So let me get this straight... You wan't your government to prioritize the price of text books over that giant oil spill... Jesus fucking christ, how someone so god damn stupid made it into college is beyond me.
@Senile_Kyle: As a graduate student I understand why textbooks cost a lot of money. I've spent years writing for very little money, while a university puts their stamp on my published material to gain a profit. If your going to school for eight years you have to be able to make money somehow. Textbook sales are a great way to do that. Still, charging $100 for a text book is criminal.
" Because people like you are outraged at every hike in the price of tuition, despite rising standards and greater upkeep costs, so universities and professors are forced to find alternative sources of income? "
The funny part is that government subsidies and grants are a big part of the reason tuition costs are rising so much.
I find ways around it, used books are a good solution. Also doing good in school helps gets them moneys from student loans. but yeah, free market, Government should not get involved in Americas colleges, they tend to fuck up everything it touches
" Why does the government allow textbook companies to sell overpriced textbooks!!!! Example, Prentice Hall's Deitel and Deitel programming books. They have two main series, the "How To Program...." and the "....for Programmers" series. The "How To Program..." books are always $100+ new, however, the "...for Programmers" books are all only $35-$40. Both series feature paperback books, and 1200-1500 pages. I don't know about you guys, but, $100+ is way too much for a paperback book, I think $35-$40 is right. Here's the problem I have, both series have the same amount of pages, give or take. The "How To Program..." books are aimed for college courses, while the "...for Programmers" books are not. So they jack the price for the "How To Program..." books because they know college students are gonna be forced to buy them. This is ridiculous, Obama should be fixing this problem instead of trying to find who's ass he should kick for the oil spill problem. "
Unfortunately if people keep buying them at 100 dollars companies will keep selling them at 100 dollars
It's not just a US problem, text books are expensive as hell everywhere. In my experience, you hardly use them half the time. Well, i hardly did. Anything you need you can find on the internets.
" So let me get this straight... You wan't your government to prioritize the price of text books over that giant oil spill... Jesus fucking christ, how someone so god damn stupid made it into college is beyond me. "
The gov is wasting their time, either appoint some scientist and engineers to figure out how to do something or just let BP keep fiddling around like headless turkeys. Again, so far all Obama has done is check out the damage and try to find specific people to point a finger at for the poor execution of stopping the gushing. So far BP has showed no signs of fixing this on their own, get outside scientists and engineers and let them have a crack on it, that's all you can do. Whats been done has been done, there is no taking the oil out of the water, that can't be done until synthetic life research is fully understood and creatable on a large scale.
The prices can be rather unreasonable, but it's not cheap making those things, and obviously there's enough demand for them to keep it in the 100+ range. It's a bummer, true, but the government's job isn't to regulate textbook prices.
Textbook companies charge whatever they charge. When the system is working properly, the school chooses the book because it is the best. It is nice if it is cheaper than the average one. But, that is not always the case. Yes, there have been cases of corruption when it comes to book purchasing. But, be hopeful that for the price, you are getting the best that money can buy.
What does the government have to do with setting prices for private companies in a capitalist society? Did you immigrate from China or something? Anyways, the answer to your question is that the book companies sell very little textbooks and they need to be updated every year. As a result of such low volume they need to cover their expenses by raising prices. You are buying textbooks, not the Bible or Harry Potter. If no one told you college textbooks are expensive I take it you must be a dumbass freshman.
If you want to complain to somebody, complain to your professors and your school. They're the ones who decide to purchase new editions of textbooks from publishers and stifle the used book market on campus. There are more pressing issues for the government to worry about.
Also, remember that your campus bookstore is not the only place to find these books. Check amazon, ebay etc and you may find the same book much cheaper.
@jinxman: The idea that student grants and financial aid are what cause the increase college costs is nonsense. The demand for higher education went up, simple as that. It was a shift in a demand more than a "government distortion" of the markets. However, I would accept the argument government aid helped to shift the demand, but It alone can not to be blamed.
" @jinxman: The idea that student grants and financial aid are what cause the increase college costs is nonsense. The demand for higher education went up, simple as that. It was a shift in a demand more than a "government distortion" of the markets. However, I would accept the argument government aid helped to shift the demand, but It alone can not to be blamed. "
Government gives out a bunch of aid, often times more than is necessary to pay for college, so the college boosts it's tuition costs to the level of aid so it can get all the federal money. But yes, demand has gone up too, and you're right, it certainly isn't the only issue at hand.
The same thing happens on a smaller level when the government gives out grants for things like internet.
" Since when does the government have anything to do with capitalist prices? "
First thought I had, too.
To fix this problem, you speak with your wallet. There are some really cool used textbook sites out there whose prices are way lower than market (which is inflated, sure). I think there's even a website that lets you lease textbooks for 6 months at a huge reduction of price, if you can find it.
" Your blaming Obama for your text books being expensive? Don't bother with the books, your not going anywhere kid. "
Um...I'm not blaming Obama, I never pointed the finger at Obama. Please read and comprehend before you make a statement, I said he should do something about college textbooks. And why would this opinion have anything to do with my success in college, I'm in Computer Science, not Political Science.
Buy second hand, or make copies of only pages you need, or use a library or buy past editions (newest ones rarely add much), or buy second hand past editions. Problem solved, use your head. Government doesn't need to wipe your ass.
Of course, if you haven't heard of a library then the other answer is to do a course where the books have mass market appeal, like history. A far higher volume of production meant that for roughly the same amount of "book", my history texts cost about a third of some of the politics and international relations books. Computer science? I'm guessing very few people have that stuff on their bedside table.
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