Things America Really Sucks At

Being a young, married, home-owning non-upper class adult with children is very tough in America. Right out of the gate you are punished.

Do you want to go to college? Better be able to pay LOTS to go.

Do you want to own a home? Get ready to pay. Ok, that's the same everywhere.

Do you want to have children? You must pay for the hospital stay.

Do you want to take time off after the baby arrives? Then make sure you either have paid for disability insurance or have saved enough if you want to take time off. It's almost the 20 year anniversary of the Family Medical Leave Act. It's only been 20 years since it became illegal to fire someone for taking time off to have a baby.

Can't afford to keep one parent at home to raise the kids? Gotta pay a LOT for daycare.

But if you are old, Times are GREAT! Free medical care!! Who pays for that? The workers!!!

America could have it much better. America could fix these issues. America has many other issues, too. But America doesn't want to fix these issues. If we fixed these issues, then we would be socialists! Wait, no we would just be delivering our wealth to those who need it and have helped create it. But we don't do that. We don't do that. Because that is un-American. And I think it will get MUCH worse before it gets better, if it ever gets better.

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.