Tax parents for tuition

In response to the article on Feb. 14, “Learning’s burden,” we see the never-ending tuition costs of many Washington state colleges are on the rise. So are the student levels of stress, lack of financial stability and even their non-sociable lives.

With Gov. Chris Gregoire’s proposed 4.2 percent funding cut to the state’s four-year universities and recommended 9 to 11 percent tuition increase, students will need to make an important decision as to whether the debt incurred from college is worth the price of a job in the market.

We the people need to redirect our focus and possibly require that at birth, a college fund be established and funded through a tax by the individual parents. If an amount is taken from each paycheck to fund this account, the child will be financially stable to start college. If the tuition cost rises or falls, so will that taxation.

If we don’t have a place in the job market without a college degree, but can’t afford to attend college, then it’s a no-win situation.

Whitney Ann Frederick

Spokane