Guest Post by Tom Trzyna

Consumers of online education have a fresh concern. Several for-profit colleges, as well as some non-profit universities, are offering classes that are actually provided by a for-profit corporation that is neither a college nor accredited by any collegiate accrediting agency.

In the normal course of events, it is the responsibility of a university’s accreditation officer to examine contracts with outside agencies and to determine whether a contract should be taken to the college’s accrediting agency for formal approval. As recently reported in Higher Education Daily, a few regionally-accredited schools have contracted to have general education courses delivered by a company that provides such classes for a very small fee compared to the usual costs of on-campus offerings. The executives of these colleges decided that these contracts did not need to be brought to the attention of their accrediting agencies—and those college leaders are now paying a price.

Faculty members have raised concerns about their role in these decisions: a role that is guaranteed by standard accrediting procedures, which call for faculty to participate in all curricular decisions. Moreover, the accrediting agencies are now looking into the propriety of the contracts. At this time, credits earned through these arrangements appear to be valid. While one national, professional school accrediting agency has examined these courses, the regional accrediting bodies have not reviewed these course offerings.

This situation raises again the conflict within the US accrediting system, where national trade accrediting agencies and regional agencies apply different standards even though they offer degrees with the same names and titles.

Colleges and accrediting agencies would be in a tough place if they disallowed these “third party contract” courses on the grounds that the faculty who deliver the classes were not qualified. The corporations that market these classes apparently use adjuncts who have masters’ degrees—but then a very large proportion of college teaching in the US is now done by adjuncts who have little time for scholarship or additional learning. So what’s the difference between a contracted course taught by an adjunct and any other class taught by an adjunct? Given the over-supply of well-educated people looking for college teaching jobs, it’s hard to argue that one adjunct is truly going to be better qualified than another.

Ultimately, the question that arises is this: Is education a commodity that can be exchanged like apples or pears? Is an apple from one orchard as good as an apple from another? Is a composition or a calculus class from one college or professor as good as a class with the same name from anywhere else?

Sometimes there is a difference. Sometimes you may come in contact with an extraordinary teacher, or an inspiring expert who will change your life. Sometimes you will go to a college where your fellow students will offer you encouragement and help that makes a huge difference in your capacity to understand complex subjects. So far America’s accrediting agencies do not rank colleges, nor do the standard college rankings say anything profoundly useful about differences in quality of learning and teaching. That’s too hard to measure and reproduce.

Obviously, online education does not offer as many opportunities for direct human contact. Just as obviously, underpaid adjuncts who carry large teaching loads have less time to offer their students than tenured full professors. It doesn’t follow from those facts that online education does not deliver value. Moreover, some students may have transformative experiences through online dialogues.

What the latest news tells us, however, is that a murky situation is getting murkier. Accreditation is confusing because of the large number of agencies with different purposes. And now the boundary between profit and not-for-profit colleges is becoming obscured when non-profit schools contract with for-profit agencies to do their teaching.

Perhaps the next few years will see a shake out of these conflicts and the emergence of better and more transparent systems of quality control in American higher education.

Guest post by Tom Trzyna, Ph.D.

It was April Fool’s Day, but the news was serious. London’s Daily Telegraph reports British government concerns that there exist at least 2000 bogus universities in the world that are producing reams of credentials. Surveys of immigrants applying for visas based on educational credentials are finding that as many as a third of the applicants present degrees from universities that are not recognized.

The growth of online education has made the problem more difficult, and the complexity of American accreditation is not helping.

These days you can earn a Master’s degree or even a doctorate in education from an American college that has trade school accreditation. In other words, the school may be accredited by an agency that is recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), but that recognition will be for academic work at the level of trade or career training. Does that matter? Yes.

A conversation with an accrediting expert at CHEA revealed that while CHEA recognizes a number of trade school accrediting bodies, CHEA does not monitor whether masters’ or doctoral degrees issued by those trade schools have any value in the marketplace when it comes to professional licensure or certification, such as the certification of school teachers.

I called the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to ask whether an M.Ed. or a Ed.D. from a trade school would be recognized by the state for teacher certification or a pay increase. The answer was complex. No, the state would not recognize any degrees except those issued by regionally accredited colleges and universities. However, since individual school districts set their own policies for pay increases, the state office could not comment on that topic, though the state officer speculated that degrees from trade and career schools would not be accepted as a basis for salary increases.

