Mumia Abu-jamal's Radio Essays

Planning to Fail col. writ. 10/18/07 It's hard to look at American society today, and not see how everything seems to be a plan for failure. One would be hard-pressed to find a society which seems to see education as little more than a business, which only the well-to-do can begin to afford. There are a plethora of loans, even some provided by the feds, but fewer and fewer grants. When students are lucky enough to find loans, they are saddled with red oceans of debt, some to the tune of over $100,000; the costs, not just of admissions, tuition, books and fees; but of housing, clothing, transport, food, and entertainment for 4 years --more, if one seeks a professional, or graduate degree! How is it that education is fast becoming a pipe dream for millions of young people in the U.S., and is free just 90 miles away from American soil? In Cuba, education is free from kindergarten to college. Indeed, just recently a score of Americans (and hundreds of other nationalities) graduated from Medica