A tale of two Americas.....................
"I have alot of things I should be thinking about none of which should be how am I going to pay for college" stated the college student on a CNN story I just saw.She was talking about how she couldn't afford to continue her education at the University of Hartford as financial aid wasn't available and she didn't have the money to pay for it.The piece also mentioned another college student whose parents didn't have good enough credit to get student loans to afford for him to continue college.He was going to take a year off,work,save and go back to college.
This was a great example of something I've been thinking about.Big government vs. personal responsibility.Both of these college students talked like they expected the government (or someone) to help them out.Should I mention that the young woman had excellent grades and perhaps it's not her fault that the financial aid isn't there.It could be another result of the economic situation we're in.The young man has nothing to do with his parent's credit so should he suffer?BUT,who's to say it's their responsibility to put him through college anyway?
I was VERY blessed that my parents helped me through my bachelor's degree and saw them sacrifice alot to do that.Don't think I forget that for one second !!!
So,the question is this? Where does the government fit into this?Where does personal responsibility fit in? I saw my mom work full time AND attend college full time while raising me and my sister.My dad just retired after 36 years at the same company that provided the stability as far as paycheck,insurance,etc our family needed.My family is where it is today because of what my mom and dad did.Praise God for great parents.The thing is that not everyone is blessed like that.You have grandparents raising children,orphans,single parent families,etc that may not be able to do what my parents did.Yet,some can and choose not to !!! Let's say you have a mother who has child after child despite being able to care for the ones she has.Statistics say these children won't succeed and will barely graduate high school if they do.So,what about them?Do we punish them for their mom's behavior? What about a single teen who has a baby out of wedlock but wants to fulfill her dream for college? Should she be helped by the government? My mom wasn't.Yes she had my dad but that was her only help.We were dropped off at babysitters and sometimes had to go back to work with mom once she picked us up from school.
Let's look at another aspect of government help. Now,keep in mind,I'm a former governmental employee who worked directly with families on welfare,food stamps,medicaid.I saw these stories first hand and know many of their names.I had some families I worked with the entire 7 years I was at DHS.Also,I've benefited from a governmental program to return to school.I will be directly impacted by Prez Obama's stimulus plan.So,I've seen both sides of this issue.The biggest problem with government right now is that it's ineffective at times and VERY VERY poorly managed.
But this could be easily solved with better communication,technology and more employees.So,do we continue to let the government be as it always has?or do we send messages through our senators/representatives that we expect more out of our government? Do we fight to the death for private businesses/colleges?Are we better served in the private sector? Personally,I think so.But,that doesn't mean the BIG government couldn't be as effective as the private sector.
So,I just wanted to throw this out there as food for thought !! I'd love to hear from you and read your thoughts :)
This was a great example of something I've been thinking about.Big government vs. personal responsibility.Both of these college students talked like they expected the government (or someone) to help them out.Should I mention that the young woman had excellent grades and perhaps it's not her fault that the financial aid isn't there.It could be another result of the economic situation we're in.The young man has nothing to do with his parent's credit so should he suffer?BUT,who's to say it's their responsibility to put him through college anyway?
I was VERY blessed that my parents helped me through my bachelor's degree and saw them sacrifice alot to do that.Don't think I forget that for one second !!!
So,the question is this? Where does the government fit into this?Where does personal responsibility fit in? I saw my mom work full time AND attend college full time while raising me and my sister.My dad just retired after 36 years at the same company that provided the stability as far as paycheck,insurance,etc our family needed.My family is where it is today because of what my mom and dad did.Praise God for great parents.The thing is that not everyone is blessed like that.You have grandparents raising children,orphans,single parent families,etc that may not be able to do what my parents did.Yet,some can and choose not to !!! Let's say you have a mother who has child after child despite being able to care for the ones she has.Statistics say these children won't succeed and will barely graduate high school if they do.So,what about them?Do we punish them for their mom's behavior? What about a single teen who has a baby out of wedlock but wants to fulfill her dream for college? Should she be helped by the government? My mom wasn't.Yes she had my dad but that was her only help.We were dropped off at babysitters and sometimes had to go back to work with mom once she picked us up from school.
Let's look at another aspect of government help. Now,keep in mind,I'm a former governmental employee who worked directly with families on welfare,food stamps,medicaid.I saw these stories first hand and know many of their names.I had some families I worked with the entire 7 years I was at DHS.Also,I've benefited from a governmental program to return to school.I will be directly impacted by Prez Obama's stimulus plan.So,I've seen both sides of this issue.The biggest problem with government right now is that it's ineffective at times and VERY VERY poorly managed.
But this could be easily solved with better communication,technology and more employees.So,do we continue to let the government be as it always has?or do we send messages through our senators/representatives that we expect more out of our government? Do we fight to the death for private businesses/colleges?Are we better served in the private sector? Personally,I think so.But,that doesn't mean the BIG government couldn't be as effective as the private sector.
So,I just wanted to throw this out there as food for thought !! I'd love to hear from you and read your thoughts :)
posted by Alicia Beth @ 12:38 PM
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