Washington State abides by most national standards, so it is likely that the rules are similar in other American states.

Once again, the key message is that it is best to earn degrees from regionally accredited institutions. If the accreditation is not from one of the six major regional associations, you should call the relevant agencies and ask about the acceptability of a degree before enrolling.

Some unaccredited universities are finding new ways to disguise their status. One institution, for example, states that it abides with the standards of a regional body as well as the standards of the US Department of Education. On closer inspection, it appears that this university is NOT a recognized member of any accrediting association and therefore is NOT regionally accredited. The school’s statement is like an unlicensed driver telling an officer that he or she has been complying with the rules of the road. That’s not the same as having a driver’s license.

Why does CHEA allow its member accrediting agencies to permit trade schools to offer degrees that will not be recognized by licensing agencies? Shouldn’t the system be more transparent and a lot simpler? In the mean time, ask lots of questions.

--
If you'd like to know more about accreditation read Tom's recent ebook Online Degree Secrets. There are a limited number of free copies still available.

My new eBook, Online Degree Secrets, is now available as a free download to the first 2000 people. After that I will sell it for $24.95. I expect these first free copies to go fast, so don’t wait.

The idea for the book came from Tom Trzyna, Ph.D, who wrote the book with input from me. Not only is Tom an expert in online education, he has a real talent for writing and being able to clearly explain some of the complex issues involved in online education. I even learned a few things. He does a great job in the book walking the reader through the important questions that you need to ask yourself.

One thing that really surprised me and I liked a lot about the book was that he doesn’t push online education as the best option. In fact, he encourages you to look at all your options and figure out what is best for you and your situation.

I look forward to working with Tom on future projects. If there are any topics you want to know more about, or questions you have that would make a good article/report/ebook, please contact me.

Do you know any Online Degree Secrets that weren’t mentioned in the book?

So, yeah, it’s been some time since my last blog post. But I’ve decided to take it up again as a way to let people know more about what’s going on behind the scenes with OnlineDegreeReviews.org.

The big news at the moment is that I’m coming out with an eBook to help people considering an online degree whether it’s right for them. The book was written by Tom Trzyna, Ph.D., an expert on accreditation and online education in general, in collaboration with me. The title of the ebook is “Online Degree Secrets” and it’s stuffed full information and insider information. It’s in the final steps of production right now and will be ready very soon. I’m also very happy to announce that this 29 page book will be offered as a free download! Watch this blog for more information about how you can get it.

The site recently passed the 1500 reviews! Thanks everyone for contributing and helping to make the site so successful. Based on the feedback I get I know how useful the reviews are to people considering an online degree.

I issued a new release today:

Ottawa (Tuesday, November 6, 2007) - OnlineDegreeReviews.org has recently awarded its annual Top Five Best Online Degrees and Top Five Worst Online Degrees as rated by current and former students at www.OnlineDegreeReviews.org.

Dubbed the Student Choice Awards, for the all time top five best online degrees, and Academic Probation Awards, for the top five worst online degrees, OnlineDegreeReviews.org has compiled the data based on student reviews over the past year to help prospective students choose an online degree.

When asked why he created the online degree awards, Steve Rawlinson, the Site Administrator responded, “The idea behind the awards is to help students find the best, and avoid the worst online degrees. Also to see if there are any trends, or generalizations that can be made.”

OnlineDegreeReviews.org gives the ability to current and former students to post reviews of online degree programs, and rate the program based on several criteria, including the professors, educational materials, use of technology, and overall value.

Potential students also have a place to voice their concerns and to get advice from their peers regarding online degree education in OnlineDegreeReviews.org's interactive community forums. It’s a place where people can share their knowledge of online degrees, experiences, and steps they took when considering distance learning as a viable way to further their education.

To view all the awards, or for more information please visit:

Student Choice and Academic Probation Awards

Today the $5 review writing campaign came to and end when the 100th review was written. I want to thank everyone that wrote a review. So, “Thank you!”

