The Hollowing Out of Higher Education

This piece in the Washington Post describes the decline of state dollars flowing to so-called "public ivies."  This connects to an issue that was brought up on last Sunday's Meet the Press.  Put simply, states aren't investing in higher education anymore.

From my own experience I saw tuition climb 24% from the freshmen year of college to my senior year at a state school in Illinois.  I also saw the graphs that charted how in the early 1980s for every $1 dollar of tuition paid by a student, the state of Illinois paid $9.  Now that ratio is close to or less than 1 to 1.

What this leads to is fewer kids going to college or those that do go amassing large amounts of debt that necessitates a high-paying job to service that burden, which are becoming harder to come by as well.  This was a major element of the Occupy Wall Street protests.  Now I know not everyone needs to go to college and I do think we need to direct more kids toward technical/vocational colleges then to English 101 then we currently do, but it's not like this money is being shifted.  It's just going away.  Surely it's in the national interest to have centers of learning to equip students with the knowledge and the critical thinking skills needed to drive innovation.  And yet, this is a topic that pops up and fizzles out.

When I think about this issue and those that would suggest I think everyone should get a college degree for free, (not a half bad idea) I am always reminded of this clip from The West Wing.  It's supposed to be hard, but surely the government has an interest in making it easier.  Surely those that want an education should be able to do so without racking up massive amounts of debt.

Chart of the Day

From the Washington Post, the Toil Index:

The Short List - December 16, 2011

International

• The Iraq war ends with a whisper.


• After the second round of voting in Egypt, there have been protests for accused military abuse of an activist.


• Putin takes to the airwaves following protests against his rule.  The Economist sat down with an author to discuss.


• The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court says the events surrounded the death of former Libyan despot, Muammar Qaddafi, may constitute a war crime.  The chief prosecutor is about 2 months behind Ben.


• Japan has declared the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor has reached "cold shutdown" which doesn't mean it isn't still a major hazard.


• Not even Batman can see a Chinese activist living in unofficial, but definitive isolation.

Domestic

• The final GOP debate before the Iowa caucuses was last night, and was a rather tepid affair by all accounts but The Fix has winners and losers.  NPR chronicles how Team Obama is rehearsing in Iowa.


• Congress has managed to keep government open again, but jobless benefits and the payroll tax still hangs in the balance.


• Christopher Hitchens has died at 62.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

International

• TIME named "The Protester" as its Person of the Year, 2011. Indeed, it was.
• Zardari is out of the hospital but he is not headed back to Pakistan yet.
• There have been a spate of right-wing attacks in Israel. Meanwhile, Tom Friedman penned an Op-Ed in the New York Times that has him getting the Walt/Mearsheimer treatment.

Domestic

• The Obama Administration lifted its veto threat against the NDAA after some of the offensive provisions were altered. It's still a truly bad bill, though -- and it's about to become a bad law.
• Mitt Romney, wealthy man, calls Newt Gingrich a wealthy man. I'm convinced that either could equally well represent the interest of the serfs working people.

• Leading with an image of Santorum, Bachmann, and Perry, Politico asks if GOP underdogs can shakeup Iowa. Answer: no. Hell, Intrade gives Ron Paul a better shot at winning than Romney.

The Short List - December 14, 2011

International

• Iran is sending its intelligence chief to Saudi Arabia to dispute the U.S. claims of the plot to kill the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S.


• SecDef Panetta says we're winning against the Taliban in Afghanistan.


• The second round of Egypt's rather complicated voting process is underway.


• As the U.S. leaves, tension builds in Kirkuk, Iraq.


• A Putin loyalist won't claim his seat in the Russian Doma.

Domestic

• The House passes a spending bill almost entirely along party lines.  Compromise, we don't has it.


• Love and marriage is apparently an institution you can disparage, or at least the marriage part.


• Christiane Amanpour's run on This Week will end and George Stephanopoulos will return.

