Mitt Romney told me, “you betta shop around”

So let’s just forget for a minute that Mr. Romney’s father was already the Governor of Michigan by the time he went Stanford for his first year of education. Let’s forget that unlike the vast majority of American College attendees, Mr. Romney’s parents had already invested tens of thousands of dollars in his education to attend the prestigious Cranbrook school, even if he earned scholarships to go to college. Let’s forget that Mr. Romney was afforded educational opporunities typical of the 1%. Here’s his answer to one concerned young American on how to pay for college…

Now I’m not trying to say that private schools are a bad thing… They’ve proven to be a great asset to many kids in our country. But for Mitt Romney, it’s only right to infer that he didn’t have the struggles of most of today’s young Americans in worrying about how to pay for College. Even as he admits to cutting state funding of Massachusetts institutions, he’s telling students to “shop around” and not go to colleges they can’t afford. Well sheesh if only it were that simple!!

The truth is, most people can’t afford a college education by just pulling money out of the bank. That’s why it’s an investment. I know this has become a dirty word thanks to the current Bully culture of Washington, but education is still a good investment for our kids and our country. And yes, there’s some adjustments that can and should be made on the end of colleges, but we should be willing to invest in our kids.

Even in this turbulent economic climate, unemployment among college grads is still far lower than those who just completed high school… it’s just 4.2% There’s some issues with underemployment of those grads, but so much of that has to do with baby-boomers who have held on to their jobs because of the economy, a hesitation among employers to hire, uncertainty due to government gridlock. The list goes on. But facts still remain… when the economy gets back to full steam, the FIRST people to land those new positions will be the ones most qualified to take them. That means the graduates.

Are student loans expensive?? Yes, but they’re also worth it. According to the Pew Research Center, a college graduate earns $500k more over their lifetime than someone with just a high school education. In most cases, that allows people to pay back the investment the government made in them for student loans. Even with the difficult economic cloud we’re in today, this fact still holds true. And lest we forget, the workers that have been on the leading edge of the unemployment crisis? Those without college degrees. They have no ability to advance in their field when someone with the same qualifications AND the degree comes along.

So no, Mr. Romney… I do not agree with your plans to slash education spending. It is the wrong direction for America. I suggest that you “shop around” for some better answers.