I -- along with the majority of Americans (hopefully) -- keep wondering when Rick Santorum will make such a fool of himself that his supporters will fiiiiiinally see that the wannabe-emperor wears no clothes. It could have been when we heard that he considers birth control "dangerous" and thinks sex should only occur within a marriage to procreate. But it wasn't. This past weekend, the guy dissed higher education ... Could that have been the final straw?
One would think/hope so! In case you missed it, Santorum was speaking to more than a thousand activists at the American for Prosperity forum in Troy, Michigan. He said, "Not all folks are gifted in the same way. Some people have incredible gifts with their hands. President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob.” Words that, while widely lampooned since Saturday, Santorum said he still stands by. Ooookay.
He's still convinced that colleges are "indoctrination mills" and are somehow brainwashing kids to become leftist "big government"-loving drones. Rrrright. Because placing a premium on education is such an elitist concept. Not like it might be the key to actually qualifying young people for a variety of career tracks and helping boost employment numbers or anything like that!
And to make it seem as though President Obama doesn't understand or respect that not everyone is meant to attend a "traditional," four-year liberal arts college or university is ludicrous. Clarifying his stance yesterday, Obama told the National Governors Association:
I'm not only talking about four-year degrees. I’m also talking about going to community college to get a degree for a manufacturing job where you have to walk through the door to handle a million-dollar piece of equipment.
While clarification is helpful to those who might have been confused by Santorum's twisting of the President's values, it's also just plain sad that Obama has to waste his time reiterating something like this. It should go without saying that higher education in all its forms is a priority to Americans. Especially when you look at countries like China and India that are beating us -- whether or not we (or especially the GOP) like to hear that, it's the truth -- in the global economy, because they emphasize lifelong learning.
The bottom-line is this: Santorum's extreme stances on copious issues -- from sexuality to education -- defy logic and just boggle the mind. But maybe he's onto at least one thing: Getting Americans to "dumb it down" might be the only way for a guy like this to get elected!
Here's Jon Stewart's brilliant riff on the whole thing at around 4:57 ...
Can you believe this guy?
Image via Marc Nozell/Flickr
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Comments 51
Yeah, what we definitely need is a less educated populace. We need more people who work at low-paying, dead-end jobs with little transferable skills and who can be totally SOL if they hurt their backs or mangle a hand in that million dollar machine. That's definitely the right path for our economy. Ignorance, FTW!
Very well said Pony. The college degree is being washed out and made into the equivalent of a more expensive GED. Why not make High School something worth completing - something you actually learn life skills from, NOT an avenue to take a test to make it to college where the "real" learning begins.
My husband did not go to college. He is very smart, quick witted, and by far more professional in demeanor at work than a lot of the girls I work with in an office.
Do we need firefighters? Probably not. They're bad for the economy. Because if they get hurt, they're SOL. So clearly we should find something else for them to do. Police too. Oh and garbage men. They don't belong in America. We should all be white collar dorks. God forbid we actually use anything except our finger tips for a keyboard and half our brain for doing math.
Billsfan, sure we need people to do these jobs, but to suggest that people should strive to be less educated is stupid. Even mechanics and hairdressers need secondary education. Saying that Obama is a snob for encouraging people to get as much education as they can and want is ridiculous. Obama is encouraging all types of higher education, not just four-year degrees, BTW. Santorum seems to want people to be as ignorant as possible so that they will believe whatever he tells them to.
If one of my kids wanted to be something that didn't require a typical bachelor's degree, I'd totally support that and encourge him to get the best training he could for whatever career goal he has in mind. I would not, however, encourage my kid to strive for nothing more than a high school diploma and some dead end, low-skill job in a factory. Why would I want that for my child? Why would anyone? Those jobs are not going to be around long in the 21st century and I want my children to have many choices and many opportunities. And opportunities come with education. I don't want to remake them in my image, as Santorum says we should (watch the video of his speech--he actually says this), I want them to forge their own image and to have as bright a future as possible. I am amazed that so many parents seem to want mediocre for their kids.
D-Shi-85-The firefighters and police officers in my area all are required to have at least a 2 year degree. High school diplomas don't cut it these days.
Even mechanics and hairdressers need secondary education.
*post* secondary education