re: #112 Belafon

My white kids are really smart, but I don’t expect any of them to get into Harvard, and I don’t think the Obamas have anything to do with that.

Her chances probably would have been smaller if her dad had not become president, but I suspect the schools she’d have gotten to go to because of her parents financial success would have given her more opportunities than, say, my kids who are pretty smart. We just wouldn’t care as much.

With respect to that, Harvard, IIRC, would pay for a kid’s education if their parents’ income falls below a certain level. Pays for, not lends money. My alma mater (also Michelle’s) realized several years ago that middle class kids were avoiding the school, because they didn’t want to be burdened with $200,000+ in school loans. So, the trustees decided, “Well, you know, we’ve got this huge multi-billion dollar endowment. We can probably just give those kids enough money to come here, and skip the loans.”

The other Ivies had to follow Princeton’s lead, or lose candidates.

Anywho, the Obamas are pretty well off, but dropping $60K a year for Malia’s college education might give even them pause.