Justin Bogie: Colleges and universities must increase the value of an education
The annual cost of a college education has increased by 182% in the past 40 years. But are college graduates getting more for their money? It’s a fair question to ask in the wake of President Joe Biden’s announcement that up to $20,000 in student loan debt will be forgiven by the federal government. And that is just the beginning, with additional provisions that limit repayment liability. There are several obvious issues surrounding the student loan forgiveness plan. There’s the cost, which the University of Pennsylvania estimates could reach as high as $1 trillion. Creating another trillion dollars in federal debt will do nothing to provide Americans relief from near-record inflation. Fairness is another issue with the loan forgiveness plan. Is it fair for the 62% of Americans who do not have college degrees or others who do not qualify for forgiveness to have to pay for someone else’s education? There is also the bigger message that student loan forgiveness sends to young Americans. You are expected to repay the money when you take out a loan for a house or car. If you do not, your house will be foreclosed. Your car will be repossessed. You (should) know these realities when you sign on the dotted line. Why should a legally binding student loan contract be any different? It is another example of Washington eroding Americans’ sense of personal responsibility. These issues have been discussed at length in the past week. But what about the broader question of the value of a college education and the motivation to work? Let me start by saying I am not trying to undermine the benefits of higher education. But not every high school graduate needs or should be expected to go to college. For some students, the financial burden will never match the benefits. In 2022, an estimated 20 million Americans were enrolled in college. Since 1960, enrollment amongst high school graduates has increased by 47%. Eighty-three percent of first-year college students are enrolled full-time. As college enrollment has increased, so have the costs. In 1980, the annual average inflation-adjusted cost of tuition, fees, and room and board was $10,231. By 2020, the average cost had almost tripled, reaching $28,875 per year. Why have the costs increased? Part of the increase is due to the student loan system itself. Federally subsidized loans are so readily available that the guaranteed money has led higher education institutions to increase tuition prices. Because of the accreditation process required for a school to be eligible for federal loans, it’s hard for new competition to enter the education marketplace. There are few checks and balances and little transparency on educational costs, giving institutions no incentive to lower tuition. The number of majors offered by universities has also seen a sharp increase. In an effort to attract new students, from 2012-2018, higher education institutions added 41,446 degree or certificate programs. That means more administrators, professors, support personnel, and classroom space were needed. All at a cost. There should be a direct relationship (and an accelerated one at that) between the costs of higher education and the benefits. As the cost rises, the financial benefits should increase at a faster rate, but that is not what is happening. The average inflation-adjusted starting salary for a bachelor’s degree level graduate peaked at $59,169 in 1969. In 2022 new graduates can expect to make just over $55,000 per year. While the costs of a college education have tripled, starting salaries are 6.5% lower than their peak. The average salary for all Americans in the 25-34 age group, regardless of education, is $49,920 per year. Evidence suggests that the expectations of new college graduates do not match reality. A 2022 survey conducted by Real Estate Witch found that students expect to make $103,880 in their first job, nearly double the national average. Just this week, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it would cancel $1.5 billion in student loan debt for 79,000 borrowers who had attended Westwood College. The department found that Westwood “grossly misrepresented” the value of its credentials and students’ earning potential. If students had known that reality did not match their expectations before enrolling in college, would they have paid an average of $115,500 to do so? Student loan forgiveness will make it more expensive for all Americans to attend college, without increasing the benefits. Instead of wiping away debt at the expense of taxpayers, higher education institutions should focus on improving the return on investment. The market value of a degree must exceed the costs. That means eliminating majors with no real-world value or applicability. Government should focus on providing alternatives to higher education, such as apprenticeships or teaching trades at the high school level. College is not the only path to a successful and prosperous life. A degree guarantees neither of those things. Student loan forgiveness amounts to a taxpayer-financed bailout for higher education. It goes against the principles of hard work that America was founded upon. At its core, it is un-American. Justin Bogie is the Senior Director of Fiscal Policy for the Alabama Policy Institute.
