"With the average new text costing more than $100, the typical student can expect to spend more than $900 a year on books."

I remember spending about $650 in just one semester a few years ago... sigh.

And regarding selling books back... its almost worthless. A $100 book will be taken back for maybe $15, and most of the expensive books are the ones you want to keep for later reference or as a professional. Selling them back just means you'll probably end up buying an even more expensive version later when you need it again. The crappy things that you'd want to return, like xeroxed binders, are usually really cheap and cannot be returned in any case.

"Publishers say prices are rising because professors demand the latest editions and the extras."

I say bull. 5 years of college and we never used any of the "extras" in my math or science books. I got the impression from my profs that latest editions were bought because they were the only thing being sold. None of them were delighted to be using the newest and best editions.

As a sidenote regarding higher education being free: What would happen if this were implemented? I would love to see it happen in theory, but what are the actual ramifications?

The whole ball of educational wax, tuition, books, and housing are outstripping inflation. The publishing educational industrial complex akin to the military industrial complex runs some very eerie parallel consolidation. Just like the military industrial complex is down to two super prime contractors Boeing, and Lockheed, with Halliburton the super service supplier rip-off prime. I am unsure of who the prime publishers in the academic world have consolidated into, however in the few courses that I guest lecture, the availability of used books is key in the text selection process. As soon as the class registration list is sent to me, out goes an e-mail to the students specifying text books needed and where to purchase them, either through the internet used or local independent book shops selling used text books. This takes place 45 days before the new semester begins, giving a motivated student time to find the best deals or use the local Internet book exchange forums for texts. The very cutting edge stuff is in the peer-reviewed publications that are available on line through the library.

As for the free College education, yes and yes. There is a chronic shortage of medical folks; the U.S. has to import thousands of Pilipino nurses. The shortage of engineers, credentialed teachers, and many other professions is an aspect of national economic defense that has to be addressed.

I hold out little hope, the oil cartels shot across the economic and strategic bow of the U.S. 32 years ago. Gosh, 32 years to prepare for energy security independence.

Sometimes I wonder, other times I know.

Takes a bucket of blood for the flow of oil

"Free" to whom? Certainly not to middle-class taxpayers. Look, under Federal and many State regimes the last twenty-five years, we are underwriting "Offense" and the Medicare/Medicaid beast (and lately, "Homeland Security") to the exclusion of a great many urgent needs: education, alternative energy, high-speed and commuter rail. You've seen "Why We Fight"? Do you imagine for a moment that we will ever pry those trillions of dollars out of the sweaty palms of the Offense industry? Out of what turnip shall we squeeze the tax revenue to fund primary and secondary education, let alone higher education?

I would love to see a plan where the Federal government would work with the States to make a State University undergrad degree free to their residents. I would hate to try take it further than that.

- Rick
_{"Free your mind, and your ass will follow" - George Clinton}

Today's students have laptops or have access to computers. Why wouldn't books be scanned and put online?

And/or let advertisers drive down the cost of books by allowing them to insert ads in textbooks?

Peter C: What did you mean by, "where to buy them?" Aren't there bookstores in all Universities and Colleges where 'all' textbooks are located? I never had to go outside a College of University campus to locate books I needed. And there were used books at 50% of the cost of new. Or there were ads at the College/University put there by students who had books for sale. Usually private students were better deals both for the buyer and the seller. Professors filled out requisitions supplied by the bookstores and the bookstore ordered them in enough quantities to fulfill all the demand plus a few extra for late registrations that joined the class after it started. I assume by the bookstore buying in quantity they got the very best price and sold them for not much profit. The University/College bookstores were not non-profit, but they didn't gouge students.

If college was free, what possible incentive would there be for students to study hard?

If you put yourself $100k in debt for a law or medical degree, then you're going to have to work pretty hard to get a good job so you can pay it off. I see no problem with that, because (eventually) those jobs pay quite well. They debt is really no problem.

However, if you spend $100k to get a degree on 19th century French poetry, well, then you're pretty damn stupid.

The LAST thing I want is lots of starry eyed dreamers spending $100k of taxpayers money on college degrees that are lots of fun, but have zero value. If kids (or their parents) have to pay for those degrees out of their own pockets, that will keep the waste to a minimum.

Besides... who cares if you have a huge student loan debt? Its not like anybody can reposess your education.

Now... if you want public funding of science and engineering degrees, then I'm with you. However, look at the current anti-science administration: doesn't that make you afraid? If they were the one single source of money for higher education, they could cut all funds to non Bible-related sciences whenever they wanted.

Single point of failure. No good.

It is better to have multiple funding sources: government grants, charitable foundations, and corporations. The government can give general grants, and low-interest loans. Charities give away funds to the minority du jour. Companies fund education by funding research, which ensures good hands-on work at universities.

I think our univerity system is FAR less broken that our primary education system.

--
http://bexhuff.com
Of COURSE you can trust the US Government! Just ask the Indians.

I feel that books are like medicine.
Doctors are paid to tell people what medicines to take by corporations
I think Profs. are paid the same for the books they suggest!
Corporations have taken over the economy at our cost.

_{repressive governments mix administrative clumsiness & inefficiency with authoritarian tendencies.}