Free Education, Pros and Cons

I had a conversation earlier today with a woman from Melbourne, Australia who lamented that her country recently ceased providing free education to all her country’s citizens.

“It’s a shame,” she said, “that we couldn’t have followed the developed countries around the world that make that investment. Most folks don’t want to live around ignorant people.  Also, an educated population does better in the workplace, and that lifts their nation’s place in the global competitive market.”

All of this is absolutely true.  So why is the United Stated systematically destroying its public education system, while it remains a million miles  away from offering its citizens free college?  Well, there are problems that educated people pose to the billionaire class, one of which is that they are capable of critical thinking, which means they can see how thoroughly they are screwed by unbridled capitalism.   Another is that they are unwilling to elect sociopathic criminals to lead them.