From a pure economics standpoint, if more people goes into technical fields because of the higher pay, the pay for those jobs would decrease thanks to the supply. Additionally, the pay for humanities jobs would (hopefully) increase if the market really calls for X% of population being great poets/fiction novelists/writers.

As long as we make sure the people with (arts) degree are not working as burger flippers or other low-paying jobs they overly qualified for, whether government offers more/less aids to arts/engineering does not affect the government’s coffer too much in the long run.

And I certainly think education in the humanities is critical for anyone – I keep my education up to this day through the boring old-fashioned method of reading classic literature and history and philosophy – sans tuition!

And actually, as someone who bridges the “divide” between the hard sciences and the humanities – I wish MORE doctors, engineers and financiers had training in ethics and sociology!

Anyway – very thought-provoking, if sarcastic.

In an ironic way, Steve, some of your commenters sort of prove why education in the humanities is a necessary thing (particularly ethics and history)… Eugenics anyone?

Actually I’m sure there’s some value to some of the sarcastic points I made, but I still feel that there is some intrinsic value in something like a French major. I think that if the US encourages comp sci or engineering, great – but I don’t think we need to be so draconian to assume that music education, for example, is worthless and doesn’t deserve at least some subsidizing.

I guess it’s a point that can be argued either way!

So while I think some of these govn subsidies are totally justifiable, there should be limits, not the least of which should include graduating in a timely manner and maintaining good grades. And schools whose tuition is paid mostly by govn aid should be held accountable and regulated as to how they use their tuition dollars and how often they raise tuition.

But then students typically just go get private loans…. Ug.

I think there is a lot of waste in the college system, and I’ve seen first hand people waste years of their lives dilly dallying through generals on student loans with no purpose… Not really getting a true education, but just delaying being a productive member of the world.

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I think the idea that education leads to a more productive society is wrong. Hard work and intelligence leads to productivity. What happens when we send 70% to college instead of 30% is simply that the levels are dumped down. To keep getting the cream of the crop education is extended for the smarter part (the 30%). The other 40% get a degree that no longer means a lot. So it is not increased education that leads to more productivity. Rather it is increasing productivity that leads to the country being able to afford parking their young in essentially unproductive endeavors for increasing amounts of time.

@ Steve – Mick may have done better with the economy but Greenspan wouldn’t be able to pull off the tight pants!