Demonstrating that he retains some of his liberal ideologies as a former Clinton supporter, Trey Grayson joined Democrat Jonathan Miller to co-found the “Cradle-to-College” commission. The name itself suggests a commitment to the Nanny State, an overbearing government powerhouse that pretends it can take care of children better than their parents can, from “cradle to grave.”
Trey Grayson and his liberal colleague formed Cradle-to-College as a socialist scheme that uses wealth redistribution to set up college funds for newborn children. This program is very similar to current efforts by the Obama administration and the Democratic congress to extend healthcare to all Americans through the force of government. However, instead of promising “universal, affordable healthcare,” Trey Grayson’s liberal initiative seeks to extend all students the opportunity to attend college.
While Trey Grayson and his liberal associates may have good intentions in setting up this program, like government-run healthcare it is extremely flawed. By using taxation to provide each student with a “free” education, this scheme eliminates the market-based incentives that would otherwise make college more affordable and of higher quality. When universities feel they are guaranteed to receive government-sponsored aid, they no longer have the incentive to drive prices down.
The other disturbing element of Trey Grayson’s college plan is that it requires each student to perform community service in order to “cash in” on his or her college account. While participating in community or military service is undoubtedly something to be commended, problems arise when government requires these services in exchange for money that is extracted from the people in the first place. That is, some people such as Rahm Emanuel are looking to create a big-government program in the form of “universal, citizen service.” He outlines his idea in the following video:
America prospers when individuals have their God-given rights of life, liberty, and property protected. If Trey Grayson was truly a conservative, he would emphasize the values of free markets, low taxes, and personal responsibility. A better approach to his government program would be to reduce taxes for all Kentuckians and remove government intereference from the college market. This way, families would be able to keep more of their own money, and colleges would be forced to compete for tuition. Additionally, the values of service to the local community and the country should be voluntary actions made by free Americans.
Conservatives should demand that Trey Grayson stands up for the values of limited-government, free markets, and personal responsibility instead of proposing more government programs in the name of bipartisanship.
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