Legislators to blame for tuition hikes
To the letter-writer from June 9 who said that universities should be ashamed of themselves for raising college tuition so much that some students are choosing to prostitute themselves in order to pay for their education: she should talk to her state legislator. The U.S. had a history of supporting higher education through state taxes and public universities traditionally relied on major funding from state budgets to make tuition affordable. That tradition was eroding before the recession through constant tax cuts so citizens “could keep more of their money in their pockets,” which then undercut the public benefit we all receive from an educated work force and an affordable college experience for non-wealthy students. If we want an educated workforce with affordable college tuition, we need to ask our Georgia state legislators to make it happen.
PATTY DURAND, ATLANTA
Rand policies would worsen U.S. problems
The coverage of Paul Ryan and his proposals to fight poverty was so predictable. The media lapped it up like a thirsty dog facing a bowl of water. With the aid of a fawning media, Ryan has crafted an image of being a serious policy wonk. If one looks deeper behind his empty rhetoric, one would find that his solutions are far from being mainstream and responsible. They are all based on the fringe philosophy and writings of Ayn Rand. In their world, the government exists to further the interests of the wealthy and big business through tax cuts, deregulation, and the privatization of successful social programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Enacting the Ryan agenda would drastically change America and worsen the problems he claims to want to solve.
MIKE HAREMSKI, TUCKER
