The truth is, however, that the most enlightened unions and corporations cannot solve this great national problem alone. The challenge to higher education must be met by the American people. We need a superior education system to equip America to compete in the global economy and meet urgent problems at home. The American people know that education is the only present answer to automation, downsizing and wage stagnation. They also know that the G.I. Bill, after World War II, which led to a massive expansion of inexpensive public colleges and universities, produced a great national boom, providing the greatest increase in personal and public wealth in our national history.
Education is the ticket to a better standard of living.
It would be a tragedy if only the children of America's wealthy could get a college education. But that is where we are headed, unless we turn it around. CWA members insist that in America, people should not be denied a college education, ever, because they could not afford it. Every American who has capacity and will must be entitled to public higher education, regardless of class or financial status. That commitment must stand as the cornerstone of a more equitable and stronger America.