
Matt Sullivan / Getty Images
President Barack Obama speaks at Capital University on August 21, 2012 in Columbus, Ohio. President Obama began a two-day tour of Ohio and Nevada to discuss the choice in this election between two different visions of how to expand the economy.
Broadening his attack on Republicans’ plans to curb federal spending, President Barack Obama campaigning in Ohio Tuesday portrayed GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, as intent on “gutting investments in education and science and infrastructure.”
Obama said in his speech at Capital University in Columbus, “Putting a college education within reach for working families just doesn’t seem to be a big priority for my opponent.”
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Judged by his ten-year budget blueprint which unlike Romney’s education proposal has actually been approved by one house of Congress, Ryan isn’t satisfied with the return the federal government is getting on its investment in education.
“While Federal spending on the Department of Education and related education programs has grown significantly over the past few decades, academic achievement has not seen a commensurate improvement,” Ryan said in the report accompanying his budget plan.
President Obama touts his education policy, contrasting his budget proposal to GOP vice presidential pick Paul Ryan. Watch his entire speech.
Ryan’s ten-year budget blueprint proposes to reduce some federal education outlays as part of its overall 12 percent cut in spending over ten years, for example consolidating and eliminating some of the 82 initiatives on improving the quality of teaching in public schools.
Under Obama, Congress has created a new tax break for higher education, the American Opportunity tax credit, as well as increasing the maximum size of Pell Grants by $900.
One focal point of the campaign debate has been what Ryan would do to Pell Grants, the single largest source of federal aid to low-income students for college education.
For the 2010-2011 academic year Pell Grants provided about $37 billion in aid to nearly 9 million students.
In his budget plan report, Ryan argued that “Pell Grants are the perfect example of promises that cannot be kept. The program is on an unsustainable path” due to legislation since 2007 including the Obama stimulus law that “made Pell Grants more generous than the Federal budget could afford.” He pointed out that the cost of the Pell Grant program has more than doubled since 2008, from $16 billion in 2008 to more than $36 billion in fiscal year 2013.
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While Obama has proposed a maximum Pell Grant award of $5,635 for 2013- 2014, Ryan’s plan proposes a maximum award of $5,550.
On the campaign trail, President Obama attacked Mitt Romney's proposals for financing a college education and promoted his own record on education. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
Ryan also wants to “ensure aid is targeted to the truly needy” by the changing the formula which the Department of Education uses to determine how much a student and his or her family can be expected to contribute toward the student’s college tuition.
Although some federal support for education is in the form of direct spending, such as Pell Grants, much of it is in the form of tax breaks, such as the Hope education tax credit (worth about $5 billion a year) and the deductibility of charitable contributions to educational institutions, worth about $6.5 billion.
A witness at last month’s Senate Finance Committee hearing on education, James White of Congress’s watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office, testified there isn’t enough data to know which of the tax breaks is most cost-effective in getting students to finish college or university.
When Sen. John Thune, R- S.D., asked White if Congress were forced to pick only one education tax break, which one should survive, White answered: “Part of the problem here is that we are spending tens of billions of dollars on these programs and we don’t know the answer to the question you are asking.”
Some economists and tax policy experts have questioned whether the tax breaks for higher education aren’t contributing to an inflationary spiral.
Scott Hodge, president of the Tax Foundation testified to the Senate Finance Committee last month that federal subsidies for higher education are “fueling higher college costs by disconnecting student-consumers from the true cost of higher education. In turn, the benefits of these programs get capitalized into tuition costs because universities can boost tuitions without suffering the normal market backlash.”
(Hodge’s group aims for a “neutral” tax code that is designed simply to raise enough revenue for the government to function, without tax breaks for favored groups or industries.)
Reverend Doctor Francis Wade, the interim dean of the National Cathedral, joins The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd to talk about exclusive interviews the National Cathedral magazine – "Cathedral Age" – had with both President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney to talk about their religious beliefs
Obama noted in his speech in Ohio Tuesday that over the past two decades, tuition and fees at American colleges and universities have more than doubled.
“I put colleges and universities on notice: if they can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding they get from taxpayers will go down. We want to give them some incentive to start lowering tuition,” he said.
A question that for now is going mostly un-debated in all the 2012 speech-making is why America isn’t getting better outcomes from its education investments.
According to the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which tests students in 37 countries on their math, science and reading skills, average scores for U.S. 15-year old students were at about the average level for the entire group of 37 nations, but were below average in math.
