Should Pell Grants be a right?

Obama is proposing that Pell Grants be an entitlement like Social Security and Medicaid. Is this a good idea?

As someone who benefited from a couple of Pell Grants in school, I do think that they should be available to more students. But to give them to everyone isn't a good idea. Private schools are out. If your family's income is above a certain amount, you can't get a grant. I think this is what it is set up today. One example used against grants as entitlements is Missouri's A+ program. That gives college students the first 2 years of college for free as long as the meet certain guidelines. That's great, but putting the burden on states that are already facing huge shortfalls is lame. Taxes will have to go up. I am all for higher taxes because it means my son pays less money when he is older.

Update: Obama is taking the angle that Pell Grants should be available for those that want to go to community college to get new skills. He used an example of a factory worker that has been laid off and wants to learn some new skills to switch professions. I buy that.

There's an article on the Public Agenda blog that says that people who get free college don't work as hard because they didn't have to earn college. They had it handed to them, so no sacrifice was made and there fore the dedication isn't as strong. I think there is merit to that argument as well.

Entitlement Pell Grants seems like a basic issue but like all issues there is more beneath the surface the closer you look.