President Obama spoke with students and parents on Friday at
an Arlington high school about the importance of a higher education that is
affordable for Americans. President Obama emphasized his attempts to prevent
the doubling of interest rates on federal subsidized student loans that is set
to take place on July 1.[1]
In the past, President Obama and other Democratic
politicians have been tar and feathered by some within the Republican Party as
“elitists,”[2] in
part because Democratic politicians tend to view education as a cornerstone of
America’s policy agenda. That is, Democratic politicians typically view
education as a means, or the means, to more fully live out the American dream
and add to our country’s economic growth.
Indeed, U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine and former
Democratic Virginia Governor has made “talent” and education the keystone to
his vision for Virginia’s and America’s future.[3]
Somehow, though, education to some within the Republican
Party has become more of an economic hindrance than an economic boon. That is,
it seems that many Republican politicians have lost sight of the benefits of
education or at the very least, have found the federal costs which pay for that
education to outweigh the benefits.[4]
In a highly technical and specialized world, however, it
doesn’t take a PhD student to conclude that an education, and in particular, a
higher education, is a necessity and that this necessity would not be pursued
by so many Americans were it not for the federal subsidies that help ease the
financial burden involved.
If President Obama is an “elitist” or a “snob” for wanting
to make higher education affordable for as many Americans as possible, then I
and millions of other Americans are elitists and snobs as well.
Of course, it’s ironic that a man who has two degrees from
Harvard University[5],
perhaps our country’s most elite university, would criticize President Obama
for being a supposed elitist.
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