Ignorance Is Strength

Krugman is concerned about higher education in the US. The recession has led to a 12% reduction in state support for higher education over the last 5 years. California, which has some of the best state colleges in the the US, has cut spending by 20%. These cuts come during a time of rising tuitions and fees. They have increased by 70%, adjusted for inflation, over the last decade. (This trend has been accompanied by a rapid rise in student loan debt, which now exceeds the level of credit card debt in the US.}

Access to higher education has been a traditional American value. It has been the means for economic mobility, and it is viewed as a necessary condition for maintaining national competitiveness. Support for education has not been one of the themes of the GOP primary campaign. Rick Santorum has campaigned against higher education on the unsubstantiated grounds that it encourages secularism. It is not surprising that Santorum would adopt that stance, given that his target market in the GOP base denies global warming and the theory of evolution. Romney's lukewarm comments about education may reflect a greater concern about support for higher education within the better educated segment of the GOP base. In a global labor market, well educated employees are available at a lower cost than similarly educated Americans.