The campaign has been a great success. It seeded the website with enough reviews to make it a valuable resource and really helped to get the ball rolling so to speak. We also raised a total of $235 for charity, which I had the pleasure of donating today. For those interested here is a breakdown in how the 100 reviewers allocated their $5:

Cancer Society 17 x $5 = $85

Red Cross 20 x $5 = $100

World Wildlife Fund 10 x $5 = $50

PayPal 18 x $5 = $90

Total 65 x $5 = $325 (with the remaining 35 reviewers declining the $5)

Of course just because the campaign is over doesn’t mean people should stop writing reviews. There are still lots of colleges that don’t even have one review yet! So keep the reviews coming because I know they’re helping a lot of people that are considering an online degree.

Several people have asked me if unaccredited schools should be listed on this website. I have struggled to come up with a policy that is fair.

On the one side I think that any degree (accredited or not) that has value should be listed. I also trust that the reviews and comments by users of the site will help people decide for themselves if a particular unaccredited program is worth it or not.

On the other side of the argument, I don’t want unaccredited schools that sell fake degrees or offer little value to be allowed on the website (aka “Diploma Mills”). Listing such programs would open the website to spam and could mislead people into thinking the programs are legitimate.

For now I am only approving unaccredited schools on a case-by-case basis. They need to prove that they offer significant educational value.

However, let me be clear that Diploma Mills are not a gray area and will never be listed on OnlineDegreeReviews.org. In the USA alone there are more than 200 fake online colleges offering degrees for sale. Purchasing a degree from a Diploma Mill is dishonest, and I doubt that there are many people that would debate this. The implications of Diploma Mills go beyond individual purchasers. These fake degrees degrade the value of legitimate online degrees that honest students work very hard to earn since employers may have difficulty telling the difference. Not to mention all the spam emails these organizations send out.

I applaud any effort to combat the serious problem created by Diploma Mills. That’s why I am excited that GetEducated.com has created the Diploma Mill Police (SM). It is a free online college accreditation service that allows anyone to submit the name and location of any online university in the USA to find out if that college is a valid institution or a scam operation.

If you have the slightest doubt about a college then I encourage you to use this free service. You will learn if the school is accredited by a recognized agency (most degree mills are accredited but by fake agencies). You will also receive information about the schools accreditation status and reputation.

I’m not aware of any other efforts to combat Diploma Mills. Every little bit helps, so tell anyone you know that is considering an online degree about the Diploma Mill Police (SM) and why they should look for programs that are accredited by a recognized agency. You may save them or yourself a lot of money and frustration.

Today I made some minor updates to the website. Probably the most noticeable is the new "Most Reviewed" college list on the front page. It didn't seem fair to me that a college could have just one review (which could be unreliable) that rated it very highly and was therefore ranked higher then other colleges that had many reviews. At the moment Norwich University is the most reviewed with 14 people having reviewed the college.

The rest of the changes are all cosmetic and are probably so minor that no one will notice but me

Review Writing Campaign
It's been approximately 6 weeks since the campaign launched and we're over 75% of the way to reaching the 100 review goal. If you do the math, that means we have raised almost $400! I don't have exact number, but most people have opted to donate their $5 so almost all of that will be going to the various charities. Great work everyone.

If you were thinking about writing a review but where putting it off, you better hurry up because the $5 campaign is nearing its goal of 100 reviews.

When I started this blog a few months ago I didn't know of any other blogs that followed online education. I've since found a few and I thought they would make a great addition to my last post about online resources. In no particular order:

OnlineUniversityLowDown.com - Lots of relevant posts about online degree programs with new entries posted frequently.

OnlineCollegeAndDegrees.com - Only a few months old, and maybe a few too many ads, but it has good information.

OnlineUniversities-Weblog.com - Over two years old, lots of great content contributed by several authors and frequent updates.

MyLearning-Online.info - Topics are a bit more general (online education, education technology) than the others, but gives a lot of insight into upcoming trends/chagnes in education.


If you know of any other online degree related blogs please share them by posting a comment.
Education.ZDNet.com - Also a bit general, but it is the only blog by a large commercial entity (ZDNet) on online education that I know about. They have been publishing on technology topics for a long time and have a good reputation.

Online learning has become a big business, at the close of 2005 approximately 1.2 million students were taking 100% online higher education programs and the number is expected to climb by 18.2% by the end of 2006, according to Eduventures, a leading education market research firm.

