The Patriot Post® · The New College Entitlement

As we noted Friday, the community organizer in chief has a plan to offer “free” community college. Barack Obama unveiled some further details, saying the plan would cost $60 billion (what happened to “free”?) and would benefit roughly nine million students. According to The Hill, “[T]he federal government would pay three quarters of tuition for students enrolled at least half-time who maintain a 2.5 GPA. States would be required to chip in the remainder of the cost — an additional $20 billion over the next 10 years. Full-time students would save an average of $3,800 per year.”

Naturally, he couched it in his usual classist terms: “I hope the Congress will come together to support it, because opening the doors of higher education shouldn’t be a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. It’s an American issue. … [N]o one with drive and discipline should be left out, should be locked out of opportunity. … A college degree is the surest ticket to the middle class.”

Of course, the problem here is that there’s no such thing as a “free” college education. What he’s proposing is another wealth-transfer scheme, and he’s saying anyone opposed just hates the poor. Another important factor: This is the first step in expanding education as an entitlement for at least two more years. This program will never shrink, because college education will become a “right.” Obama can talk about hard work and standards, but all you have to do is look at his immigration actions to see what will become of that. More…