By Hilary McMurray

In America, our government guarantees us certain freedoms and rights. We have the right to free speech and the right to remain silent. We have the right to bear arms and the right not to be a victim of someone else’s arms.

We have the right to practice whatever religion we desire, and we have rights protecting us so the government does not practice religion for us (wait, what?). We have the right to an attorney, and if we cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for us.

And now for the bad news. The right to an attorney does not mean you’re getting Johnnie Cochran. The right to free speech doesn’t mean anyone will listen to what you have to say. The right to practice your religion does not mean that your neighborhood church will remain open.

So what exactly is it that gives Americans the upgrade from inalienable rights to privileges? Here’s a hint — it’s green, it’s paper and it fits neatly into a convenient, pocket-sized carrying case. Money. Dead presidents. Cold, hard cash. It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that bling. Money talks. Anyone who denies that money paves roads for those who possess it are either in denial or lying.

Which finally brings me to my point. Face it, very few of us would be in college if the same income could be earned with only a high school diploma.

But a degree is necessary if you plan to support yourself and your future family. Many of us plan on going to grad school to further enhance our bank-building potential. All this earning power sounds pretty sweet, eh?

Bittersweet. For many of us, financing our education is an uphill battle. Every week or so there are new figures detailing the rising costs of college education. For some, every day presents a new obstacle toward the greater goal. For those of us who aren’t trust-fund babies, once we graduate from college, loan payments will dictate which job we will take, or where, when and if we go to grad school and what we study. Sure, we’re inundated with those stupid silly commercials that say things like “The more you know” and “Knowledge is power.” Unfortunately, average Americans are finding it harder and harder to pay for that power. We fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, a.k.a. the FAFSA (which may as well stand for Bleep-ing Average Families and Students in their … um, rear orifices), we take out federal loans and we apply for scholarships.

Our parents take out mortgages on their houses, get second or third jobs and liquidate their retirement plans, all in the hopes that we will finish college and be successful.

Consider these statistics pulled from www.efmoody.com, a financial planning and consumer protection Web site: “The average Pell grant award fell by 23 percent over the last 20 years while the costs for college rose by 49 percent; family income rose just 10 percent,” “Students currently graduate with an average debt of between $12k-$14k,” “Sixty-six percent of parents cannot afford to save for their children’s education.” “A child born today [2000] can expect to cost $225,000 for private college in 2018.”

Some people, such as President George W. Bush’s new attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, chose the military route. One of eight children born to Mexican migrant workers, Gonzales served in the U.S. Air Force before earning a degree in political science (www.wikipedia.com). Enlisting in the armed forces enables one to receive a college education paid for by the U.S. government, and this route is attractive to many low-income kids. Unfortunately, this is a dangerous time to enlist. While serving one’s country is certainly a noble goal, for poor kids, it is a means to an end that, without an athletic scholarship, otherwise might never be reached.

This is not just a working-class issue, however. Self-gov.org, an economically conservative Web site, explains that rising college costs are hurting wealthy parents because they are paying sticker price for their kids to attend school, and working-class kids are going to the same schools and getting the same benefits, but their working-class parents aren’t contributing. The historically oppressed rich are now complaining that federal financial aid is a Robin Hood program. I understand the argument, but if I were rich, I would be too embarrassed to utter those words in public.

Think I’m full of it? Don’t buy that bills equal rights? Test it out yourself: Click around TheFacebook.com for a few hours, and notice that students who went to elite prep schools or grew up in wealthy areas always seem to have a long list of friends at other colleges.

So how can average kids get the privilege of higher education without bankrupting our families and whoring ourselves to high-paying, low-satisfaction jobs? I wish I knew.

– Hilary McMurray can be reached at [email protected].