With such a growth it may no longer be as easy to distinguish between the credible unbiased resources and the cleverly disguised marketing of online institutions. The popularity of online learning and the virtual classroom has raised the stakes for colleges, which increases the competition for your money. So be wary of information provided directly from the colleges, always back up your decision with research.

The best place to begin would be with someone you know that has already taken an online degree, however you may not know anyone in your close circle of family, friends and acquaintances that has furthered their education through online learning. With the millions of sites and WebPages out there, where do you begin? Listed below are three of the best resources for online degree information (besides OnlineDegreeReviews.org of course!).

1. DegreeInfo.com is dedicated to the dissemination of accurate information regarding quality distance-based higher education programs and is a place where people genuinely interested in quality distance learning programs can come to discuss, learn, share, and help one another. The online discussion forum is probably the largest and best around.

2. GetEducated.com designed and directed America’s first online counselling center for adult learners seeking accredited online college degrees. They operate the only clearinghouse in the USA dedicated exclusively to showcasing accredited online degrees.

3. In our increasingly technological world, good books still have a place. Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning is one such example. The 16th edition walks the reader through the academic labyrinth of degree requirements, transcripts, scholarships, accreditation, equivalency exams, credentials, diplomas, degree mills, and includes more than 2,500 listings.

Guideline to Avoiding Scams, Costs, and Disappointments when deciding to earn an Online Degree

Too often people leap into registering for an online degree without doing all their research, which often leads to wasted time, excessive costs, and disappointments. Will employers recognize my degree locally? Is there anyway to shorten the length of time it will take me to complete an online degree? Will my credits be transferable? Is it really an accredited school or is it a degree mill? Has anyone else taken this online degree before me? If these have been some of your unanswered concerns, then you need to read this first.

1. Recognizable Online Degrees

If you have done your research and have earned a degree from a reputable, accredited online school your online degree will have the same standing as a degree earned from a typical campus-based one. In fact, for colleges that offer both online and campus-based learning, an online degree is exactly the same as one earned on campus. Nowhere on your degree will it be listed that you received your education online.

Before you decide on the college where you want to earn your online degree, you may want to consider where you will eventually be working and where your earned degree will have a better name recognition. Publicly funded and state schools, local to the area of your future employment searches are worth investigating, as they can be less expensive in the long run. This will offer the name recognition that your future employers may be looking for.

2. Equivalency Testing

Equivalency testing is an excellent way to complete your online degree efficiently and affordably. They require some studying, but you can significantly reduce the time it will take to get your degree. There are numerous colleges that will grant credit and/or advanced standing for successful completion of equivalency exams. The three most common equivalency tests are:

• CLEP (College-Level Examination Program) http://www.collegeboard.com


• DSST (DANTES Subject Standardized Tests) http://www.getcollegecredit.com


• Excelsior College Examinations https://www.excelsior.edu

It is highly recommended that you first check with the school where you have chosen to earn your online degree about the tests you intend to take.

3. Transferable Credits

Transferring credits is a great way to shorten the length of time it will take to complete your online degree. Many potential students find that they can transfer previously earned credits and in some cases get credit for life experience. You should always check the transfer policies at the college you are considering by consulting with the school’s admissions or registrar office.

If you are planning to transfer credits earned from your online education to another school be sure to check the school’s transfer policies and pick your online degree accordingly. Regardless of whether you are taking online or campus-based learning some schools will not allow you to transfer certain courses, or will only allow a certain number of transfer credits to be applied.

4. Accreditation

With so many Online Degree e-mails entering your in-box you need to ensure that the online degree program you choose is reputable. But which one is right for you? If you want to earn a degree from home you need to know what you're getting into before you lose time and money. It comes down to accreditation.

Accreditation is a status granted to an educational institution or program that meets or exceeds predetermined criteria of educational quality. Basically, it's an academic stamp of approval. Of course it's not as simple as just finding an online degree program that is simply accredited.

Accreditation can be broken down into two major areas: Institutional and Specialized accreditation.

Institutional Accreditation

Institutional accreditation looks at the college as a whole, to make sure the college meets certain standards. Institutional accreditation can also be broken down into two areas: National and Regional accreditation.

