http://thebillfold.com/2012/05/college-is-too-expensive-except-when-its-not/ Everything About Money You Were Too Polite To Ask Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:19:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://thebillfold.com/2012/05/college-is-too-expensive-except-when-its-not/#comment-3401 nerd alert Mon, 21 May 2012 16:17:50 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=4495#comment-3401 as someone who just graduated with a master's from a super fancy top ten private research university that charges a pretty penny, and is now flailing about in the cut throat labor market right now, this is bullshit- but it's a nice illustration of how the concept of supply and demand can be retrofitted to support any sort of odious price point, especially now considering how imbalanced wealth is distributed in this country. making the argument that there are people willing and able to pay x amount for a scarce good doesn't prove the quality of that good or the necessity of the good, it just illustrates that there is market distortion. and supporting the idea of the government's role in propping up the tuition market is likewise a crap argument, because it's actually a subsidy for the schools, not the students- and as we all know, the debt load carried by most college graduates often makes them unable to participate in many of the key areas that underpin our economy, namely investing and real estate. a crushing debt load is a great way to keep a labor market loose and a workforce willing to settle for less, but that's really a whole other discussion. as someone who just graduated with a master’s from a super fancy top ten private research university that charges a pretty penny, and is now flailing about in the cut throat labor market right now, this is bullshit- but it’s a nice illustration of how the concept of supply and demand can be retrofitted to support any sort of odious price point, especially now considering how imbalanced wealth is distributed in this country. making the argument that there are people willing and able to pay x amount for a scarce good doesn’t prove the quality of that good or the necessity of the good, it just illustrates that there is market distortion. and supporting the idea of the government’s role in propping up the tuition market is likewise a crap argument, because it’s actually a subsidy for the schools, not the students- and as we all know, the debt load carried by most college graduates often makes them unable to participate in many of the key areas that underpin our economy, namely investing and real estate. a crushing debt load is a great way to keep a labor market loose and a workforce willing to settle for less, but that’s really a whole other discussion.

]]> http://thebillfold.com/2012/05/college-is-too-expensive-except-when-its-not/#comment-3400 bibliostitute Mon, 21 May 2012 16:15:46 +0000 http://thebillfold.com/?p=4495#comment-3400 Those damn kids, taking advantage of their options! Those damn kids, taking advantage of their options!

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