Students in more than a dozen nations, including France, Finland, Australia, Japan, and Korea performed significantly better than American students on the PISA math test. Each of those nations also spends less per student than the United States does – on average about 30 percent less, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
“When we invest in your future, we’re investing in America’s future,” Obama said to students Tuesday at his Ohio campaign stop. “Businesses are mobile in the 21st century economy – they can locate anywhere – so they’re going to create jobs and they’re going to hire wherever they find the best educated, most highly skilled workers. And I don’t want them to have to look any further than right here in Columbus, right here in Ohio, right here in the United States of America.”
He also said, “The fact is that countries that out-educate us today – they’ll be able to outcompete us tomorrow.” And according to OECD and PISA data, most of those countries are spending less on education and getting more educated students than the United States is.


I thought Obama wasn't supposed to "make stuff up" like he accuses Romney in doing....
Do as I say, not as I do!
Republicans have become cult like. Don't believe if honor where staring them straight in the face, they would have no idea what they were be looking at. Obama at least addresses the important issues. Republicans dance around them. Education is paramount. Should be at the forefront of our investments along with infrastructure.
Obama 2012 / Romney 1040
If education is as important as you say it is, then why do the USA spend the most in the world when it comes to education but are placed 25th in the world when it comes to testing scores....
Republicans care about Education just as much as you do, they do not like to throw money and get nothing in return. It is about giving money to the programs that succeed and stopping those that do not.
Instead of giving equal money to all. Which proves that those who give money to programs that don't succeed do not really care about education, just getting elected.
It is called common sense! Use your brain instead of having somebody tell you what to think!
Romney said he wanted to cut the department of education.
I've heard nothing from Romney about investing in education, just controlling costs.
You can't diss Obama's plan when Romney has no plan.
Wait, your entire post is a contridiction of itself.
Romney said....
....(nothing in) investing in education, just controlling costs....
....Romney has no plan.
How can you say he doesn't have a plan if you just said what part of his plan is?
“While Federal spending on the Department of Education and related education programs has grown significantly over the past few decades, academic achievement has not seen a commensurate improvement,” Ryan said in the report accompanying his budget plan.
Federal spending on defense has also increased -very- significantly over the past few decades. Yet, America is not safer now. Does it mean that Ryan believes we should cut defense spending too?
White young men, and, second in line is white young women, are at the bottom of the 'lists' to get grants or loans or jobs or internships or whatever you want to name.
Maybe this seems like a forward step to some. This seems to create more anger within the country as the US Government continues to place emphasis on US Citizens differences, IMO.
Which century is this?
Anyway, as a former Democrat, I changed to Unaffiliated less than a year ago. For many reasons. The above is but one. I feel the Democrats have become the largest hate group in the USA, and, I will not be a part of a hate group. There are many parts to the Democrat whole ... still, hate and emphasis on differences is the end result.
Obviously, the Republicans have hate groups at their fringe, as well. However, IMO, hate is not the main ingredient as I feel the Democrats have become.
I am tired of the anger and hate. This is my opinion.
WheresCongress, couldn't agree more !
Obama said in his speech at Capital University in Columbus, “Putting a college education within reach for working families just doesn’t seem to be a big priority for my opponent.”
Uhmm...when LESS than 50% of college grads can find jobs, why the emphasis on it?
Big gov. needs to do what's needed to make make an environment for job building..and QUIT printing/throwing/borrowing money. Has he not learned that doesn't work?
Hate hearing how reps are the 'hate group'..mercy, have you ever seen 'the ed show' ... omgggggggg.
Sigh. Just because you throw money at a problem doesn't mean the problem will be resolved. Student loans? When the government is tossing out lots of money, what is there to keep the schools from raising tuition costs? Nothing. What is the drop-out rate and why? Obama spent years when he was a community organizer pushing to get more money for the inner city schools in Chicago. Bill Ayer's daddy was a big contributor.
Using education as a means of pushing oneself up the political ladder doesn't address core issues, all it does is create a party platform to stump on. Ever notice how when a politican is lagging in the polls and doesn't have much to run on, he always dredges up education to stir the voters.
Sorry, the educational expectations are so low as to be laughable. India, Japan, China and other countries focus on real education and they have an ethic about education that is sorely lacking in America. The brightest kids in academia are not American, they are foreign and their parents push them, make them do their homework and class projects and....make them respect their teachers. American parents regard teachers as babysitters and only scream when their kid is about to get disciplined for acting like a jerk.
The problem with our education system is that we do not offer trade and technical training in high school. Other countries test students at 5th or 6th grade and encourage students to enroll in a trade or technical training while in high school. High schools are geared toward every student going to college which is not what every student wants to do. Many go because they are lead to believe that is their only path. Eventually, they get a plan to go down the path that they truly wanted.