National Accreditation

National accreditation, recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), is required for institutions that seek eligibility for federal student financial aid. For employment purposes and credit transferability, you will want to ensure that the school where you plan to earn your online degree also has regional and/or specialized accreditation status.

Regional Accreditation

Also recognized by the USDE, however, accreditation by a regional body ensures your online degree will be recognized throughout the U.S. You will want to investigate to confirm if your school is accredited by one of the following six regional accrediting associations:

• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) http://www.neasc.org
  
• North Central Association of Schools and Colleges (NCA) http://www.northcentralassociation.org
  
• Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (MSA) http://www.msche.org
  
• Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS) http://www.sacs.org
  
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) http://www.acswasc.org
  
• Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NWCCU) http://www.nwccu.org
  

If you earn a degree from an online school that is accredited by one of these associations, you can be assured that it will be as valid as a degree from any campus-based school.

Specialized Accreditation

Specialized accreditation looks at a specific program and makes sure it meets certain industry standards. Most employers do not posses the time, money or manpower to look into the policies, ethics, and courses of every college. They rely on accreditation institutions to verify the overall academic quality of a college and whether or not the college holds up to that industry's standards. If you are planning to use your online degree into furthering your education, or acquiring employment into a specific industry (education, medicine, or engineering for example), you will need to certify that the online degree is approved by that industry.

There is no set of universal standards for accrediting a college; therefore, it is important to make sure the college you choose is properly accredited. Who accredits the college is also very important.

"Schools will advertise that they're accredited, which is what everyone's looking for,” says Steven Shapiro, VP of Marketing and Communications at Jones International University (JIU, Englewood, Colorado).

But some colleges may claim to be accredited; yet they haven't been properly reviewed. They may have just paid a yearly membership fee to receive accreditation status, or such as the ‘degree mills’, are accredited by organizations they create themselves. These are the colleges you want to avoid.

Verifying accreditation takes time, but in the long run it is worth every minute you put into it.

5. Independent Research

There are many other steps you can take to ensure you are making the right decision with your online degree. You can research to find out how long the school has been offering online degree programs. Some of the best online education is available from institutions that are solely distance learning colleges. You can also investigate the school with the Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any complaints. And probably the easiest of all; go to where students congregate online and ask questions in online forums or read reviews of former students here at OnlineDegreeReviews.org.

In all there is a great deal of information available to make certain you are getting an Online Degree from a reputable and accredited school, a degree that will support you in furthering your professional and personal goals. Ultimately it is up to you to decide on the amount of time and effort you will put into researching schools that offer online degree programs that best meet your needs.

Today OnlineDegreeReviews.org is featured on the front page of a popular online education news website, eSchool News. Laura Ascione, the Assistant Editor, wrote a great two page article that talks about why I created this website and some of the challenges the website faces.

Article: Students grade online ed programs

Digg.com users can digg the story.

Today the website officially launched. Here is the news release:

Ottawa (Tuesday, July 25, 2006) - Steve Rawlinson, a software and web developer from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada created Online DegreeReviews.org in his spare time in response to the lack of information about online degree programs available on the Internet. The website officially launched on Tuesday, July 25, 2006.

OnlineDegreeReviews.org gives the ability to current and former students to post reviews of online education programs, and rate the program based on several criteria, including the professors, educational materials, use of technology, and overall value.

When asked why he developed this website, Mr. Rawlinson responded, "There are lots of websites that list online degrees. But none help you decide which colleges are good or worth your time and money. In my own search for an online degree, I was frustrated by the lack of information, so I created this site where people can share their experiences."

Current and former students to online education now have a place to offer their knowledge of online degree programs to potential students. OnlineDegreeReviews.org allows the user to easily add to its every growing list of colleges and programs. The biggest challenge will be to receive contributions from students and have them write a review, but as the website states "How valuable would a review of your program have been to you before you enrolled? What costly mistakes might you have avoided?"

Potential students also have a place to voice their concerns and to get advice from their peers regarding online education in OnlineDegreeReviews.org's interactive community forums. It’s a place where people can share their knowledge of online degrees, experiences, and steps they took when considering distance learning as a viable way to further their education.

"The site is still relatively new,” explains Mr. Rawlinson “but I think even a small number of quality reviews are very useful. As time goes on I hope this site becomes the place for trusted online degree information."

