>>With regard to Community Colleges - guaranteeing a federal revenue stream to these institutions is a potential incentive for corruption. The incentive to recruit warm bodies will be strong.
>>The plan includes the requirement that the students maintain a 2.5 GPA, but the institution receiving the money is the same one doing the grading.
>>Funding for community colleges should come from states and counties who can make better decisions for their locales than Washington bureaucrats.
>
>ISTR that when community colleges started to be a thing (late 60's/early 70's?), they were free. Am I remembering wrong (quite possible since I was just a kid then) or was that a local phenomenon?
>

Tamar, yes, but very much an apples and oranges versus today.

Back in the 60's they were smaller and relied largely on a philanthropy model. Any majors were narrow and focused heavily on math/science, they did without things like unions and large cafeterias, and students did a good amount of work to keep the place running.

Taking today's community colleges and make them "free" is absurd. Bill mentioned a few good reasons why.

Even the White House has acknowledged the cost (the federal share of it) would be about 60 billion. Given how accurately they initially projected costs for ACA, you might as well triple that. Which means a good chunk will come out of the pockets of American taxpayers - which includes people paying off student loans.

I hope someone is recording Obama's off-camera remarks on this, so that those who know better can at least have some Jonathan Gruber moments a few years from now. :)