If US education is free, why do we have to pay the private book companies very high prices for textbooks?

College education is mostly free because it is government run. The private sector runs the cafeterias and textbooks and are very expensive. You can see why many of us like health care and other personal services to be run by the government including the saving of the planet.|||I totally agree with you. Buying textbooks can be very expensive. Some of the alternatives are either renting textbooks or buying 2nd hand textbooks. I usually buy international edition as it's about 30-50% of the hardcover textbook price. Some of the sites selling international edition textbook are textbookrus.com, textbookw.com, amazon.co.uk.





After using the book, i would resell the textbook back at ebay.com for about half the cost.|||You should buy used college textbooks at GreenTextbooks.com - Saving the Planet One Textbook at a Time GreenTextbooks.com is your online leader for finding used textbooks, DVDs, CDs. http://www.GreenTextbooks.com

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|||I think your question is the obvious result of the state of government schools in the United States. We graduate so many kids that can barely read and write but seem to know all about their "rights". What makes you think education is free in America? Are you not aware of the taxes which are collected at every level to pay for this poor education we receive? What you should do is compare the cost of attending a private school vice a government school and then look at the result. Nothing the government does, including contracting out those services you mention, is ever done as well as a private company can do it. The reason those cafeterias and textbooks are so expensive is that they deal with the government and none of us in government ever spend our own money. We spend tax dollars and too many of us simply don't care about the price. We would never run our own finances the way we spend our tax dollars. You are very naive, but hopefully you will grow out of it. We'll see how you feel when you are holding down a job and looking at your taxes or worse, running your own business. Good luck!|||There's no such thing as "free." We pay for education through our taxes and educationally, out-of-pocket.





The textbook companies are in it for the profit. The government f*cks everything up. What school are you going to? Transfer to a college that teaches you some *actual* information that will do you some good. Thanks! =D|||Textbooks are not that expensive as you may think. I have always used websites like USEDTEXTBOOKPRICES.COM , getitbooks.com and others to compare and buy textbooks at the cheapest prices.





See for yourself. It may be expensive in bookstores oncampus, but online is cheap.|||Often the text books are written by the professors, but the bottom line is it is a monopoly - you have to buy the required text to do the course. That means the Book companies can charge what they want. The same book is worthless the next year when the curriculum changes. This rort of the student happens all round the World, not just in the USA.|||I don't pay high prices on textbooks. I've been using http://www.bigwords.com for years now and I always save a ton of money. I remember the last book I purchased came out to $4. They search all the online textbook retailers and rental sites then compare all the lowest prices to find you the best deal. It's awesome. Deff worth looking into.|||Things that are supposedly "free" are paid for by taxes and inflation. You do understand that, right?





Your questions have been getting dumber and dumber. I'm seriously starting to wonder whether you're a very elaborate troll.|||lol...





You know the answer to this. The system is flooded with looters!





Why do you think that everything that pertains to school cost so much? It is a government monoply requiring you to buy this and that.|||You are kidding, right? Everything involving government is more than double. You need to do some research. You think it's less because it might be for YOU, but someone has to subsidize it. What a joke.|||Socialists/Marxists want big brother government to own everything ans run everything. So, if that was the case then all your desires should be full filled.


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Don't put the average college student to shame by labeling yourself as one...LDC average isn't the same.|||Since when is education free? Who do you think pays for turning on the lights and the teachers salaries? Dr Seuss. I guess this is just a bait questions because no one can really be that dumb.|||College education is no where near free. I am going to a school that costs 30000 a year. Where are you getting your information?|||College isn't even close to free. It's like $1,800 a semester for tuition at state schools in California.





Nice try.|||College is not free.





Government doesn't own the colleges and universities|||Education is not Free. The tax payer pays for it. I thought you were an average college student?|||There is no free lunch.|||BECAUSE OF UNIONS..............don't worry though Obama will "hook them up"|||Nothing is FREE!





Grow up!|||College is free? Then what the hell am I paying for?|||Taxpayer money dear, it's not free.