States reach $438.5M settlement with e-cig company Juul
Electronic cigarette company Juul will pay out $438.5 million to 33 states as part of a proposed settlement following a two-year investigation into the company’s marketing practices. The investigation, led by Texas, Connecticut, and Oregon, found that the company intentionally advertised the addictive nicotine vaping products to underaged users. The company will pay out the settlement over a six to 10-year period and requires the company to adhere to strict injunctive requirements, according to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. “When I launched this investigation over two years ago, my goal was to make sure JUUL was held liable for any wrongdoing done in the past and ensure that they change direction to fully comply with the law going forward,” Paxton said in a statement. “This settlement helps accomplish both of those priorities.” Texas will get $42.8 million as part of the settlement. In addition to Texas, Connecticut, and Oregon, the settlement also includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. “No nicotine marketing to kids! It was wrong when it was Joe Camel, and it’s wrong when it’s JUUL’s ‘Miint’ and ‘Fruut’ flavors and their influencer-led targeting,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement. “This settlement puts an end to Juul’s trawling for new addicts among our children.” Yost’s office said finalizing the settlement could take up to one month. In June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered Juul to cease marketing and selling the products in the country. The order led to a court fight that resulted in an agreement by the FDA and Juul to suspend the case, allowing the company to continue sales. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Video fills in details on alleged Georgia election system breach
Two months after the 2020 presidential election, a team of computer experts traveled to south Georgia to copy software and data from voting equipment in an apparent breach of a county election system. They were greeted outside by the head of the local Republican Party, who was involved in efforts by then-President Donald Trump to overturn his election loss. A security camera outside the elections office in rural Coffee County captured their arrival. The footage also shows that some local election officials were at the office during what the Georgia secretary of state’s office has described as “alleged unauthorized access” of election equipment. Security footage from two weeks later raises additional alarms — showing two people who were instrumental in Trump’s wider efforts to undermine the election results entering the office and staying for hours. The security video from the elections office in the county about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta offers a glimpse of the lengths Trump’s allies went in service of his fraudulent election claims. It further shows how access allegedly was facilitated by local officials entrusted with protecting the security of elections while raising concerns about sensitive voting technology being released into the public domain. Georgia wasn’t the only state where voting equipment was accessed after the 2020 presidential election. Important information about voting systems also was compromised in election offices in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Colorado. Election security experts worry the information obtained — including complete copies of hard drives — could be exploited by those who want to interfere with future elections. “The system is only as secure as the people who are entrusted to keep it secure,” said lawyer David Cross, who represents plaintiffs in a long-running lawsuit over Georgia’s voting machines. The Coffee County security footage was obtained through that lawsuit, which alleges that Georgia’s touchscreen voting machines are vulnerable to attack and should be replaced by hand-marked paper ballots. The suit long predates and is unrelated to false allegations of widespread election fraud pushed by Trump and his allies after the 2020 election. The alleged breach in Coffee County’s elections office also has caught the attention of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is overseeing an investigation into whether Trump and his allies illegally tried to influence the 2020 election results in Georgia. Last month, Willis cited the Coffee County activity, among other things, when she sought to compel testimony from Sidney Powell, an attorney who was deeply involved in Trump’s effort to undo the election results. Emails and other records show Powell and other attorneys linked to Trump helped arrange for a team from data solutions company SullivanStrickler to travel to Coffee County, which Trump won by nearly 40 percentage points. The surveillance video, emails, and other documents that shed light on what happened there in January 2021 were produced in response to subpoenas issued in the voting machine lawsuit and were obtained by The Associated Press. Parts of the security video appear to contradict claims by some of the local officials: — Footage captures Cathy Latham, then chair of the Coffee County Republican Party, arriving at the elections office shortly after 11:30 a.m. on January 7, 2021, the day after the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol. Just a few weeks earlier, she was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring that they were the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors. A few minutes after her arrival, she is seen outside greeting SullivanStrickler Chief Operating Officer Paul Maggio and two other people. Less than 10 minutes later, she escorts two other men into the building. The video shows her leaving the elections office just before 1:30 p.m., roughly two hours after she greeted the SullivanStrickler team. She returns a little before 4 p.m. and then leaves around 6:15 p.m. Latham said under oath during a deposition in August that she stopped by the elections office that evening for “Just a few minutes” and left before 5 p.m. Pressed on whether she had been there earlier in the day, Latham said she couldn’t recall but suggested her schedule as a teacher would not have allowed it. A lawyer for SullivanStrickler said in an email attached to a court filing that Latham was a “primary point of contact” in coordinating the company’s work and “was on site” while that work was done. Robert Cheeley, a lawyer for Latham, said in an emailed statement that his client doesn’t remember all the details of that day. But he said she “would not and has not knowingly been involved in any impropriety in any election” and “has not acted improperly or illegally.” — The video also shows Eric Chaney, a member of Coffee County’s election board, arriving shortly before 11 a.m. the same day and going in and out several times before leaving for the night around 7:40 p.m. Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the voting machine lawsuit wrote in a court filing that a photo produced by SullivanStrickler’s COO shows Chaney in the office as the copying is happening. During a deposition last month, Chaney declined to answer many questions about that day, citing the Fifth Amendment. But when an attorney representing the county reached out to him in April regarding questions from The Washington Post, Chaney wrote, “I am not aware of nor was I present at the Coffee County Board of Elections and Registration’s office when anyone illegally accessed the server or the room in which it is contained.” Chaney resigned from the elections board last month, days before his deposition. Attempts to reach Chaney by phone were unsuccessful, and his lawyer did not respond to an email seeking comment. — About two weeks after the initial breach, video shows Misty Hampton — then the county elections director — arriving at the elections office at 4:20 p.m. on January 18, when it was closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She unlocked the door and let in two men — Doug Logan and Jeff Lenberg, who have been active in efforts to challenge
Steve Flowers: Buck’s Pocket
For decades, losing political candidates in Alabama have been exiled to “Buck’s Pocket.” It is uncertain when or how the colloquialism began, but political insiders have used this terminology for at least 60 years. Alabama author the late Winston Groom, wrote a colorful allegorical novel about Alabama politics in the 1960s and referred to a defeated gubernatorial candidate having to go to Buck’s Pocket. Most observers credit Big Jim Folsom with creating the term. He would refer to the pilgrimage and ultimate arrival of his opponents to the political purgatory reserved for losing gubernatorial candidates. Which brings me to another contention surrounding Buck’s Pocket. Many argue that Buck’s Pocket is reserved for losing candidates in the governor’s race. Others say Buck’s Pocket is the proverbial graveyard for all losing candidates in Alabama. One thing that Winston Groom clarified is that once you are sent to Buck’s Pocket, you eat poke salad for every meal. It is not certain whether Big Jim or Groom began the poke salad myth. Once you are sent to Buck’s Pocket, Groom suggested you were relegated to the rural resting place forever. However, history has proven that a good many defeated Alabama politicians have risen from the grave and left Buck’s Pocket to live another day. Most folks do not know that there really is a Buck’s Pocket. Big Jim was the first gubernatorial aspirant to hail from North Alabama in the twentieth century. He was the first one to campaign extensively in rural North Alabama, often one-on-one on county roads. One day while stumping in the remote Sand Mountain area of Dekalb County, he wound up in an area he referred to as Buck’s Pocket. It was a beautiful and pristine area, but it was sure enough back in the woods. Big Jim, who loved the country and loved country folks, was said to say, “I love the country, but I sure wouldn’t want to be sent to Buck’s Pocket to live.” Buck’s Pocket is no longer a mythical place. If you are traveling up the interstate past Gadsden on the way to Chattanooga, you will see it. There is a Buck’s Pocket State Park in Dekalb County, thanks to Big Jim. So next time you hear an old timer refer to a defeated candidate as going to Buck’s Pocket, you will know what they are talking about. After the primary runoffs, Auburn City Councilman Jay Hovey was declared the winner of the State Senate District 27 race. He won the senate seat by one vote. Folks, the old saying that one vote makes a difference is not just an adage. It is nearly impossible to defeat an incumbent state senator, especially one who has served two terms and amassed an enormous war chest. Jay Hovey was outspent by the incumbent Tom Whatley $1.2 million to $96,000 – an unbelievable more than 12-1 advantage. The district includes Lee, Tallapoosa, and Russell counties. However, most of the votes are in Lee County. Hovey ran like a scalded dog through Auburn and Lee County. Obviously, he and his wife, Anna, are well thought of in Auburn, Opelika, and Lee County. Home folks know you best. He will make a good senator for that important part of the state. Elmore County Circuit Judge Bill Lewis is a bright star on the judicial political horizon. Judge Lewis has been on the bench for six years. His Circuit includes Elmore, Autauga, and Chilton counties. Judge Bill Lewis could wind up on the State Supreme Court one day if he had not plucked earlier for a federal district judge spot by a Republican president. He is 43 and sharp. The state Democratic Party has elected Randy Kelley, a Huntsville minister, as Chairman, and Tabitha Isner, a Montgomery political activist, as Vice-Chairman. They were the choices of the five-decade king of Democratic politics, Joe Reed. The Alabama Republican Party right-wing hierarchy has passed a resolution asking the legislature to have a closed private primary. It is doubtful that the legislature will give credence to the group’s wishes. It would disenfranchise over half of the Republican-leaning voters in the state and shoot the Republican Party in the foot. It would also discriminate against black voters in the state and, if passed, would never withstand Justice Department approval under the Voting Rights Act. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
ALGOP Outreach Coalition to host Meet & Greet in Montgomery
The Alabama Republican Party Outreach Coalition will host a Meet & Greet event at the Montgomery Area Association of Realtors auditorium in Montgomery, on Thursday, September 8th, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The ALGOP Outreach Coalition is a diverse network of conservative voters working to forge partnerships within communities across Alabama and proclaim the ALGOP is open to people of all backgrounds. The Coalition is looking to connect with all voters – especially those of African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American, and multi-racial descent – in order to start a dialogue on the issues. The Director of the Outreach Coalition team is State Rep. Kenneth Paschal. Paschal became the first Republican African-American elected to the Alabama Legislature since Reconstruction and will also be a guest speaker. Co-Director Belinda Thomas will also speak at the event. Thomas is the first female African-American City Councilwoman of Newton, AL. State Rep. Charlotte Meadows and Alabama Republican Party Chairmen John Wahl and Greg Poole will also speak at the event. “I am here to tell you that the Alabama Republican Party is proud to support and encourage minorities. The Democrat Party wants you to believe that all minorities share their liberal views, but we are here today to challenge that false stereotype. There are thousands of conservative people in minority groups across this state, and they deserve to be recognized,” stated Wahl. Cedric Coley is the Central Alabama Regional Director for the ALGOP Outreach Coalition and the moderator for the event.
