There has been a lot of press regarding the $130 million cut to the University of Alaska. I, of course, disagree with a lot of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s cuts, but I feel that a college’s operational costs should be paid by tuition, donations from alumni and corporations, not the taxpayers.
After the Korean War, I was denied GI Bill education funding because I had lied about my age when I joined the Army. So, like tens of thousands of other young people in the U.S. struggling to pay tuition, I took a night job in a sawmill, in Longview, Washington, and a half college load during the day.
It takes longer to get a degree that way, but you’ll not be carrying the load of a student loan for years after graduation and the $130 million can then go for care of seniors, foster kids, the homeless and crumbling infrastructure.
— John A. Anderson,
Kenai
