The best argument for free education I have seen in my lifetime is this:
In the US where education is not free, and fewer get well educated, the country is now facing the very serious problem, that a large segment of voters do not understand why democracy is important. Instead, they follow a presidential candidate, who pitches dictatorship as an interesting new idea, and they do not possess the knowledge to instantly identify this as the worst possible idea ever suggested in American politics.
@randahl Hmm.
It seems to me that many of the people who support fascism over democracy don't do so out of ignorance.
They understand the difference. They want fascism.
The cruelty (to others) is the point.
Perhaps the one thing you are right about is the key idea they fail to grasp: fascism is ultimately cruel to everyone, not just the scapegoats wielded by the dictator.
"Leopards eating people's faces party" and all that.
@danjac while I acknowledge, Sana Marin lost the power, I still think Finland is way better off with the current parliament than the US is with this congress and the prospect of electing a dictator.
Only 21 percent of Fins voted for the Kansallinen Kokoomus, and they do not plan to stop supporting NATO, end the support for Ukraine, and claim Putin is a great guy.
Now compare that to the US, where half the country plan to vote for a president who sides with Putin, Kim Jong-um, and Xi Jinping.
@randahl Finns live right up next to Russia, a country with whom they have had a long and troublesome relationship. Whatever their political orientation, the average Finn will not be pro-Russia and any pro-Putin candidate would be committing career suicide.
Nor does anti-Putin abroad preclude a far right domestic policy and nor is Finland isolated here: look at the far-right sweeping Sweden, Denmark, Italy and other European countries.
@randahl Americans are astonishingly naive that fascism can be "fixed" with health care or free college tuition. Not that these aren't good and should be free, but did you notice how many old school Nazis had the title "Herr Doktor"?
@hermannus
But private/church conservative-led/owned schools DO profit, especially as they take public monies in several #US states like Florida.
Me: WTF are private Christian schools taking public funds away from the school system to teach kids their Bible version of evolution and earth history? @randahl
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