Obama's plans for College Tuition

[Gary]

Hi,

I agree previous generations did fine without degrees and I believe they were better educated. For example my grandfather- God rest his soul- ( who to this day remains the smartest man I ever met) only graduated from 6th grade.

After that he had to quit to help support the family.
Later he was drafted and fought in a war, he provided for his family by working in various factory jobs. Interestingly, I do not recall a time growing up where I did not see him reading a book.

Unfortunately, the days of getting a good job with a just a HS diploma are past or are passing quickly. When I graduated HS ( 25 years ago ) you only needed an associates degree, now minimum you need a BA degree and more and more the ads are saying Masters degree needed to apply. Also back then there was employer & employee loyalty, most likely you worked for one employer then you retired.

Also a few generations back you could survive on one income, now a days you need two incomes to survive.

Interesting to me how we are more educated but are finding it harder to make ends meet. Maybe this is why people are turning to the government for help with education. It is kinda a catch 22, you need a degree to get a good job but how do you get a job to pay for the degree, unless you can get a good job ( which requires a degree).

Since having a degree has become a requirement, if there is to be a future workforce to meet that requirement, then someone has to figure out a way for people to afford getting a degree. I am less concerned with this for the poor as there are programs in place. I am more concerned about the middle class, which is already maxed out just trying to pay for a home, insurance, groceries, etc.


I am all for going back to making a degree not a requirement for getting a good job, but it doesn't seem that will happen anytime soon. Perhaps we could shift from getting a degree, to more of an on the job training model.

Peace123

I was done posting until I saw this. While I am concerned for the poor because it's the right thing to do and if left to their own, I believe trouble is brewing in America, I also think the middle class is getting screwed. Production in this country has been at or nearest it's highest level, yet incomes have not kept pace w/this. I'm talking about middle class (and poor's) wages. More proof that the trickle down theory is just that. It's drips and drabs compared to what the managers and exceutives are being paid. So much attention is paid to the poor when it's the rich and well to do that slowly squeezing the lifeblood out of the middle class. Their throwing out the misdirection play, don't buy into it, ignore it. They are slowly stealing our dreams. Laugh if you want, it's been happening under our noses. Jobs are being eliminated or moved overseas and H-1B visas are being used to take over American jobs. We have many qualified graduates right here in this country but it is cheaper to hire the H-1B. If you watch the specials on TV OR do research, you will see that many of these so called high tech jobs are a farce. They are entry level positions. The middle class is definitely being eliminated, there should be no mistaking that. We all could go on and on. I know I'm beating a dead horse. My knuckles may be swollen, but I feel a little better. I concur w/your observations Peace 1,2,3