Stanley Fish on the Study of Law

Stanley Fish puts clear words to the reason I was initially drawn to law school--and one of my greatest laments of law school in practice. I was fortunate in this pursuit in so far as I found a way to make it as reflective as possible. Many of my compatriots were not so. Instead, there's was by happenstance or design a more practical approach. One more in line with that of Segal's critique than of Leiter's response. I think many of them are pleased with this outcome but it certainly was not my preferred route. That said, it is much easier, I think, to experience law school as a practicum--mine, at least, was prefigured in that manner. Mr. Fish:

In his response to Segal’s essay, Brian Leiter, a professor of law at the University of Chicago, rejects the question of whether what one learns in law school is of any help: “The criterion of scholarly inquiry is whether it makes a contribution to knowledge and understanding, not whether it ‘helps.’” Leiter adds that what he calls “genuine” knowledge often does help with “a host of concrete and practical problems.” But he refuses (rightly, I think) to justify the academic study of law on that basis, for, he explains, “it is the central premise of a research institution that the measure of its achievement is the quality of the scholarship, i.e. its contribution to knowledge — whether of law or biology or literature — not its practical payoff in the short-term.”

The emphasis on practical short-term payoffs has already laid waste to the traditional project of the liberal arts, which may not survive. Is the law next? The law is surely a practice but it is also a subject, and if it ceases to be a subject — ceases to be an object of analysis in classrooms and in law reviews — its practice will be diminished. When a Times editorial declares that “[l]aw is now regarded as a means rather than an end, a tool for solving problems” rather than something of interest in its own right, one wants to say more’s the pity.

The Short List - December 13, 2011

International

• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has asked the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the ICC. The UN's number for Syrian's killed since the uprising/crackdown began has been revised up to 5,000.
• Iran has turned down a U.S. request to return the downed RQ-170 surveillance drone.
• Nearly a year after Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire, setting off the Arab Spring, Tunisia has a new president.

Domestic

• Gingrich continues to make waves in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, Mitt's opposition research is finding its way into Politico (again) and someone at the New York Times is carrying his water.
• #Occupy direct actions continue to be successful on the West Coast.
• Some truth about Tebow's miracles.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

International

• Twelve members of Al Qaeda (AQAP?) escaped from a prison in Aden. They dug a 6 meter long tunnel to do so. The last time this happened, the escapees went on to form Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
• In a briefing with PM Nuri al-Maliki, President Obama affirmed the U.S. commitment to Iraq beyond the U.S. withdrawal.
• Jay-Z Mikhail Prokhorov will run again Putin.
• Residents of Homs warn of an impending massacre.

Domestic

• SCOTUS will hear arguments over the Constitutionality of Arizona's horrific immigration law, S.B. 1070.
• The Economist.
• The Dow dropped 1.34% and gold was off 3%.
• And the Fish drop Sporano. 

The Short List - December 12, 2011

International

• Iran claims to be finishing gleaning data from the US drone they captured last week.  In other drone news Ben has published just this morning an article about flying drones and losing hearts and minds.


• As the U.S. forces continue to leave Iraq, Prime Minister Maliki will meet with President Obama at the White House today to try and better define the "post-war" relationship with Iraq.


• Syrians (a few of them) go to the polls today for local elections, but protests and violence continue.


• Pakistan has decided to continue the ban on NATO supply trucks through the country, though presumably armed militants are free to pass.


• British PM Cameron will go to Parliament (best described here) today to explain his veto of the proposed changes to the EU's Lisbon treaty.


• Several inmates in a Yemeni jail, including several Al Qaeda figures, have tunneled out.

Domestic

• The GOP candidates debated again over the weekend, Romney made a bet, Newt's a winner, but neither would beat Obama in South Carolina right now.


• Speaking of Obama, he spoke with 60 Minutes, had a great boat analogy.


• Congress is quietly working to keep the government running.  Oh that that didn't sound so absurd.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

International

• Iran put on display the RQ-170 it captured. The drone, as you can see, is in good condition.
• Invading Kenyan troops are now operating under the aegis of the African Union peacekeeping mission.
• NATO to Russia: "Nuts." (On "Nuts.")
• Syria: slowly but surely.

Domestic

• Another tragic shooting at Virginia Tech.
• Dumb as rocks.
• Perry goes negative in Iowa. And he accidentally says we're at war with Iran.
• Ahhh breaking down Thomas Friedman's garbage.

The Short List - December 8, 2011

International

• Drones as the escalation vis a vis Iran.


• A blast has disrupted an oil pipeline near Homs in Syria, and in an interview with Barbara Walters Syria's President Assad tries to distance himself from the the violent actions of the military in responding to protests that may yet become full scale rebellion.