"Republicans care about Education just as much as you do, they do not like to throw money and get nothing in return. It is about giving money to the programs that succeed and stopping those that do not."
I for one would be most interested in reading the exact party platform that Romney and Ryan are proposing. AS for education...there is for sure money wasted in some of the government deptartments that oversee education..and we surely get nothing for that wasted money. It would be interesting to see just who Ryan feels is worthy of a higher education ? The money wasted on education is not in what is used to educate our kids..it is however wasted on professors who do little for their money. Many Collage presidents are way over paid..along with professors...and there are professors who should not be teaching..just as there are hig school and lower teachers that should not be teaching. If we are to see better education for our kids...we parents will have to pay much more attention to what we are getting for our tax dollars. Remember, washington wastes our tax money...on themselves and ideas to keep themselves in office. If you think not..check out just how much our politicans pay out to enterain lobbyist for MORE money...I have to wonder what they all work harder at...what they were elected to do..or their own agendas ? Considering their approval ratings..I would have to say the latter.
Dude,
Because you increased what can be obtained in loans and grants so high, colleges gladly charge higher rates.
See all the construstruction on campuses for parking decks, New Dormitories, Student activity centers.
It's as bad as college recruiting for sports. Look at all the perks we give you if you just sign on the dotted line for a big fat loan to pay for it all.
That is why kids come out with $120,000 - $200,000 in college debt for a job will net $40,000 - $60,000 per year. If they are one of the over half graduating that can't get a job in their field, then they are settling for $15,000 - $30,000 while working multiple jobs to try to pay for the crushing debt.
I am trying to understand this. Other countries are getting better educational performance than we are and they are spending less money per student so the President thinks that we can improve our student's performance by spending more money that we do not have. So the President wants our unemployed to be better educated. The President also wants us to spend a lot of money that it does not have on, for example, a high speed train system that out unemployed can use to get to the jobs they do not have. So the President still wants the federal government to spend even more money, that it does not have, on questionable efforts that so far have had little effect on improving our economic ills.
Lets look at the bottom line. Something needs to be done to keep our country solvent. Our President said that deficit spending was bad and he promised that the 2012 federal deficit will not exceed 229.27 billion dollars yet his own White House is predicting that the deficit will exceed 1.2 trillion dollars. In the name of transparency the President needs to tell us how he is going to keep his promise.
The President has mentioned the idea of paying down the debt yet the White House is predicting that the federal government will be running huge deficits for at least another decade. The President needs to present his plan for paying off the National Debt. Taxpayers have a right to know how much all of the federal borrowing is going to cost them. More spending is not going to solve the problem.
If more money really needs to be spent on education as far as the tax payers are concerned it will be much cheaper for the states to do it because they will not have to pay as much interest on the money that they will have to borrow.
If anyone needs more education it is the President. He has no sense of budget. He has no sense of keeping his promises on the economy. He keeps making promises without any regard for what it takes to keep them.
The President needs to be reminded of some words of wisdom that were spoken back in March of 2006. The words are as true today as they were then.
The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies.
And the cost of our debt is one of the fastest growing expenses in the Federal budget. This rising debt is a hidden domestic enemy, robbing our cities and States of critical investments in infrastructure like bridges, ports, and levees; robbing our families and our children of critical investments in education and health care reform; robbing our seniors of the retirement and health security they have counted on.
Every dollar we pay in interest is a dollar that is not going to investment in America's priorities. Instead,interest payments are a significant tax on all Americans–a debt tax that Washington doesn't want to talk about. If Washington were serious about honest tax relief in this country, we would see an effort to reduce our national debt by returning to responsible fiscal policies.
Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that "the buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.
~ Senator B. H. Obama, March 2006
truth seeker the reason why we are no longer safer is because our country has a foreign policy that includes nation building and destroying countries which in turn makes those countries angry with the USA.
Such as
Afghanistan
Additionally we should stop sending aid to countries and instead focus on protecting our borders and cutting the national debt of 17 trillion us dollars
Here's the problem that most of you (and the President) are missing. Education doesn't start in college, secondary, middle or even elementary schools, it starts at home!!!!
The fact that some parents don't care about educating their kids is what's hurting our youth AND the country. When they do go to school, most of them don't receive the education they require simply because most schools are not funded properly to support the requirements necessary to teach our kids in a responsible way. Then you have teachers, good if not great teachers that are handcuffed from doing their job in a responsible manner when they are forced to teach to a test that has no bearing on whether our kids are being educated properly but rather how much support the school will get from the state and teachers get in pay. This doesn't put education as the priority and that's really disturbing. Once we make education and not a test a priority, then we will see an improvement....
