Bruce was correct that Obama did not call for free college education. Scott is incorrect that he did.  Thats what Mike meant (not that he needs me to translate for him).

Amazing Documentary/film

http://iraqforsale.org/trailer.php

Scroll back through the pages at some of the vile garbage he's posted about people.

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And I'm not taking sides here. It's just that we were having a spirited but civil discussion -- and I like keeping it at that level.

Bruce was correct that Obama did not call for free college education. Scott is incorrect that he did

From Obama's own Blueprint for Change.

Obama will create a new American Opportunity Tax Credit that will make tuition at the nation's community colleges completely free and will cover up to two-thirds the cost of tuition at the nation's public colleges and universities.

And I'm not taking sides here. It's just that we were having a spirited but civil discussion -- and I like keeping it at that level.

And Bruce worked in the newspaper business -- which shows you how rare a bird he is! 

Geoff, what really makes me a rare bird is that I was a newspaper reporter and a conservative.

Let's just say I got used to being in the minority on a lot of political discussions! (To bring it back to comics, I was much more of a Vic Sage than a Clark Kent.)

A tax credit is not free education.  You pay for it and you get to credit it against your personal income taxes.  Its not a government check, per se.*  A tax credit reduces tax directly, while a deduction or allowance only reduces taxable income.

*Edited to add "per se" because a credit can reduce income tax "debt" to a surplus resulting in a person getting a larger return.  Its why you always want credits rather than deductions.

College education SHOULD be free and WAS free for years.

Really? In the US it was?  Literally, I did not know that.

Geoff, what really makes me a rare bird is that I was a newspaper reporter and a conservative.

Geez, you really are rare!  At MSNBC you would be almost all alone!