From: utzoo!decvax!cca!hplabs!hao!menlo70!sytek!zehntel!teklabs!riks@sri-unix
Newsgroups: net.followup
Title: "re: Education as a right"
Article-I.D.: teklabs.1492
Posted: Wed Oct 27 15:30:47 1982
Received: Sun Oct 31 07:44:09 1982

I wouldn't go so far as to assert that it is a right, but I feel that it
is one of the best investments an individual or the society can make.

It is reasonable that people who want the education compromise (as many of
us have) by working, begging, and taking loans.
But I do feel that student loan programs are an excellent use of my tax money.
I suspect that the total payoff (not just principle+interest from the
recipient, but increased income tax revenues, less crime, etc) to society
is very high.

Currently, some money is disbursed via 'pacts with the devil' in the form
of repayment with time.  A good friend of mine is doing 2 years of indentured
servitude to repay costs of medical school to the Public Health Service Corps.
She has the option of practicing where they put her, or repaying triple
the amount they loaned her.

I can see that this is the only way to get physicians to practice in
some underpriviledged areas, so I am NOT blasting the program.

In fact, it does not seem like a bad idea in other fields.
"So! You want to be a programmer.  Just sign on the line and get
your degree.  We pay tuition, room, board, and buy you a PC.
Then you will have to write COBOL programs for the army."
(tongue out of cheek).

Rik Smoody
Tektronix Labs MS 50-384, PO Box 500, Beaverton, OR 97077
(503) 627-6192

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