Secretary of State John Merrill calls on Alabamians to serve as poll workers
On Tuesday, Secretary of State John Merrill called on Alabamians to step up to the plate and serve their community as poll workers. Poll workers are paid election officials who serve at local polling places and carry out assigned Election Day procedures. There are approximately 1,980 polling places across the State of Alabama that must be staffed each election cycle. Poll workers are required to undergo training to carry out their Election Day responsibilities. Merrill stated in a press release, “Serving as a poll worker is an amazing opportunity to learn more about the election process while contributing to your community. It is vital that Alabamians step up and become poll workers!” A poll worker application must be returned to your county Probate Judge for consideration. These are the requirements to become a poll worker: Must be a registered voter in the State of Alabama. Must be registered to vote in the county in which they desire to act as a poll worker. Must attend a mandatory poll worker training session. There are no exceptions to this requirement. Cannot be a member of a candidate’s immediate family or the second degree of kinship and cannot be a member of a candidate’s political committee. Also, high school and college students age 16 or older can apply to become student poll worker interns. Students must be recommended by a principal, another school official, or the individual responsible for the student’s home instruction program. The student poll worker application must also be returned to the county Probate Judge for consideration.
Federal assistance is available for farmers and landowners with a feral swine problem
Wild hogs do an estimated $50 million a year to Alabama agriculture. Feral swine are not native to Alabama. There is nothing native to Alabama living in the wild that makes its living preying on wild hogs. There are an estimated 255,000 hogs living in the wild in Alabama, and humans are the only check on their continued spread. There is federal money available through the 2018 Farm Bill to help farmers, ranchers, and landowners control the feral swine problem. The Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee was awarded funds from the 2018 Farm Bill to provide financial and technical assistance to Alabama producers through the Alabama Feral Swine Control Program. The program provides a 70% rebate, up to $12,000, on hog traps and other eligible trapping equipment to approved producers. Producers may also choose to have USDA’s Wildlife Services conduct free trapping on their property. There is no bag limit on wild hogs. Alabama hunters can legally hunt hogs seven days a week, all 365 days of the year. They can apply for special licenses to hunt hogs with bait, at night when it is not deer season, and they are allowed to shoot every hog they can see. Despite this, hunting has proven largely ineffective at controlling wild hogs. Hogs quickly learn they are being hunted and adapt to the pressure. Sows have ten to twenty pigs annually, so they can absorb losses far more easily than other game species. Hunters are generally interested in a trophy boar or some meat in the freezer, not eradicating the next generation of pigs. Effective trapping done right allows a landowner to severely impact the hog population on a property. Simply put, feed is provided to the wild hogs. They get accustomed to eating the feed in the pen, and once the whole herd becomes accustomed to visiting the hog feeder every day, a trap door is installed in the system. The trap is sprung, and they are all trapped in a pen. All of the trapped pigs must be killed. It is illegal to transport a live feral hog in Alabama. Some hunting clubs in the past have trapped hogs and then transported them to areas where there was a small population or have released Russian Wild Boars into the Alabama feral hog population to improve the hunting experience and increase the size of the hogs. That only spread the hogs further and increased the size of the problem that Alabama is facing. Any transport of a live wild hog is now illegal, and anyone with information about such activity should report that to Alabama Fish and Game Officers. A hog-trapping program should include wildlife monitoring. Trail cameras are widely available and far superior to what was available commercially 20 years ago. The key to an effective trapping program is to know not how many hogs you removed from the property but rather how many you left on the property. If you remove half the hogs, their population will return to what it was in less than a year, and they will have learned from the experience. To find out if you’re eligible, call your local Feral Swine Coordinator or fill out an Info Request form. Feral swine cause more than agricultural damage, hogs are omnivorous, so in addition to eating crops, they prey on nesting turkeys, quail, fawns, and reptiles and pollute the water by wallowing in creeks and streams. Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto brought the first hogs to Alabama in 1540, and they have been multiplying here ever since. With fewer but larger farmers and fewer hunters than a generation or two ago, controlling the invasive species has become much harder. The Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee needs your help to control the feral swine population in order to decrease the damages they cause. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
