.
In closing, Alexander offers “five steps … to make it easier for students to finance their college education:”
“Allow students to use Pell grants year-round…”
“Simplify the confusing 108-question federal student-aid application…”
Allow colleges to counsel students against too much borrowing.
“Require colleges to share in the risk of lending to students…”
Cut federal red tape that costs millions.
But recently published research doesn’t support Alexander’s love of federal college subsidies to students. In fact, according to David Lucca and Karen Shen of the New York Fed and Taylor Nadauld of Brigham Young University, tuition goes up 65 cents for every dollar of new loans or grants. “While one would expect student aid expansion to benefit recipients,” the pair say, “the subsidized loan expansion could [be] to their detriment, on net, because of the sizable and offsetting tuition effect.”
The study supports the Bennett Hypothesis, offered by William Bennett, education secretary under Ronald Reagan. He surmised that more government student aid meant universities could “blithely” raise tuition rates without enrollment suffering. Soaring student debt rather proves the point.
According to the Washington Examiner14, researchers measured “differences in tuition changes at schools that had more or fewer students [taking advantage of increased] student loans, using data from the Department of Education. Not only did tuitions rise when Congress increased aid availability, but for-profit colleges saw their stocks jump.”
And if you think it’s expensive now, wait until Barack Obama makes it free15. |