We need to do a better job at funding the states and local schools instead of throwing the money into grants scholarships for colleges and universities which know the money is there which is one of the reasons, in my opinion, they are raising tuition rates. Make no mistake, they will get their money regardless. Take some of that money away and you will see a small dropoff in attendence(trade off) but eventually they will have to drop their tutition rates in order to get their attendance back up to their acceptable levels or we will have a community colleges see a significant rise in enrollments.
10 years AFTER putting a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth, the Department of Education was reestablished as a cabinet-level department.
DOEd 1980 Budget year = $14+ Billion
DOEd 2011 Budget year = $79+ Billion
Parents were supplanted by the Dept. of Ed as the primary guide in a child’s development. The flow of easy money in the form of Federal loan guarantees encouraged colleges to raise the selling price of a degree. The race to the bottom with arbitrary standardization of curricula has produced graduating classes succeeding at the level of the lowest common denominator; under-prepared for the rigors of upper division course work.
The Department of Ed is an abject failure and a feeding trough for politicians, unions, and vendors. The quickest way to cut $80 Billion from the Federal budget is to shutter the Department of Ed.
31 years and $1.3 Trillion later, obviously, no amount of money can correct a bad premise!
BTW: 2011 Budget Year (NASA) = 17+ Billion
Any wonder we’re hitching Soyuz rides?
Instead of slamming your opponent for trying to close the gap on the federal deficit with concrete ideas and solutions, Mr. President, how about presenting your plan for closing the federal deficit gap. Maybe you could start by passing a Budget for the first time in three years instead of maxing out our Chinese Mastercard!
But then it wouldn't be the party of blame.
Obama did his budget, it isn't his job to "pass" one.
The Republican budget is a joke and calls for cuts for education so the wealthy can get their tax cut.
Obama's plan is very clear mix of careful cuts and raising revenues. It's out there.
The person without a plan for education is Romney.
Rightwing,
Every Democrat voted against it not once but twice
Regarding the frequent charge that President Obama has not had a "budget" passed blah, blah, blah…
What has happened without the passing of a Budget, is that Republican and Democrats have COMPROMISED by using the Continuing Resolution, which is:
PLEASE NOTE: A CR funds existing programs "at current or reduced levels."
Thus, by NOT having a budget passed, which almost ALWAYS increases Federal Spending, the Bi-Partisan CR's that President Obama has worked out with congress run the government at current or lower expense, not greater! Thank you Mr. President for NOT increasing the cost of federal government. Now you may understand why The White House has instructed ALL Democrats "Do NOT Vote For The President's Budget." It costs less to run the government under a CR.
QUESTION: Is President Obama the only president to use the CR process.
ANSWER: No. It was used very frequently from 2001 to 2008.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuing_resolution
QUESTION: Who was president during those years?
ANSWER: George W. Bush!
ALSO: In 1995 something happened with a CR that has not yet happened to President Obama.
That hasn't happened to President Obama yet, has it. Why not? President Obama has told his own people NOT to vote for his budgets, and then dared Republicans to not pass a CR, basically saying "Go ahead. Make my day!" But the Republicans have chickened out every time!!! (Thanks Newt!)
Okay, so can we now knock-off this crap about President Obama's not having a budget passed? As Martha Stewart would say, it turns out "It's a Good Thing!"
So Bob, what you are saying is, by having such a horrible budget proposal where the author of the budget shows that he has no clue as to what he is saying, that is a good thing for you?
But if what you say is true, then how come we have had increasing deficit over the past 4 years?
Somehow, I don't think the rubber meets the road on this one.
Bob, the CRO has stated time and again that passing continuing spending resolutions is not passing a budget, that the Senate is in violation of the law passed in the late 70s in regards to the budget. Both the President and the House have passed budgets the last 2 years, the Senate has not. Budget votes require only 51 votes, no filibustering allowed. There is no excuse, democrats are not serious about budgets.
Tell that to your congresspersons who are the ones who pass budgets and allow tax credits to dobusiness overseas and allow them to not pay taxes! FIRE them first then worry about the President!
Eric,
The only reason you cannot laugh at a democrat budget is because they haven't even offered a counter budget to the Republican proposals.
Until the Democrats put a budget plan on the floor, then there is nothing to discuss unless you want to talk to yourself!
