The TNR Primary on Clark's College Plan

Clay Risen over at the TNR Primary likes Clark's college plan which I mentioned earlier this week.

For a variety of reasons, the Democratic candidates have decided that college tuition hikes, and the resulting exclusion of millions from higher education, should be a key plank in their domestic policy platforms. Unfortunately, most take a feed-the-fire approach, pumping more money into the system through financial aid without addressing the causes behind the cost increases. Tuition at most colleges accounts for only a fraction of total funding, which means more money won't necessarily slow the increases; in fact, if simple economics prevail, tuitions might simply inflate to match.

Wesley Clark's "Universal College Grant Plan," a part of his new push to beef up his policy credentials, isn't perfect, but it stands apart from many of the other candidates' in at least recognizing, and in part responding to, the flip side of the tuition coin. It recognizes that, at least at public colleges, the recent skyrocketing in tuition costs (50 percent over the last decade) is due in no small part to the drop in state higher-education budgets. So, to complement a $12,000 grant to students for the first two years of college, the plan would also put $10 billion a year toward helping relieve pressure on states; the plan would also create a commission to "to study the causes of tuition increases and suggest solutions."