Why dont they just make post-secondary education fees cheaper so more kids can go to school?

Because a lot of people don't want to pay higher taxes to make that possible. Some think, "*I* paid my own way/my kid's way through school, therefore so should everyone else," or "I'm done with college and don't have kids, so how will this benefit me? I don't want to pay for someone else's kids," or "I didn't go to college and I'm just fine. If you want to go to college, borrow money. If you can't, it's probably not worth it." Others don't really think it through, and are against it even if it will ultimately benefit their kids with a net savings. I agree that everyone would benefit from more federal funding for universities (even more so in the US, where I'm from), whether directly or via need-based financial aid or both, so that all talented, hard-working students can go to any college that will admit them. Unfortunately, universities do cost a lot of money to run, and that money has to come from somewhere. In a democracy, that means convincing voters that it's worth it, and unless a majority really values equal access to education enough to pay for it, it's not going to happen.

They could get scholarships, but they need the schools to be expensive so they can afford all of the wonderful facilities that they provide. At some schools you can take out a loan and pay them a little bit at a time before you graduate. If yo don't want to do that you could take a loan from the bank, and as I said before scholarships are always a good idea.

If they're really smart then they can get scholarships that will pay their way through college.

Give me a break. It is cheap. 1. In Canada, 75%-80% of the cost of tuition is paid for by the provinces. A typical eight months of undergraduate studies costs about $6000 in most universities for Canadian citizens and about $25,000-$27,000 for international students. Going rate in the United States is even higher. You are already only paying a fraction of their costs. Even a part time or summer job will easily cover all tuition, fees and books without any problems. 2. All provinces and the federal government offer scholarships as do many private organizations, unions, community associations, industry groups, cities, individual government ministries, etc. A typical university admissions department will give you a list of hundreds of them. 3. All provinces and the federal government have student loan programs. So, you don't even have to pay for your education until years after you've earned it -- if for some reason you can't come up with the money. 4. Every cent of tuition, books, and many other expenses are fully tax deductible. As a student, you keep virtually every cent of your earned income, well past the point you've pay off school. Even your student loan payments are tax deductible. 5. In Canada, since students typically have no taxable income, they pay nothing in most provinces for health care. That's effectively paid for you by someone else also. 6. You get discounts on everything from bus passes, library admissions, museum passes, etc. You don't have to pay for an out-of-province license, and hundreds of other benefits paid for by various government and private organizations. The University of Toronto charges the same fees as almost every other university in the province. Almost every university in Canada is within 25% of each other. Further, except for specialized programs, most universities offer the same level of education. One can easily pick a city with lower living costs. Canada has one of the highest post-secondary education rates in the world. Over 52% of Canadian adults have an undergraduate degree or better, 17% have a master's or better. It is so easy to pay for university in Canada that complaining about it both laughable and sickening. Get a student loan, take a year off and work, get a summer job, etc. If your friend doesn't like the $20,000+ per year that the government is already willing to give him to go to university, plus loan him the rest, then he should just find a bridge to jump off of because he won't get a better deal anywhere else in the world.

The really motivated and talented students will find a way to go to college. A lot of kids who go to college don't belong there and would do better to get training in some type of hands-on career. One can make a good living in any number of skilled trades. I recently heard a piece on the radio in which a manufacturing rep said they're begging for trained welders, who can earn close to $70K a year to start. College was never meant to be for everyone. Colleges ARE supported by taxpayers - public ones, anyway - and college should be like everything else: if you want it, you should pay for it.

I don't know how it is in Canada, but in the United States our government is way too concerned with investing more money in our military - by buying more fighter jets and cargo planes and such that WE DON'T NEED, fighting in pointless wars that made NO DIFFERENCE for us, and being ripped off by defense contractors like Lockheed Martin to make us nice "toys." Of course we are finally not allowed to splurge senselessly anymore because our government sent our economy to Hell... Also, our government was most interested in bailing out greedy banks and corporations, the very "people" who own them. You see, the government is more concerned about other things than their own citizens and their education.