IS HIGHER EDUCATION A WASTE OF MONEY? An interview with Andrew Hacker, author of Higher Education?: How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids—and What We Can Do About It. “Imagine that, $50,000 a year. Thats over what the typical American worker makes. Now, why is that? Its because colleges know they can keep raising their prices as theyve been doing, well ahead of inflation, and the students will come and take out loans. In other words, our colleges are being really built on the indebtedness that young people, starting at the age of 18, are signing papers that they are going to live with until they’re 38. We regard this as totally immoral.” It’s also unsustainable, something I discussed in this column in June, and will be saying more about soon.