For the life of me, I can’t discern why liberal bloggers are throwing a collective hissy fit over remarks from U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx on college debt and personal responsibility. Here is the quote from Foxx, a Republican who represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District:
I have very little tolerance for people who tell me that they graduate with $200,000 of debt or even $80,000 of debt, because there’s no reason for that. We live in an opportunity society, and people are forgetting that. I remind people all the time that the Declaration says, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” You don’t sit on your butt and have it dumped in your lap.
Foxx’s point is right on the money. To amass $80,000 to $200,000 in loans to obtain a bachelor’s degree, a college student would have to choose to attend a pristigious private university — even though there are many state universities with tuition at a fraction of that amount.
In North Carolina, N.C. State University’s tuition for in-state residents is $7,018 per year, without any student aid or scholarships. UNC-Chapel Hill’s tuition is $7,008, again for in-state residents.
Given the numerous options out there — including inexpensive community colleges — the notion that taxpayers should be on the hook for students who decide to attend outrageously priced private universities (a goal of Occupy Wall Street) is ludicrous. What’s even more ludicrous is that Foxx would be damned for pointing out the lack of common sense in this approach.
