SOARING TUITION COSTS

If conservatives need another reminder of why most Americans do not share their optimism and enthusiasm for the Bush economy, look no further than current tuition costs for my alma mater Purdue.

I attended Purdue from September 1998 to December 2000, a total of 5 semesters which included 1 summer semester in 1999. (I also took classes at UC Berkeley that same summer). During that time, my father paid a little over US$6,000 per semester for tuition. Fast forward less than 7 years later and Purdue is now charging more than $11,000 per semester for non-residents of Indiana!!!??? That's an increase of more than 80%!! I am acutely aware of the fact that tuition costs have to keep pace with inflation but inflation in this country is not anywhere remotely close to 80% for that same time period.

I come back to the point that I made earlier. Conservatives can whine and moan all they like about Bush not getting enough credit for the growing economy. Unless middle class citizens see some true progress in terms of how much they are able to afford basic things in life, e.g. college tuition for their children, they are not likely to start cheering whenever the Dow or S&P 500 hits a new record.