Commonsense show hour 3 Joe Hagmann

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October 5, 2016 | http://spkrryan.us/2dHo4Z1

The Real Obama Liberal Legacy is a periodic series to highlight the results of liberal progressivism put into practice.

Next up, the Obama administration’s “free” community college plan.

The promise: On January 9, 2015, the Obama administration unveiled a plan to offer two years of community college for “free” to American students.

The reality: There was nothing free about this plan—not even in our Wildest Dreams™. The president’s fiscal year 2016 budget revealed that this program would actually cost taxpayers $60 billion over ten years—a figure that increased to $90 billion in a draft bill unveiled by Senate Democrats. Reducing high college costs is a top priority on both sides of the aisle—but that won’t happen by unfairly raising taxes on the middle class.

Don’t resources already exist to help make college more affordable?Indeed. Consider this: Public two-year colleges cost an average of $3,440 a year; a low-income student can receive up to $5,815 in Pell grants annually.As Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline explained, ushering in a “free” community college program would “compete with existing programs for limited taxpayer dollars,” complicating current commitments to Americans already pursuing higher education using other federal resources.

So what does real reform look like? Glad you asked, because House Republicans want to make college more affordable—and that’s a promise we can keep. The House has passed a number of bills to strengthen higher education, from simplifying the financial aid process to enhancing supportand transparency—and that’s just the beginning. We will continue to expand access to 529 plans—college savings accounts available for families planning ahead. We will write more legislation that actually keeps student loan interest rates low—and manageable. But most importantly, instead of implementing another bureaucratic, top-down scheme, we will leave the decision-making to the states and American taxpayers—allowing for tailored solutions that help expand opportunity for continued education.

That would be a—you guessed it!—#BetterWay. The Obama administration’s “free” community college would result in higher taxes on families already saving for college—and more infighting for federal dollars that are already stretched too thin. Under current law, tax benefits are too complicated, leaving many taxpayers unaware of what they are eligible for. House Republicans want to streamline education benefits and help more Americans earn a college education—and we invite our friends on the other side of the aisle to hop on the bus toward more fiscally responsible solutions.

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