“There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.”
TANSTAAFL
The New York Post reports:
Critics blast Cuomo’s free-college-tuition plan as a ‘sham’
Lawmakers are calling Gov. Cuomo’s free-college-tuition plan a “sham” because it won’t help as many students as promised and low-income students could still be stuck with big bills.
State legislators are picking apart Cuomo’s $163 million proposal — which would cover tuition at public colleges for in-state students whose families earn less than $100,000 — while slamming a provision that raises tuition at CUNY and SUNY by $250 per year.
“This is not about free tuition, it’s about shifting costs and putting added burdens on people in the city,” one legislator said. “This is a sham.”
Critics say the eligibility rules for the free-tuition program are too stringent for students who are enrolled part-time or have jobs outside class. Students must complete 120 credit hours in four years to remain eligible.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/san-francisco-announces-deal-tuition-free-community-college-n718341
Notice the shift in the wording? The article starts off by saying that college is tuition-free. Then it says that it’s funded through a real estate transfer tax. That means that people will pay more in real estate taxes (including rentals) in order to transfer the wealth to the students.
That’s not “free”.