Bob,
Bob, they actually start with the Budget as requested by the president. Somehow you have never notices that other spending gets slipped in there other than current programs.
The President needs to be reminded of some words of wisdom that were spoken back in March of 2006. The words are as true today as they were then.
The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies.
And the cost of our debt is one of the fastest growing expenses in the Federal budget. This rising debt is a hidden domestic enemy, robbing our cities and States of critical investments in infrastructure like bridges, ports, and levees; robbing our families and our children of critical investments in education and health care reform; robbing our seniors of the retirement and health security they have counted on.
Every dollar we pay in interest is a dollar that is not going to investment in America's priorities. Instead,interest payments are a significant tax on all Americans–a debt tax that Washington doesn't want to talk about. If Washington were serious about honest tax relief in this country, we would see an effort to reduce our national debt by returning to responsible fiscal policies.
Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that "the buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.
~ Senator B. H. Obama, March 2006
BearBryant - You should know that the President can't pass a budget. Congress has to submit, vote and pass a budget as the budget the President submitted last year was not even brought to a vote on the house floor. Let's stop blaming the President for things he can't control and put the blame where it belongs, CONGRESS
Dude from nowhere, and the other "deficit hawks", check history. Our country has had a increasing deficit for 40+ years of our growth. Part of the reason we left the backing of our dollar by a commodity, gold, was just because of this deficit increase in 1973 signed by Pres. Nixon. We released ourselves from backing our debt and dollar from a commodity that could be manipulated by others. If you own a substantial reserve of gold, dollars, and production you could change the price, and effectively changed the value of the dollar. Now our dollar is only backed by the security of the Federal Government.......You can't exchange a Treasury Note , any Government Debt, or a Dollar for anything except another Dollar.
This is what "deficit hawks" fail to understand about Our Debt and Dollar since the 60's. They still believe that at some time someone will come up with a huge amount of dollars or Government debt and shut our economy down,,,, but that is impossible because they only value in our dollar that they would get is another dollar, no more gold or gold certificates. We are unlike Greece, Spain, and the Euro as their currency is backed by the European Union a separate entity from their Country's government, and can ask for penalty's, or austerity measure's if they are unable to pay the Euro-Union loans. Hope, this is not to complex a issue for those above........
Again, I ask, When was the last reduction in our National Deficit, and who administered it? Repuglicans have cried this political non-theory for 50 years, and have yet to lower it in those same 50 years,,,,,,,,,How come? Even Mitt Robme, and Ryan's plan will not reduce the yearly deficit for 20 years, and that is only if their plan is in effect without changes and no further wars or natural disasters that would have to be paid for with additional costs........ If we as a people decide we need to go to war, again, where will that money come from ? Answer: just like it did for Iraq and Afghanistan, continued increases in our Federal Budget, or Federal Debt.
Do you think the clean-up expenses for the Gulf spill were part of the "budget" or Hurricane Katrina? No, they excedded the "budget" and were added to the debt.......... Did you pay extra taxes or to charity for those expenses, along with a unfunded Medicare Part D, signed and passed by the Repuglicans in 2003 ? Heck NO, but you liked the results upfront, not thinking of the cost in interest to the Federal Debt.
Yes, Pres. Obama's plan to hold Congress and politically Republicans liable for the Total Budget spent in any given year is right.... Make them show just what they are voting for,,no more "I'll vote for your budget, Mr Pres. if you add this in it for me, than you take the heat for the deficit as you wrote the budget, and I can tell my constituants that I brought more money into our district, yet it was that a-hole Pres. who wrote the budget, and we had to pass something or the Government might shut down and you don't want that........."
I genious move on the President's part, and Clinton too,,,,yet some uninformed believe what their candidates tell them..........So Sad.
Why is it that All legislation that is passed in the House by Republicans, and not brought to a vote, or voted down in the Democratic Senate include restrictive rules on regulation (E.P.A.) and rules(abortion),yet by the Constitution their job is to introduce and pass appropriation bills, dealing with budgets and expenses?
That is the seperation of power our Constitution has in it.............The House introduces bills to facilitate the running of the Federal Governmnet Financially by population majority. Those State's with a larger population have more say so as to where their money goes,,, and the Senate makes the rules of order or laws that effect all of us equally, two senators from each State, as a Republic. Equal protection from the law.
Unfortunatly it is the Repuglicans who have diminished the Constitutional Law, by introducing law in the House that has nothing to do with Finance of the Government, but sounds good to their unknowing constituants.
