Another Giveaway

Western Michigan University has announced a plan to give free tuition and more to students coming out of the foster care system.

We can all sympathize with foster kids. But where is the money for this plan going to come from? The article doesn't say.

This plan will likely be vulnerable to the usual problems with welfare programs. It is worth pointing out that being in college and succeeding in college are two different things.

The article does point out the importance of traditional families in children's success.

In addition to their financial and housing problems, a number of other issues come into play with former foster youth who enroll in college. They frequently lack adult encouragement and role models and often are unfamiliar with college and career options, project organizers said.

"What we've learned, when you come from being raised in a system where you really don't have a mom and dad, somebody looking out for you, you really are in'' survival mode, Unrau said.

"Sometimes it's trying to take care of one problem before the next one comes up, and not necessarily being equipped with some of the basic (knowledge you otherwise might have) if you were allowed the benefit of being in a traditional family,'' Unrau added.

This doesn't bode well for this program.

Interestingly, the subjects of this program would be required to live in university dorms. The dorms are significantly underoccupied due to the usual mismanagement that occurs outside the free market.