Presidential Weekly Address for March 27, 2010



Expanded Pell Grants for college students, more investment in community colleges as a means for increased vocational training and job retraining, and "by the end of this decade we will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world."

Health Care Reform got a mention at the beginning, because there is no way it couldn't given that it passed this week, but it was obviously not the bulk of the conversation. I am sure that, as always, there are some posters on tdub who could have crafted passable legislation better, but will anyone concede that more investment in Pell Grants and community colleges is a good thing? Even those of you who think government shouldn't do anything other than build roads have to like education investment right?

(and burros, before you get on to me, I skipped posting last weeks as a separate thread, but if I catch any flack for doing the weekly fireside chats on an every other week basis, I'll have no disincentive not to return to a weekly basis... you've been warned )

3/27/2010 8:33:04 AM

now remember, we cant treat our spending likes it monopoly money.

3/27/2010 8:49:54 AM

Then investing it would be a good idea, right?

3/27/2010 11:36:52 AM

College degrees can now be handed out like 90's techno-stock!

3/27/2010 2:35:47 PM

Quote :

"by the end of this decade we will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world"

This should not be the end goal. Who cares if everyone has a college degree, if they don't even know how to do a job or can't find a job with the degree? We need to stop worrying about pumping out as many degrees as possible, and start figuring out why degrees end up being worthless a lot of the time.

Quote :

"more investment in Pell Grants and community colleges is a good thing"

Sure, investment in community or tech colleges is a good thing. The question is where that investment should come from. I think the investment should come from within the community, not the federal government.

As for Pell Grants, it doesn't really address the problem. We have a higher education system that's heavily distorted by government backed student loans. We do need to get government out of the student loan business, but the H.C.R. bill did exactly the opposite. It got the private sector out of the student loan business. As long as higher education is subsidized, we're going to see tuition continue to explode while the overall value of a degree continues to diminish.

[Edited on March 27, 2010 at 2:46 PM. Reason : ]

3/27/2010 2:39:08 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4stnSlWulc

[Edited on March 27, 2010 at 10:26 PM. Reason : .]

3/27/2010 10:26:18 PM

Quote :

"The worst practices of the insurance industry"

Demonize much?

There are so many Free-market solutions to healthcare..but this guy is just into expanding gov't control.

Quote :

"Stand up to Special Interests"

During the Health-care debate...Did Obama stand up to the Trial Lawyers Special Interests? Did he stand up to the Unions?

Quote :

"Doubling the federal pell grant program..."

Another big gov't spending program. Another entitlement to help push the country over the debt-cliff. Obama will take another big chunk of commerce out of the hands of private industry and deliver it to the federal gov't.

Quote :

"Education and healthcare grew stronger this week"

Wrongo.. the Federal gov't grew stronger this week.

Quote :

"We're a nation still capable of doing big things..."

Using what to pay for these Big Things? We're broke. As they say..socialism ultimately fails because you eventually run out of other people's money.

Quote :

"Look beyond the next election to do what's right..."

Translate: Thanks to all the democrats who will be sacrificing their jobs this November for me.

3/28/2010 1:03:53 AM