There are many aspects to keep in mind when deciding on the best online paralegal degree for you. What are your main goals to earning your degree; are you looking for a program that fits into your busy schedule or is affordability your main concern? What type of degree are you looking for? Are you flexible with relocation or do you plan on searching for employment in a specific area? What will your future employers be looking for from your education with an Online Paralegal Degree?

While lawyers assume ultimate responsibility for legal work they often delegate many of their tasks to Paralegals. Since Paralegals continue to assume a growing range of responsibilities and perform many of the same tasks as a lawyer the demand for qualified Paralegals is continuously increasing. With the increased demand for paralegals you will need to ask yourself what your goals are when it comes to earning an online paralegal degree, and keep those goals in mind to help guide your decisions.

Many online paralegal degrees offer incredible convenience and flexibility. You can complete your assignments essentially anywhere there is a computer with Internet access. Some programs may require you to perform cooperative assignments that will require you to schedule some time away from your computer. So if a busy schedule does not afford you the luxury of attending a session in court during business hours, you may want to consider a program that offers alternatives.

The affordability of a paralegal degree may be your top concern when investing your options. Online degree programs typically cost less per course than traditional campus-based learning, and have been known to be on average up to $100 to $150 less per credit hour. You can earn a paralegal degree through online learning that will save you money, and at the same time is able to facilitate a substantial growth in your income.

There are two types of online paralegal degrees you can earn: an Associate’s Degree and a Bachelor’s Degree. The type of associate or bachelor degree you receive will depend upon the online school you have chosen to earn you degree from. One of the most practical ways to determine what degree that will be required is to contact the employers in your area and inquire what their paralegal degree requirements are.

Career Opportunities for Online Paralegal Degree Graduates

With an online paralegal degree you have the opportunity to search for employment in a variety of industries including:

• Private law firms


• Title companies


• Local, state, and federal government agencies


• Corporate law departments


• Law enforcement agencies


• Banks


• Prosecutors


• Private and Corporate Business


• Community Agencies

When registering for an online paralegal degree program you must ensure that the school you have chosen has Specialized Accreditation status. In order to assure future employers that your degree can comply with the most current guidelines for professional conduct they will require that the online school where you earned your paralegal degree has been accredited by the American Bar Association (http://www.abanet.org/index.cfm). So make sure you do your research and investigate multiple programs and schools.

To obtain a list of programs and schools to research, go to the Paralegal section, under the Law and Criminal Justice on the OnlineDegreeReviews.org homepage.

New US law prevents students from using federal financial aid from taking foreign distance education:

From the Chronicle of Higher Education, June 30, 2006:

"American students who enrol in online-education programs offered by foreign institutions may no longer use federal financial aid to pay their tuition, under a new law that takes effect on Saturday. The law, known as the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005, bans colleges outside the United States from participating in federal financial-aid programs if they offer courses through "telecommunications," which include television, satellite, videocassettes, or computer transmissions."

"Congress included that provision in the law to make sure that American students receive a full international experience when they enrol at a foreign institution..."

Read the letter sent to foreign schools.

There are a number of reasons why this is a bad all around. The argument that it is to "make sure that American students receive a full international experience" doesn't cut it for me. Using the same argument students shouldn't be able to take programs in another state because they aren't getting the full out-of-state experience.

The fact that the law only applies to online colleges is also telling. You can still use financial aid to attend a foreign college in person. It seems to me the real reason behind this new law is that several of the big online schools don't want the competition, and that's a bad thing for students.

There is some rational that using federal tax money should not be used to support foreign colleges, however the money is not given to students it is loaned and that makes a big difference. Since students have to re-pay their loans, they should be free to spend their money however they want, and not be limited.

If you think about it, what this law does is force the less financial able students to go to a limited set of colleges (just in the US), but wealthy students can go to any college in the world. This smacks as form of educational discrimination if you ask me.

If laws have to be in place to get students to attend US online colleges then

1) US Online colleges need to improve themselves so students choose to enrol in them rather then the foreign competitors

2) We are preventing students from making the best choices and degrading their ability to get the best education possible, which will hurt the US in the long run.

In short, it's a bad law made for the wrong reasons.