Interesting side-convo in this thread as always on this bbs. As for the OP topic. It sounds great, and wouldn't take a lot of money. It would also be merit-driven. Obviously it would have to be vetted by conservatives and changed if it passed it all. That's not necessarily a bad thing.
To opinions that I've taken not of...
1. A lady being interviewed on NPR said it "it was a good start, but she's disappointed that the proposal wasn't need based." <--- not a verbatim quote.
Her opinion made me a little angry, and this is coming from someone who didn't come from a wealthy background. I also spent two years paying my own way at a Juco. The idea isn't made better by further dividing people into haves and have-nots. Her opinion is probably a symptom of what I perceive as a very real liberal thought process of division into groups.
2. Dickstone's statement that Jucos aren't very expensive anyway.
That's not really an opinion, but definitely worth noting. If anything, and this is tied in to not making this whole thing merit-based. Something of this nature could go a long way to further destigmatizing the juco route. It could also stop a whole lot of people from going to four-year schools out of high school before they realize that they have no business being there, help other students get acclimated to what is needed for college success, while also driving down the costs of many four-year schools. Not to mention saving a lot of time and money for those who would be more happy earning some type of certificate from a juco rather than being unhappy at a four-year school before quitting or failing out.