In one of the more misleading pieces I have read in the DTH, President Obama deceitfully defends his administration’s actions in supposedly supporting our students in the higher education system (“Supporting our students, strengthening our country,” Sept. 23).
In a piece titled “Obama Fudges Some Figures,” George Leef directly challenges and dismantles the logic of Obama’s claim that roughly 75 percent of new jobs will require higher education.
On the contrary, Leef suggests that nearly 52 percent of the expected job growth in the country will exist in occupations where on-the-job training is sufficient, including the three expected to be the fastest-growing: personal and home care aides, home health aides and medical assistants.
Obama also dishonestly touts the benefits of the federal government’s impending takeover of the $100 billion student-loan business, implemented as a result of the president’s recent healthcare legislation.
In doing so, the government will effectively eliminate competition from banks while removing incentives for colleges to keep tuition costs down now that taxpayers will be responsible for footing the bill. In order to make college more affordable, Obama should encourage state governments and universities to increase efficiency and lower costs.
If the Obama administration truly wants to help students obtain a quality education and meaningful employment, they must create an environment conducive to growth by lowering corporate taxes and promoting entrepreneurship and capital investment, instead of expanding an already bloated federal bureaucracy.
John Eick
Senior
Political Science, Public Policy