Look at the "jobs" bills that have started in the House, and never left the Congress. How many of them have little to do with finance, other than to "lower the deficit" and have a lot to do with matters that pertain to the authority of the Senate? Sure, Harry is pi**ed, and he should be as He is the majority leader and C.E.O. of the branch that has the power to amend, add or restrict governmnet law outside of budget and finance. Relate to me in the Constitution, where the House has the ability to redifine laws of rights and Federal Power?
Jesse, DB, and Will, you lack the knowledge to understand or have a political bent that will not be broken.
DB, CR bills are not based on present budget, but passed budgets as the quote directly from wikipedia with provenence reads,,,,,,"A CR funds existing programs "at current or reduced levels." your quote is "actually wrong and subversive,,"Bob, they actually start with the Budget as requested by the president" which you provide no prove, just your apparent political innuendo,,so be it, you are known for that anyway so why be differant today<<<<<<<<<LOL.
Jesse, "the CRO has stated time and again that passing continuing spending resolutions is not passing a budget, that the Senate is in violation of the law passed in the late 70s in regards to the budget." and your link or prove,,,,,,,,,none, but thanks for proving nothing that the Repugs have not tried already, that is a new one on me. And your link to CRO?
"In the 20th century the US ran a defict during World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, and in almost all years since 1960, during peace and war." source:http://www.usgovernmentdebt.us/us_deficit,,,,, so the evil Democrats thru majority of Congress or Presidency have increased the Federal Deficit,,LOL... Poor Repugs don't have a fighting chance........LOL.
"
The federal government of the United States operates on a budget calendar that runs from October 1 through September 30. Each year, the Congress authorizes each department, agency, or program to spend a specific amount of money, and the President signs the bill into law. This money may not be spent, however, until it has been appropriated for a given purpose. The Department of Justice, for example, is authorized to spend $22.2 billion each year, but may not do so until Congress passes a law that says so. [1]
Because of this system, Congress is required to pass separate spending bills every year to ensure the operation of government. If Congress fails to pass such a bill, or the President fails to sign it into law, non-essential functions of the government will cease, as they are no longer allowed by law to spend money. In order to prevent the interruption of government services, Congress will often pass a continuing resolution. This authorizes government agencies to fund their agencies at the current level until either the resolution expires, or an appropriations bill is passed. A continuing resolution must be passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by the President." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuing_resolution
DB,,,,get it,,,,it is the law not something you make up as a good Repuglican. Those damn communists and liberal wikipedia is at it again,,,,,,,,,,,LOL.
once again "Congress will often pass a continuing resolution. This authorizes government agencies to fund their agencies at the current level until either the resolution expires, or an appropriations bill is passed" Do you understand "current" as what we spend in our budget now?
Here it is in graph form ,,,,,,,,deficit and employment,,,,,,,,,,http://randomknowledgeispower.blogspot.com/2010/10/american-economy.html
Gee, those Dems. in the Senate really are screwing us up,LOL.
You can't have it both ways. If we admit we Need better educated working in this country AND we need more educated people in this country then post secondary education needs to be affordable.
OR
We can continue educating foreign nationals none of whom have an iota of loyalty to the U. S.
gee educate CITIZENS or Foreigners.
The rich send their kids to school, so they have no worries about cuts to Pell grants. In fact, they probably consider them welfare.
Thus, there is not fair opportunity for everyone with the Republicans calling the shots.
From above article: "Students in more than a dozen nations, including France, Finland, Australia, Japan, and Korea performed significantly better than American students on the PISA math test. Each of those nations also spends less per student than the United States does – on average about 30 percent less, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)."
What the article does not state is that these nation don't educate all students K-12. Many other countries do not spend the time or the money to educate/mainstream students with disabilities. So of course the average cost per American student is going to be higher. The cost of educating special education students drives the costs upward and that increases the average. This comparison is not an apples to apples comparison and therefore unbalanced.
And no other country has to deal with 30 million illegal aliens and their spawn.
Is it a wonder why test scores haven't improved when whatever increases in spending went to pay for bilingual teachers to educate little Manny and Dora?
@mndw6
So, you are saying that France, Finland, Australia, Japan, and Korea don't force their children into K-12 like we do? Do you have proof to back up that assertion?
I would love to see you say that Japan of all places do not force all of their children into primary school...
They all go to primary school but not all go to high school geared to college prep. They are tested at 5th or 6th grade and only the top 20% go to college prep, the rest go to a trade school.
Now Obama is pandering to students. He is making his rounds. Too bad for Obama that very few of the college graduates can get a job due to his failed economic policies.
Ryan is pandering to Akin, I think that is a more substantial story.
