President Obama Proposes Idea of Free Community Colleges

Now, this is really cool! I think this is one of the most impressive things that President Obama has proposed so far!

That said, the caveat is whether it actually will get approved or not. With a Republican controlled Congress, it hardly seems likely.

Still, to have a prominent politician - let alone the President of the United States - propose anything like free college education, even for two years, is really something!

Here are President Obama's own words:

"Put simply, what I'd like to do is to see the first two years of community college free for everybody's who is willing to work for it," Obama said in a video message released by the White House.

This is the kind of thing that actually benefits real, working class Americans, and not simply the very rich and corporations. Imagine that concept! Maybe that is why it has little to no chance at passing. Hell, this might even be a political gimmick, something proposed to get people excited and thinking that the president is on your side, when in reality, the plan has absolutely no hope of actually seeing the light of day.

Already, there is evidence that it will not stand an icicle's chance in hell. Here, according to the article linked below, is what John Boehner's office had to say:

"With no details or information on the cost, this seems more like a talking point than a plan," said Cory Fritz, spokesman for Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in the House of Representatives.

Again, however, since it is the president that is proposing it, there is a certain gravitas that it has to be considered with now.

Free college exists, of course. But it exists in other countries. Germany just made their colleges and universities free. So it is not an idea beyond the realm of possibility, although it sure might feel like it in the United States, where we usually lag behind - far behind - on such things.

And, of course, this covers only community colleges, and not the rest of the colleges and universities. It certainly will not reign in the price of elite four year universities with room and board and food. It will do little to nothing to limit, let alone stop, the alarming trend of young college students going heavily into debt to attend college.

But, it opens up the dialogue for an issue that, let me be frank, I never thought we would ever even hear among high-ranking political officials in Washington -free adult education. However limited the idea, and however small the sliver of a chance is that it might get anywhere, it is at least a start.

I am starting to be more impressed with President Obama's second term than I was with his first one.



Obama proposes idea of two free years of community college by Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland, January 8, 2015:

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-proposes-idea-two-free-years-community-college-012142866.html