Students at UC Berkeley Riot Over Tuition
California’s fiscal problems have resulted in the University of California system raising tuition by a third over the past year while cutting staff and course selections to save money. That’s a tad steep and apparently this really was like throwing a couple of matches on a gasoline soaked tinderbox. The effect was an eruption of anger amid accusations of police brutality Again, this is occurring not at Po-Dunk U, but at the storied UC Berkeley.
I suspect more of this will be occurring nationwide as the realities of the fiscal constraints of many states and the emerging economic realities clash with long held expectations. Again, these folks are already rioting over a mere tuition increase. Can you imagine what they’ll do when they finish school laden with thousands of dollars of debt but can’t find a job?
Let’s total this up bro
1) College students in CA, GA and many other states are protesting planned cuts in College budgets by their respective states
2) Parents in many local school systems are angered that massive budget gaps will lead to school closures and staff reducations. (Some of these same parents were seen last year demanding property reapprasails as a means of lowering their taxes, truing them up with the loss in market value)
3) Certain opervatives cheered as the US Government took over the College Loan program, bumping the banks that had been direct loan service providers with the government backing the loan
4) NOW – we have HEALTH CARE. The same people who are witnessing the impact of government revenue shortfalls believe that government health reform represents a STEP FORWARD. They believe that by taking the profits out of the system more people will recieve service for less money because the Insurance companies will be removed from their power to exploit and profit.
5) They see $16M in industry profits as evil yet their would be government health care provider ran up a $1,400B deficit during that same period, with a track to do another $1,500 billion in this present fiscal year.