Hooray for MetaEzra

[Trotsky]

The bottom line is that Cornell can't compete for students whose parents are in the $40K to (at least) $200K range.  It can compete for the (relatively) very poor and the very rich.  Boy, that's what Cornell needs: an even *more* bimodal distribution between the working class kids and the trust fund kids.

Harvard has a 10% ceiling on EFC up to family income of $180k.  Let's assume the "best case" (from Cornell's POV) that it's a hard shelf, and at $180,001 the gap disappears.  This article says in 2007 about 50% of the Harvard undergrad population were below that mark (leaving 50% as Upper Class Twits of the Year).

According to this site, Harvard admitted about 2000 students last year, so we're talking about 1000 kids in that 40-160 cohort.  Cornell admitted 6500 kids out of 35k applicants.

It's not the end of the world for Cornell (although with Yale aping Harvard we can pretty much double the impact).  The main lesson is probably that $50k per year expenses for the Ancien Regime is too high in a world that churns out PhDs like toilet paper and in which a hundred or more competitors provide a comparable* product at a big discount.

(* except for the intangibles, of course ;-) )

[Rosey]

The main lesson is probably that $50k per year expenses for the Ancien Regime is too high in a world that churns out PhDs like toilet paper and in which a hundred or more competitors provide a comparable* product at a big discount.

And this is exactly the point: the choice won't be between Harvard and Yale and Cornell.  It will be between Harvard and Yale and (if one doesn't get in to either of those) the honors program at the state university.  Cornell—along with scores of other private colleges whose primary value is the credential they bestow—will simply be priced out of that segment of the market.

[Trotsky]

And this is exactly the point: the choice won't be between Harvard and Yale and Cornell.  It will be between Harvard and Yale and (if one doesn't get in to either of those) the honors program at the state university.  Cornell—along with scores of other private colleges whose primary value is the credential they bestow—will simply be priced out of that segment of the market.

I've decided.  You're actually more irritating when I agree with you. :-( ;-)

[Rosey]

And this is exactly the point: the choice won't be between Harvard and Yale and Cornell.  It will be between Harvard and Yale and (if one doesn't get in to either of those) the honors program at the state university.  Cornell—along with scores of other private colleges whose primary value is the credential they bestow—will simply be priced out of that segment of the market.

I've decided.  You're actually more irritating when I agree with you. :-( ;-)

That sounds like a challenge. Would you like to debate the relative merits of democracy and monarchy? ;-)

[Trotsky]

That sounds like a challenge. Would you like to debate the relative merits of democracy and monarchy? ;-)

No.  Anyway, you're not fooling anyone.  We all know you're a minarchist.

[Rosey]

That sounds like a challenge. Would you like to debate the relative merits of democracy and monarchy? ;-)

No.  Anyway, you're not fooling anyone.  We all know you're a minarchist.

Actually, I'm an anarchist, but I can and have effectively argued that monarchy is superior to democracy, even (especially?) with regard to individual liberties.

[Trotsky]

Actually, I'm an anarchist, but I can and have effectively argued that monarchy is superior to democracy, even (especially?) with regard to individual liberties.

"The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination." -- Voltaire

You may not know it, but you're a minarchist.  You don't really believe the only legitimate way to stop me from hiring mercenaries to take your stuff is to hire other mercenaries to protect it.

Nobody over 18 is that silly.

[Robb]

That sounds like a challenge. Would you like to debate the relative merits of democracy and monarchy? ;-)

No.  Anyway, you're not fooling anyone.  We all know you're a minarchist.

Actually, I'm an anarchist, but I can and have effectively argued that monarchy is superior to democracy, even (especially?) with regard to individual liberties.

How can you consider it effective when I'm still not convinced?  

Monarchy can be superior, so long as you elect the right monarch.  If not, well, you get Zimbabwe...

[Rosey]

You may not know it, but you're a minarchist.  You don't really believe the only legitimate way to stop me from hiring mercenaries to take your stuff is to hire other mercenaries to protect it.

Nobody over 18 is that silly.

Then you need to read more Murray Rothbard and Hans-Hermann Hoppe.

But more importantly, the first step to conducting a good argument is not to attempt to be the authority on what I believe. :-D

[Trotsky]

You may not know it, but you're a minarchist.  You don't really believe the only legitimate way to stop me from hiring mercenaries to take your stuff is to hire other mercenaries to protect it.

Nobody over 18 is that silly.

Then you need to read more Murray Rothbard and Hans-Hermann Hoppe.

But more importantly, the first step to conducting a good argument is not to attempt to be the authority on what I believe. :-D

Why read Rothbard when you can skip retail and go right to von Mises?  But Murray is interesting at first blush, I'll give you that.  Larry Niven without a sense of humor.  And his version of the Robinson Crusoe argument is... well, OK, it's sociopathic, but engaging.  (Nobody is more virulent than a lapsed convert.  I had my MR phase as well.)

Over/under 6 years (3 to recover, 3 more to admit it).  See?  I have more faith in you than me (took me 10).  ;-)

[Rosey]

Then you need to read more Murray Rothbard and Hans-Hermann Hoppe.

But more importantly, the first step to conducting a good argument is not to attempt to be the authority on what I believe. :-D

Why read Rothbard when you can skip retail and go right to von Mises?

Because von Mises is not an anarcho-capitalist.  I have read plenty of his works, anyway, as well as Hayek's, because they are insightful.  But pulling him into an argument about the validity of Rothbard's views smacks of name-dropping and appeal to authority, both types of fallacies designed to elicit a specific response from onlookers.

Over/under 6 years (3 to recover, 3 more to admit it).  See?  I have more faith in you than me (took me 10).  ;-)

I see any recovery on your part from condescension is already a lost cause.  Let's just agree to disagree, shall we?

Maybe you acted irrationally and couldn't separate theory from practice, but I live in the world I have, not the world I want.  That doesn't mean I shouldn't seek positive change, for which I advocate daily.

[Trotsky]

Then you need to read more Murray Rothbard and Hans-Hermann Hoppe.

But more importantly, the first step to conducting a good argument is not to attempt to be the authority on what I believe. :-D

Why read Rothbard when you can skip retail and go right to von Mises?

Because von Mises is not an anarcho-capitalist.  I have read plenty of his works, anyway, as well as Hayek's, because they are insightful.  But pulling him into an argument about the validity of Rothbard's views smacks of name-dropping and appeal to authority, both types of fallacies designed to elicit a specific response from onlookers.

Over/under 6 years (3 to recover, 3 more to admit it).  See?  I have more faith in you than me (took me 10).  ;-)

I see any recovery on your part from condescension is already a lost cause.  Let's just agree to disagree, shall we?

Maybe you acted irrationally and couldn't separate theory from practice, but I live in the world I have, not the world I want.  That doesn't mean I shouldn't seek positive change, for which I advocate daily.

Jesus, Kyle, I'm just messing with you.

PM me if you want to discuss in detail.

[Rosey]

Jesus, Kyle, I'm just messing with you.

And I you.  No offense intended, or taken.

[Trotsky]

Jerk / Typical...

[RichH]

Jerk / Typical...

NOOOooooo!!!  Don't let it end!!  

::popcorn::  ::popcorn::  ::popcorn::

::banana::