http://finance.yahoo.com/news/states-looking-0-community-college-tuition-055227772.html
States looking at $0 community college tuition
By STEVEN DUBOIS
Associated Press
March 18, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Nothing sparks consumer demand like the word "free," and politicians in some states have proposed the idea of providing that incentive to get young people to attend community college.

Amid worries that U.S. youth are losing a global skills race, supporters of a no-tuition policy see expanding access to community college as way to boost educational attainment so the emerging workforces in their states look good to employers.

Of course, such plans aren't free for taxpayers, and legislators in Oregon and Tennessee are deciding whether free tuition regardless of family income is the best use of public money. A Mississippi bill passed the state House, but then failed in the Senate.

The debate comes in a midterm election year in which income inequality and the burdens of student debt are likely going to be significant issues.

"I think everybody agrees that with a high school education by itself, there is no path to the middle class," said State Sen. Mark Hass, who is leading the no-tuition effort in Oregon. "There is only one path, and it leads to poverty. And poverty is very expensive."

Hass said free community college and increasing the number of students who earn college credit while in high school are keys to addressing a "crisis" in education debt. Taxpayers will ultimately benefit, he said, because it's cheaper to send someone to community college than to have him or her in the social safety net.

Research from the Oregon University System shows Oregonians with only a high school degree make less money than those with a degree and thus contribute fewer tax dollars. They are also more likely to use food stamps and less likely to do volunteer work.

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College graduates earn more than high school graduates in part because they are smarter and more disciplined. Colleges don't create these qualities, so the analyses of the economic impact of sending everyone to at least community college are overstated. Graduating from high school is not too difficult. Free tuition for all high school graduates, as opposed to merit scholarships for the best students, will further discourage high school students from working hard.