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It's true that demand for college degrees has risen, but something needs to be said of government intervention in higher education costs. The labor market in W

It's true that demand for college degrees has risen, but something needs to be said of government intervention in higher education costs. The labor market in Western Europe is very similar to the one in the United States. As you would expect, you need a college degree and technical skills to get a good job here. Yet, here in Belgium, I am paying less than 1,000 USD per year (tuition + books) to get a full degree at Ghent University, which is the largest university in Belgium. Foreign students from the US/UK pay more in some cases, but it's still a maximum of about 2500 EUR per year for them. We have no one else but our government to thank for our cheap college education (even though Belgium technically does not have a government). It's simply unthinkable here for someone to take out huge student loans and start their life indebted heavily.

protomyth 15y ago
Technically, you are paying for your college your entire tax paying life. It just means college is in the same bucket as K-12 is in the US. There is no free or cheap with government, just a different distribution of payers.
- potatolicious 15y ago
  Sort of, it does get cheaper in some places. When I went through college in Canada a few years ago, the majority of degrees were between $2500-4000 a year. Not quite as affordable as Belgium, but far more affordable than most places in the USA. And then I moved to WA state, where there is no state income tax, only federal, and I figured that this was simply a matter of taxation vs. subsidization. And then I moved to California, where I find that my overall tax rate is as high as it would be for the same income in Canada. So... for the same amount of tax paid, in Canada I'd get health care and heavily subsidized college education for all people, and in CA nobody gets nothing. What's up with that? Where's all this money going?
  - protomyth 15y ago
    Governments sometimes have some very strange priorities. California is spending a lot of cash on salary and pension. It looks like it is going to get a lot worse in CA (lots of unfunded commitments). Its all tax money, it just where the reps vote to spend it. [edit fix autocorrect]
  - repsilat 15y ago
    Here's a great article about California's fiscal woes: http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2011/11/michael-lewis-201111.print http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2011/11/michael-... The article talks about legal difficulties in raising property rates, huge pension costs, a culture of entitlement and endemic political obstruction.
- tomjen3 15y ago
  That is true, but only partly so. Assuming the people from the us don't end up in Belgium (and therefore won't pay taxes in Belgium) it will literally cost €10000 for the entire 4 year degree (although if it is like in Denmark, a bachlors degree will only take 3).
- gte910h 15y ago
  >There is no free or cheap with government, just a different distribution of payers. Government can most certainly be cheap: If it runs all the schools, they don't spend money competing. It has economy of scale for things that matter that way, etc. It's not always the right OR wrong way. Just sometimes.
  - protomyth 15y ago
    Schools should spend money competing, that is the problem. Monopolies have no incentive to improve.

protomyth 15y ago

Technically, you are paying for your college your entire tax paying life. It just means college is in the same bucket as K-12 is in the US. There is no free or cheap with government, just a different distribution of payers.

potatolicious 15y ago
Sort of, it does get cheaper in some places. When I went through college in Canada a few years ago, the majority of degrees were between $2500-4000 a year. Not quite as affordable as Belgium, but far more affordable than most places in the USA. And then I moved to WA state, where there is no state income tax, only federal, and I figured that this was simply a matter of taxation vs. subsidization. And then I moved to California, where I find that my overall tax rate is as high as it would be for the same income in Canada. So... for the same amount of tax paid, in Canada I'd get health care and heavily subsidized college education for all people, and in CA nobody gets nothing. What's up with that? Where's all this money going?
- protomyth 15y ago
  Governments sometimes have some very strange priorities. California is spending a lot of cash on salary and pension. It looks like it is going to get a lot worse in CA (lots of unfunded commitments). Its all tax money, it just where the reps vote to spend it. [edit fix autocorrect]
- repsilat 15y ago
  Here's a great article about California's fiscal woes: http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2011/11/michael-lewis-201111.print http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2011/11/michael-... The article talks about legal difficulties in raising property rates, huge pension costs, a culture of entitlement and endemic political obstruction.
tomjen3 15y ago
That is true, but only partly so. Assuming the people from the us don't end up in Belgium (and therefore won't pay taxes in Belgium) it will literally cost €10000 for the entire 4 year degree (although if it is like in Denmark, a bachlors degree will only take 3).
gte910h 15y ago
>There is no free or cheap with government, just a different distribution of payers. Government can most certainly be cheap: If it runs all the schools, they don't spend money competing. It has economy of scale for things that matter that way, etc. It's not always the right OR wrong way. Just sometimes.
- protomyth 15y ago
  Schools should spend money competing, that is the problem. Monopolies have no incentive to improve.