• The Euro may be facing its Waterloo, if a different Frenchman isn't able to get traction with the proposal he put together with Angela Merkel.


• The UN envoys meeting in Durban, South Africa edge closer to a fund to combat the effects of climate change.


• America's war of choice is coming to a close.  Thanks to all those men and women who served in Iraq, apologies for the political leadership you had to endure.

Domestic

• My former governor gets 14 years and joins his gubernatorial predecessor behind bars.


• The GOP will debate in Iowa on Saturday and Politico says this is to decide the "alpha dog."


• Cantor vs. Boehner...again...


• The Machinists Union approves a contract extension with Boeing, which will end the rancor over Boeing's union evading actions to move some production to South Carolina.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

International

• Mexico foiled a bizarre plot to smuggle in one Qaddafi's sons.
• She did it again. Secretary Clinton has, not for the first time in her life, stood up for human rights--specifically, by demanding the expansion of who benefits from human to come closer to the whole human family.
• Pakistan's president has left Pakistan inspiring rumors and fears that a coup is imminent. Friend of the blog, Kalsoom, addressed the duality of man in this regard this morning.
• Kenneth Pollack has been reading DCExile.

Domestic

• The FDA's moves to expand access to the "morning after" pill has been stymied by HHS.
• 'All aboard the Gingrich express!' CNN/Time poll has Gingrich in first place in 3 of 4 early primary states. In New Hampshire, the loan holdout, Gingrich has added 21 points to his measure of support while Romney has lost 5, since the poll was last conducted a month ago. Mike Allen explains why it's for real real.
• K Street was #Occupied. Also, check out some of the excellent art spawned by the #Occupy movement.
• Finally, today is the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor--a date that has lived in infamy and one that set off a chain of events leading to a fair amount of the world we see today.

The Short List - December 6, 2011

International

• A bombing in Kabul at a Shiite shrine has left at least 54 dead.


• The drone that's currently in Iran's possession belongs to the CIA and hosts sensitive technology.


• In Kinshasa, the mood is tense as the results in the recent election there are set to be released.


• The head of Hezbollah made a rare public appearance in Beirut.

Domestic

• Democrats have scaled back the payroll tax extension, but still insist that a payroll tax for almost all Americans be paid by a small surtax on the small group of Americans making over $1 million dollars a year.  Republicans have balked at the trade off.  ** Editorial Note: This is the big philosophical divide playing out.  On the one hand, Democrats want to give families that are struggling a break, but they want to pay for it so their asking millionaires to pay a bit more.  Republicans feel like any tax increase is bad.**


• Obama's deployment of the National Guard to the US-Mexico border, a drastic increase in ground forces despite GOP nominee statements, has led to the capture of over 25,000 illegal immigrants, but has cost $160 million.  That breaks out to $6,271 per each person captured and many are wondering if it's worth the price tag.


• Gingrich is the clear front runner in Iowa, and The Fix says Romney has an Iowa problem, but that wasn't a state Romney was ever going to push to hard in.  If he falls behind in New Hampshire then he'll have problems.  In the meantime he can be comforted by the money of billionaires.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

Intergalactic

• For the first time, researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center have found a planet in the middle of the habitable zone. The researchers believe the surface temperature of the planet to be about 70F but the planet's composition is currently unknown. 

International

• Iran has placed the IRGC on alert as tensions between the West and Iran rise, even as the U.S. tries to pour cold water on the idea of a strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
• S&P placed 15 Eurozone countries--including France and Germany--on negative watch.
• Sectarian violence persists in Iraq.
• Several articles have appeared in recent days discussing the constant presence of Israeli drones over Gaza -- the drones are attended by a loud, constant buzzing sound.
• The US drone lost over Iran may not have been downed by a cyber attack.

Domestic

• The Postal Service, yet laboring under an artificial, Congressionally imposed deficit, will slow service and cut 28,000 jobs. Ridiculous. Only ideologues would purposely break a profitable entity and force it  to reduce services to actually make it ineffective (rendering a myth a reality). Reminds me a bit of FEMA under Browny, or the whole federal regulatory apparatus under the Bush administration.
• Mike Gundy is an idiot. Oklahoma State barely beat A&M (A&M of course was beaten by Arkansas, which was trounced by LSU)-- there's not a chance in hell OSU could beat LSU.
• SCOTUS takes an interesting First Amendment suit involving a man who was arrested for berating and touch then-VP Cheney.