Romney panders to the Koch brothers.
At least pandering to students is a nobler goal.
Eric.
Do you ever bother to read anything or just throw out the Liberal talking points. Romney said Akin should drop out!!!! Here it is on MSNBC!!!
http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/21/13398838-romney-akin-should-exit-the-senate-race?lite
(geesh.)
Diogenes22 - Eric didn't say that Romney was pandering to Akin, He said Ryan was.....big difference.
BTW, Romney should has said that Monday not waited a full day. I'm just saying.
If the model the other countries have works so much better then lets adopt it. Starting with the amount of money they spend per student. One fact seems to be clear when it comes to education. The more money you put into it the less you get out of it. More money is not the answer. How about some personal responsibility.
What ?? Adopt another countries successful model ??
How about American exceptionalism......... (rolls eyes).
Call your congressperson and get them working for a change!
You are mistaken thinking the money goes to students, classrooms, and teachers.
Personal responsibility IS the answer. And this starts in the home. This starts with parenting and engendering a thirst for knowledge. Most parents are too tired after working all day and simply plunk their kids in front of a TV or video game. Don't blame teachers, who only have these children for 5 or 6 hours a day. I speak as a teacher, the mother of a stay-at-home mom (which makes life financially stressful) and the grandmother of two grandchildren who learned to read and write at the age of 4. TV in the home is limited to 1 hour a day and they don't have video games.
What this stupid story by the left doesn't tell you is that Pell grants now make up half of the Department of Educations budget, that a much higher percentage of Pell Grant students don't graduate college compared to non-Pell Grant students and Obama has doubled the amount of money taxpayers spend on Pell Grants. All this "free" money without any requirements has got to end or the fiscal cliff will come sooner than we think.
Yeah, cuz the kids with rich parents don't need no stinking Pell grants.
Republicans = "We don't need no stinking Pell Grants".
Good for you saltine! But many minorities do that on a DAILY basis, and you want to get props for it? Knock it off. You still have the complexion for the protection, and you just proved a point. if your family was so @!$%#ed up, tell me how you paid for a college degree in Engineering without some governmental assistance? Answer that. I know you are one of these whites who feel no matter what your life was like, you'll always be better than a @!$%#. And stop lying! You mean to tell me you graduated from college and paid ALL your student loans back in 6 months? You're lying and you know it. Unless you went to Phoenix College online! Knock it off....
Rightwing, I think you will have to try to explain to Lamont the difference between a loan and a grant. Good luck with THAT!
Cut admins wages and pensions in half to start with.
They can't really do that. They would have a riot on the streets if they do.
What they need to do is hold schools accountable for students, and to create an atmosphere where the student is the center, not the state/federal grant received.
"They would have a riot"
Who would riot on behalf of school admins ?
Liberals would. Since the media would tell them that the government is "cutting funding from schools by half." The media would "forget" to mention which half the government is cutting though.
Liberal teachers know that admin is way over paid not to mention the pensions.
Is admin getting way over paid due to liberals ?
How long before Republicans figure out a way to make us pay for the air we breathe........???
Eric,
You must be having a really bad day. Pour yourself a tall glass of koolaid and take a load off. Stress can make you ill.
The answer to poor student performance is simple:
Unqualified Administrators and poor, unmotivated teachers.
Get rid of the Administrators with political aims, replace them with leaders, in the teaching communities and start holding teachers accountable for their individual results. Let States take back control and limit the government oversight. We'll save 100's of billions a year and our children will benefit.
Read some Alfie Kohn.
Something that is continuously overlooked when the US is compared to other countries around the world is that we are in the minority of countries that educate everyone (or at least try to). Funneling students into academics or vocations is common around the world and it allows nations to test the academic skills of people who are both willing & capable of scoring well. The rest are shunted to job training, apprenticeships, the military, etc. Until we get over the idea that EVERYONE should go to college there will be no real gains. Universities know how to play a game in a system guaranteeing them customers and they know that the price will always be compensated for by the government (liberal ones at least). Neither candidates' plan addresses the repercussions for groups who do not benefit from their increases/cuts and no one is willing to tackle the hard questions regarding education.
The more we increase funding for Pell Grants and the like, the more colleges charge to meet those available funds.
online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303443904575578651983962836.html
Funny how that works (...and Liberals wonder why, on average, Higher Education costs nearly twice as much in the US as compared to Europe.)
It is not COLLEGES and UNIVERSITIES playing that game, it unaccredited congressperson sanctioned whatevers? They are rolling out uneducated unprepared students who have been fooled into believing they actuallly got a colleged education. All the work of corporations who are just after the $$$$$$$s.
