Oregon Lawmakers Pioneer Tuition-Free 'Pay it Forward, Pay it Back' College Plan

ABC News ^ | 07/05/2013 | SUSANNA KIM

[Kid Shelleen]

The Oregon state legislature unanimously approved a plan to provide free tuition to students while they attend community college and public university. In return, they'll pay back the state with a percentage of their incomes after graduation.

Called "Pay it Forward, Pay it Back," the plan passed unanimously in Oregon's Senate on Monday and in the House the previous week. The state's Higher Education Coordinating Commission will next develop a pilot program and in 2015 lawmakers will decide whether to implement the program.

[Kid Shelleen]

What could go wrong ???

[al_c]

Doesn’t sound free to me.

[Resolute Conservative]

This is just so stupid.

[staytrue]

Since the repayment for free tuition is a percentage of income, this program encourages low paying careers over higher paying ones.

More proof that Oregon democrats want a socialist state where everyone makes about the same.

[Busywhiskers]

It will be relatively free for liberal arts and women’s studies majors who are unlikely to generate any income after they graduate.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

In olden days this was called indentured servitude, but now that the Progressives want to do it we won't call it anything so gauche.

[Slyfox]

Isn’t that what students who get student loans are doing right now?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

From each according to their abilities, to each according to their need.

[headstamp 2]

Good luck with that.

[DaxtonBrown]

Also called ‘indentured servitude’, or ‘working for the company store’. I assume this obligation is carried to the grave.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The rate will eventually be based on income.

Low income will pay a low percentage, high income will pay a high percentage.

It will be bait and switch. Once they have you, they can do anything they want.

[kidd]

Oregon democrats want “a percentage”

Now explain to me how they are not a criminal enterprise.

[I want the USA back]

The government should have nothing to do with college tuition. Doing this kind of thing will only allow colleges to raise tuition far higher than they already have.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Doesn’t sound free to me."

I agree. If you have to pay something back, it isn't free.

[FreedomStar3028]

Then the kids making 0 reported income dont pay back a dime? Okay.

So I go study botany, and then grow tons of weed and sell it all off the books of course, I don’t have to pay them back. I just say “I’m unemployed”.

[bray]

Free candy for everybody. Guess who pays the front part of this plan?

Pray for America to Wake up

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

So the state franchise tax board will have arbitrary access to deduct a percentage of income? Will it be off net or gross? What percentage? what if they move out of state to get that job?

surely, this will be implemented as perfectly as Obamacare, right?

[blackdog]

That should work just fine to drive costs down./s

[factoryrat]

It might work, assuming the degrees earned actually land the students a financially lucrative job, and the field of study was in some worthwhile field. Underwater basket weaving, and womyn’s studies in the arts are not worthwhile pursuits. Believe it or not, once you're east of the cascades, there's plenty of job openings that need to be filled. Unfortunately, those jobs need real world skills, like welders, electricians, machinists, truck drivers, engineers, agriculture specialists, and all of the supporting people, you get the picture. Limit the program to real world skills, and NOT underwater basket weaving bullcrap, and it might just work.

[max americana]

So it ain’t free and they can still screw the taxpayers.