The Short List - December 5, 2011

International

• Iran claims to have shot down a surveillance drone that crossed into Iranian airspace and the U.S. has confirmed that a drone had been lost.  There is some immediate concern that if a drone is in Iranian control, it could reveal some U.S. military secrets.  The statement by the U.S. indicates the drone was flying over western Afghanistan and got lost.


• Karzai projects that Afghanistan will be reliant on foreign aid until 2025 at the Bonn Conference, which has been hampered by the absence of the Taliban and Pakistan.


• Syria has reacted positively, but notably has not approved, an Arab League request to send observers into the country.


• The Euro crisis drags on, but Sarkozy and Merkel gather to hammer out a way forward.  Meanwhile, in Ireland, the prime minster is warning it will get worse on the emerald isle before it will get better.

Domestic

• Congress gets to work (hopefully) ahead of a holiday recess that might bring coal to the stockings of the unemployed and higher taxes to the working.


• Occupy DC turns into a confrontation.


• Cain suspends his campaign, but he can still raise money.  Some of which might be going to the man he is rumored to want to endorse, Newt.  Meanwhile, Newt's GOP critics have gone quiet.

The Short List - December 2, 2011

International

• The UN Human Rights chief is urging the protection of Syrians.


• Gbagbo's lawyer decries his client's treatment, as the former president is transferred to the Hague to face charges at the ICC.


• Camp Victory is returned to the Iraqis.


• The German chancellor has said reforming the EU will take a long time and a renewed commitment for greater integration.  It's an interesting position from the head of state who's country has born the brunt of propping up weaker economies.


• I'm dreaming of a white Christmas and a World Cup in Qatar? (bonus question mark)

Domestic

• Two competing proposals to extend the payroll tax cuts and pay for the loss of revenue failed in the Senate yesterday.  Democrats wanted to extend the payroll tax cuts, but put a 3.25% tax on millionaires to make up for lost revenue, while Republicans wanted to freeze the pay of federal employees and cut programs.


• The Senate did pass a $622 defense bill, but it needs reconciled in conference and even then may be vetoed by Obama.


• Herman Cain's star continues to fade as he tells the New Hampshire Union Leader that he did not tell his wife about his relationship with Ginger White, even though Cain was giving Ginger money to cover her bills.  He continues to deny a sexual affair.  Meanwhile, in the GOP primary, the gloves are coming off.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been

International

• Al-Qaeda is holding hostage a U.S. aid expert; Zawahri consciously links this hostage to both drone strikes and U.S. detention policy.
• The TFG, the fictitious Somali government that bears the imprimatur of the international community, is along with North Korea the most corrupt regime in the world. Well done, all. Other highlights: Iraq is the 8th most corrupt state in the world. See the whole list here. 
• The U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights says Syria is in a civil war. From the reporting I've seen, the violence in Syria does not seem to rise to the level of armed conflict--this seems more rhetorical to me.

Domestic

• That this resulted in a deadlock is terrifying.
• Ken Cuccinelli will run for Governor of Virginia in 2013.
• Ray Kelly was honored with 2011 Bull Connor Award (h/t GD).
• Apple ditches Carrier IQ.
• The Wall Street Journal carries the opposition research water for the Romney Campaign.

The Short List - December 1, 2011

International

• Optimism is short lived as the upswing in markets yesterday after news of a Euro rescue trends downwards on new reports of slow European growth.


• It was also Sanctions Day in the EU yesterday as the union approved new sanctions on Iran, in respond to the storming of the UK embassy, and on Syria, in response for the excessive force the despotic government has used to quell unrest.


• The former envoy to the U.S. for Pakistan has been banned from leaving the country as the Supreme Court investigates his involvement with a memo seeking U.S. help in weakening the Pakistani military.


• Gary Locke, U.S. Ambassador to China, rock star.  Seriously?

Domestic

• The rise of the surveillance technology industry and its rise in keeping dictators in place comes under question.


• Police closed the Occupy encampments in Los Angeles and Philadelphia leaving scant few encampments left.  As the movement occupies less and less, it struggles to figure out its next move.


• Romney faces the unexpected in Gingrich, but Ron Paul helps in a new ad that pushes Gingrich's "serial hypocrisy."  A similar phrase was made at the political round table on Meet the Press this past Sunday.