Florida contemplates differential tuition subsidies for Science / Huma

[softwareNerd]

A Florida government task force has recommended that the state government provide lower subsidies for different fields of study:

...students pursuing degrees most needed for Florida's job market, including ones in science, technology, engineering and math, collectively known as the STEM fields.

The committee is recommending no tuition increases for them in the next three years.

But to pay for that, students in fields such as psychology, political science, anthropology, and performing arts could pay more because they have fewer job prospects in the state.

[JASKN]

More shenanigans messing up natural demand! A relative case might have been made when the government was still funding "75%" of the university's costs, but now a statement like, "But you better really want to do it, because you may have to pay more," is government doing the opposite of what it should. Government at its most anger-inducing.

[mdegges]

I don't know what's worse.. that line of reasoning, or the comments that say, "Those who have the greatest likelihood of employment should pay more for their degree, because Florida presumes they'll make that money back."

[Nicky]

I haven't looked into this too carefully, but I guess they're trying to mimic the law of supply and demand, no?

[softwareNerd]

I don't know what's worse.. that line of reasoning, or the comments that say, "Those who have the greatest likelihood of employment should pay more for their degree, because Florida presumes they'll make that money back."

True.

This little example illustrates two different forms of statism/altruism.

On the one hand -- illustrated by the government panel -- is old-style statism. In this view, the state is the entity that is wise and must push its citizens to acting in the common-good. Also, the common-good is viewed as something the state can determine. Old style communists and fascists as well as many modern Democrat socialists and modern Republican neo-cons have this approach: "the good" can be decided by the state, and citizens follow --- forced if you're old-style commie, "nudged" if you're modern.

The other viewpoint is a little more hippie-like and nihilistic, but also comes across as having an element of individualism. In this view, we are encouraged to doubt that there is any universal truth and universal way to figure out what is "the good". The state cannot know what is the good, because what's good for me is up to my own subjective wishes and I might decide anything, without the use of evidence or logic, and it may still be "my good". So, in this view, the state respects my decision and if it leaves me worse off in practical terms, the state uses its power to subsidize me.

[bluecherry]

I'm calling it now. There will be accusations of sexism.

[Nicky]

I'm calling it now. There will be accusations of sexism.

That's racist.