Obama To Take Over Control of College Textbooks?
3.31.10 – Candace de Russy over at National Review posted an alarming example of an Obama power grab. Or perhaps more precisely it’s yet another alarming example of an Obama power grab. This time Obama apparently is setting the table to take control of what is printed in our nation’s college textbooks.
Obama To Take Over Control of College Textbooks?
Candace de Russy over at National Review posted an alarming example of an Obama power grab. Or perhaps more precisely it’s yet another alarming example of an Obama power grab. This time Obama apparently is setting the table to take control of what is printed in our nation’s college textbooks.
This one slipped past my radar in August of 2009, but apparently Barack Obama signed the Federal Textbook Act (Download .pdf file) that made provisions for the federal government to take control of the pricing and availability of the text books in our institutions of higher learning (at least the ones that take federal funding).
According to the language of the act, it is all about keeping textbooks affordable for students.
Purpose and Intent- The purpose of this section is to ensure that students have access to affordable course materials by decreasing costs to students and enhancing transparency and disclosure with respect to the selection, purchase, sale, and use of course materials. It is the intent of this section to encourage all of the involved parties, including faculty, students, administrators, institutions of higher education, bookstores, distributors, and publishers, to work together to identify ways to decrease the cost of college textbooks and supplemental materials for students while supporting the academic freedom of faculty members to select high quality course materials for students.
Sounds good, right?
Maybe not so much.
National Review quotes George Mason economics professor Donald J. Boudreaux as saying that this act seems to be “a first step toward federal oversight of the contents of college textbooks.” As proof he points specifically to section C, the publisher requirements section.
(C) A description of the substantial content revisions made between the current edition of the college textbook or supplemental material and the previous edition, if any.
Why does Obama’s overlords need to know what revisions have been made to a textbook? This act is supposed to be concerned with pricing and availability, not content… isn’t it?
Of course, we all know that once government gets its tendrils into your business it takes all power away from you and reassigns it to government. So, once this act is implemented, any federal money involved will give government the opening to begin controlling everything in the process of creating and distributing college textbooks.
As prof Boudreaux points out, if people are upset over the recent newfound control that the conservative leaning Texas textbook commission had over new textbooks, then how upset might they be if the federal government takes over our college textbooks? There should be no difference at all in the reaction if it was really government control that was being opposed.
Naturally, its always about whose ox is being gored with liberals. Texas textbook control: baaaaad. Obama textbook control: gooooood.
I would also point out one other thing. Many professors in our nation’s colleges and universities have hit the lottery by writing textbooks for their own classes, books that their university will then adopt as the “official” textbook for class work. These professors make a tidy sum of money on these expensive, small print run books that their captive student audience is forced to buy. It would seem to me that this Federal Textbook Act could easily eliminate this lucrative but under-the-radar source of income for professors everywhere. Not that I am against that, but it is something for those lefty profs that so love their Obammessiah to think about.
This bill was originally signed in 2008 by President Bush and was introduced by Illinois Senator Dick Durbin. It took effect this year during Obama’s presidency. But regardless of who signed it — and this shows that Bush was as bad as Obama for his love of big government — it is a bad idea to allow the federal government to get involved in the production of text books.
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Comments
(C) A description of the substantial content revisions made between the current edition of the college textbook or supplemental material and the previous edition, if any.
Anyone who has attended college understands what it's like to pay hundreds of dollars more for textbooks with relatively few changes from year to year. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a government to inject conscience when the "market" doesn't produce it.
It's not in our nation's best interest to squeeze out money from a population already swimming in debt.
Ummm…somebody needs to take a reading comprehension course. The Federal Textbook Act will do for textbooks what the FTC does for any other industry, that is, oversee the competition in the textbook market so that people–namely students and/or their parents who have to fork over the often ridiculously high-priced books–can get a fair price.
I vividly remember that one of the most expensive books I ever had to purchase was my Economics book. I'd like to know how much the textbook used in Prof. Boudreaux's class costs!
I couldn't agree more with the above two comments… This a article seems to me to be an attempt to brew a tempest in a teapot. The textbook industry and professors have had a field day for years…with minor changes,in editions,with nothing much noteworthy. Publish or perish! Egos and tenure…
Such articles as this feed into the hysterical Tea Party claims and fans their fires…for what other purpose is this written? Further,where has the author been while the NCEE/NASDC corporations and several foundations took over schools in the 80's? No hue and cry then for the massive changes in curriculum that prevail still!
An addendum to the a previous comment (in which there is an extra comma or two…sorry..I was aggravated after reading this article)
My addendum is this: Why did the author leave to the end of her article the admission that the Federal Textbook Act originated under President Bush and his Administration? I suspect that the purpose in her article was to further inflame the uninformed reader Another example of publish or perish too?
Indeed, another ugly, inflammatory title that is intended to raise more ire against Obama for something he really did not do. Plus, letting consumers know the extent of a revision can save students thousands. I weary of this kind of journalism and the publications and the sites that publish it.
I have news for you, we already have national curriculum in many of our public high schools. The text is called,
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution. Order this review:
http://www.edwatch.org/ab_feature.html#textbook
The amount I had to pay last semester for books was insane. Between tuition and housing, I came so close to breaking the bank due to the amount of money I had to spend on books. If you’re as frustrated as I am, go to <a href="http://www.cheapesttextbooks.com/">Buy College Textbooks</a> where you can get the most up-to-date editions at a fair price.