Maybe the FREE MARKET will solve the problem of teh bias:
The Department of Education is tired of federally subsidized student loans going to shady for-profit colleges that have poor track records of getting the students who do graduates good work — often leaving them stuck with mountains of debt. To curb this phenomenon, the agency has been moving along with a new regulation they call the “Gainful Employment” rule.
[…..]But behind the scenes, a bipartisan bloc of House members see things differently. They say the rule would reach too far and clamp down on institutions that do a decent job of educating and preparing students. But they want to tie the Department of Education’s hands completely, and block the funds they’d need to implement the rules at all.
The Kaplan University scam is the fastest growing money maker the Washington Post company has, so expect an editorial attacking the DoE on this any day now.
Villago Delenda Est
I am sure the Ferengi PR frontmen of the Kaplan Post will be howling about this within the next few days.
freelancer
@Villago Delenda Est:
Could someone explain to the non-Trekkie Juicers the Ferengi reference? I’ve seen most of the movies and even enjoyed the JJ Abrams reboot, but most of my reaction to the Trek phenomenon has been kind of “meh”.
me
The Ferengi represent Reason Magazine’s ideal society.
Jesse
The Ferengi were an ultra-capitalist society governed by the “Rules of Acquisition”, which were basically religious tenets that boiled down to “profit uber alles.”
Sound familiar?
freelancer
@Jesse:
Okay, thanks. They were basically Hank Reardon, Mr. Scrooge, Mr. Potter, and Gordon Gekko distilled into the identity of their very species? Sounds fuxxored.
Dennis SGMM
WTF? I can understand Republicans signing on to this (Liberty University, Bob Jones University, etc), I sure as hell can’t understand why any Democrats would do so – especially those representing heavily-minority districts. If I was the parent of a college-bound student I wouldn’t allow my child to enroll in any institution that didn’t provide the information required by the proposed disclosure.
BR
For those who haven’t seen it, the Frontline documentary on for-profit colleges is essential:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/collegeinc/view/
daryljfontaine
University of Phoenix ad below this top post. Awesome synergy.
D
KG
@freelancer: those guys had nothing on the Ferengi, here is a partial list of The Rules of Acquisition
freelancer
@daryljfontaine:
Blame google’s ad algorithm.
RSA
This is the onerous burden placed on for-profit colleges, according to an ed.gov press release:
Truth in advertising, along with penalties for failure? I can see why Republicans (and some weaselly Democrats) don’t like it.
Nick
What? Democrats in Congress are undermining the Obama administration? Quelle surprise!
RinaX
@Nick:
The hell you say!
And within the vein of education:
http://www.thegrio.com/news/racist-remarks-rock-murray-state.php
Michael Richardson
It looks to me that this Gainful Employment amendment is setting up President Obama and the White House to take a fall by exposing their ties to Wall Street. Wall Street short-seller Steve Eisman is in the middle of gainful employment (see: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/48695.html).
Former Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was an investment banker (see: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/rahm-emanuel-former-investment-banker/) and White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett has hidden her Wall Street ties. Jarrett was involved with the Harris Investment Fund which engaged in short selling and derivatives. http://peureport.blogspot.com/2010/10/make-up-hides-valerie-jarretts-white.html.
Wall Street and our kids’ education do not jive – I don’t want these people gambling our children’s future and selling to the lowest bidder.
someofparts
What an evil way to make money.
Nylund
Its a messed up situation. Schools lure desperate people with promises of great futures, take out huge loans in their name, keep the money, and dump these people back on the streets after wasting so many precious hours, days, years with BS education and a degree that the world laughs at. On the other hand, you have people who really want to better themselves who have few other options, especially since our over-crowded community colleges turn so many away. The gainful employment rule seems like a good way to make sure schools just don’t pocket the money without actually helping anyone. Of course, actually helping these people would cut into the profits of the school, and Republicans (and Wall St.) value profit above all else.
This is exactly the sort of “sucking at the government teet” that the GOP claims to despise, except of course, when they’re doing the sucking and its the poor getting screwed over with massive amounts of debt.
Arclite
@BR: Yeah, that documentary was great.
sneezy
“The Department of Education is tired of federally subsidized student loans going to shady for-profit colleges that have poor track records of getting the students who do graduates good work—often leaving them stuck with mountains of debt.”
Does anybody proofread or copyedit TPM? Because, wow, that sentence is a mess.