Is this eating the seed corn?

Source of the Graph: Global Higher Ed blog

Decreasing the public funding for higher education seems a very bad idea for the long term future of our country. In the increasingly global economy, countries either compete by being smart of by being cheap. I would prefer the United States competes by being smart, and that implies a highly educated workforce.

In dealing with our nation's increasingly complex problems, we need a smart and educated electorate. That means college educated people.

I also believe that if our country is to regain the promise of opportunity for all, we need to be more rather than less equal. That means more rather than fewer college educated people. It especially does not mean that kids who come from poor families not being able to attend college for lack of resources.

That does not mean that we should use tax payer funds to support kids who are not prepared for college, who will not work hard in college, or who are going to study subjects unrelated to our economic, political or social needs.  But the trend is not reasuring!