Whenever you hear that George W. Bush, Tom Daschle, or any of the other top politicos in Washington has announced “a BOLD plan”—on education, health care, or whatever—one thing you can be sure of is that there’s really nothing bold about it at all. The plan will have been vetted by lobbyists, crafted so as not to alarm big-money contributors, compromised from the start to attract quasi-bipartisan support, and generally dulled on all edges by the KSQ—the Keepers of the Status Quo. If it truly was a bold plan, they wouldn’t have to shout it at us, would they? We’d be able to see the boldness for ourselves . . . and we’d also hear the horrified shrieks of the KSQ.
This is why the great majority of people think today’s national politics is such a cruel joke—it offers no bold ideas to rally the people and advance the national interest. People are yearning for a politics that, as we say in Texas, has hair on it. A politics that sweats, growls, brawls . . . that’s worth the prize, that produces results for ordinary folks and the common good of our society.
What if we pushed a political debate that this workaday majority actually might give a damn or get excited about? We’ve had such debates in the past, from women’s suffrage to labor laws, from Social Security to Medicare—big ideas that engaged people and benefited them.
Here’s an example of a give-a-damn issue that was fought and won nearly sixty years ago: the GI Bill of Rights.
At its core, this was a national free-education bill. It allowed the men coming back from World War II to go to the school of their choice—from trade school to graduate school—for up to four years if they met the academic qualifications. They received public grants of up to $500 a year, which generally covered their tuition, books, fees, and other costs, plus they could get a living stipend of up to $50 a month.
Thus came the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (the official name of what became known as the GI Bill). Better to channel this mass of energy and ambition into schools and training programs. However, it was not easy to pass.
Many among the KSQ—especially the Congressional right wing, the laissez-fairers, and some of the academic establishment—opposed it on the grounds that: 1) it would encourage sloth among the veterans; 2) the vets would lower the academic standards of our fine colleges and universities; and 3) it would cost too much.
But with the enthusiastic backing of returning veterans and their families, with leadership from such politically diverse forces as progressive labor unions and the American Legion, and with the support of some business and political leaders who simply didn’t know what else to do, it passed.
More importantly, the GI Bill worked, and it’s now recognized as one of the most useful acts Congress ever passed. About 7.8 million veterans were trained during the 12-year life of this education program, including approximately 2.2 million who went to college; 3.5 million who went to trade, technical, or other schools; 1. ...
Let’s make higher ed. free for all americans [ read more ]
What the hell's happening here? Why is my bank in the tank? And my house and job? And my retirement money? Even my state's teetering on the brink of broke! Who did this to us? Fair questions, but we're not getting honest answers. 
