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Sunday, November 15, 2026Nov 15

Ron Hart: Skip college and read ‘Beowulf’ on your own

Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Students walk through campus at UTC between classes on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021 in Chattanooga, Tenn. UTC, along with other public universities in Tenn., was forced to lift mask mandates for students this week after Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a package of bills designed to rein in public health measures that some government entities had put in place to control the spread of COVID-19.
Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Students walk through campus at UTC between classes on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021 in Chattanooga, Tenn. UTC, along with other public universities in Tenn., was forced to lift mask mandates for students this week after Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a package of bills designed to rein in public health measures that some government entities had put in place to control the spread of COVID-19.

In America it has always been an article of faith that one should get a college degree. I have said for a decade that, due to liberal professors and a lack of competition or cost controls, traditional college no longer represents the value proposition it once did.

Higher education charges tuition at twice the rate of inflation and is not responsible for the products it produces. Colleges are essentially a government monopoly. But since they are government, overseen by government, government lets them get away with little accountability.

As a result of the lack of cost controls and government now monopolizing student loan lending, $1.6 trillion in student loan debt is outstanding. That is about $40,000 for each sucker … uh, I mean, student.

Biden and Kamala tried to pander to the young saps with the debt by pretending they were going to forgive it. What a great life lesson: not being responsible for what you borrow. In the woke Biden world, if your car loan identified as a student loan, then you might own your Nissan Versa free and clear.

Predictably, the courts said Biden couldn’t do that after the election. But for those who borrowed money under Joe Biden, it’s not a bad idea. Generally speaking, you would do well to borrow long-term from someone with Alzheimer’s disease.