Education starts at the bottom...not in college. If you're not educated out of the 12th grade, college won't help. Kids must be pushed in 1-12...not college. Obama doesn't even have a clue how to accomplish anything.
Talk to your congresspersons who create this problems and laws!
That's some tough talk considering he claims his opponents will cut funding; and in turn lower tuitions.
Like housing and healthcare, in education, when the taxpayer money is offering up like chum, the sharks come swimming. The cost of education started going up with the creation of the Dept of Education. More money has created the growth of for-profit schools.
We need to get rid of the Federal Dept of Education and give the States back control of educating our children.
Its another failed experiment by the Democrats that needs to go away.
http://www.cato.org/publications/congressional-testimony/impact-federal-involvement-americas-classrooms
The biggest problem is the left and right have wanted to import poor illegal aliens to vote and work for them respectively.
We now have about 30 million illegals and their spawn crawling through the educational system and schools have to teach little Manny and Dora in Spanish to prep them for their Aztlan courses.
Both sides caused the problem by importing the worlds poor and making believe that they would be as productive and interested in education as native born American families.
Rightwingscrewball: We actually take the technology to them and ask them to make all the parts and the product in their country in their factories! Why? It is soooooooo cheap! What happens? Your one correct statement, "they steal it" and sell it all over the world. What can we do about it? Nothing! We will be able to do less and less as the wages continue to decline in this country as we will no longer be able to support our military to defend our positions! That's what taking your business out of country does you! How's that working out for you? Got money parked in an overseas bank?
Hey, instead of arguing with a bunch of republican idiots on the internet, why don't you go out and hit the phones and hit the streets for Obama. I just took a month off from work (yes I work, took my vacation) and am working to get the finest president we've had in this millinium reelected. if you want to sit here and contemplate your navel, go ahead, but it won't help our fine president get reelected.
Did you REALLY have to ask him that?!? LOL!
Actually, no, I'm not cognitively challenged. I have a Masters Degree in clinical Psychology and know a mental disorder when I see it. I'm pretty sure you suffer from idiotitous, which is diagnosed as drinking the Republican Cool-Aid and denying the facts no matter what.
....somehow, I challenge that Master's Degree that you claim you have.....
Because, I'm sure every Clinical Psychologist would know, you don't verbally attack somebody if you want to make your point across.
If what you say is true, that you have taken a month off of work to pander people into voting for Obama, then good for you. Others would see that as a waste of time, however. I'm sure that you, if you have a Master's Degree in anything, would know what opportunity cost is, and how much of a risk from your time off you have placed on yourself in the long run.
Even worse if you own your own practice (assuming what you said is true, however).
"Students in more than a dozen nations, including France, Finland, Australia, Japan, and Korea performed significantly better than American students on the PISA math test. Each of those nations also spends less per student than the United States does – on average about 30 percent less, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)."
The entire Department of Education could be eliminated, as they are apparently ineffective.
Maybe if they treated Pell grants like loans for students who do not graduate, the number of grants would go down, and real graduation rates would increase.
i dont know about on the national level or other states, but here in AZ the GOP dominated legislature has GUTTED education funding...while giving more and more to private prisons. When Ryan says we arent getting the bang for the buck, i bet he wasnt aware of that fact. Point is, they want to gut funding for education, but then turn around and give it to corporations that they benefit from (AZ governors right hand man is the main lobbyist for private prisons), or continue to give tax breaks to the rich and well off.
david saint,
They haven't gutted anything and you know it. Arizona is trying to deal with the bloated pensions and health care plans, that were allocated like monopoly money.
If you're going to blather at least try to do it with a few facts.
More money is going to prisons than education because? Well if you were the top of the class, you googled to find out the answer. What is the answer? Corporations, not states, now run prisons. It is a huge money maker for corporations. Next question, which corporations own the prisons? Quess who? Who wants to eliminate public education and have it run by corporations? Why? Answer for why, it will be a huge money maker! Education will be on the hot seat until it happens! Most of the money goes to administration not student right now. What needs to be eliminated? Answer, administration!!!!!!
I agree, David. We're not getting bang for our prison dollars either. Large rocks, small hammers...no more cable, basketball, weights, etc. I mean, what moron helps criminals get stronger and more athletic and thinks it's a good idea. Make them work....all of them. Exhaust all their energy every day. Make sure they never want to come back.
White young men, and, second in line is white young women, are at the bottom of the 'lists' to get grants or loans or jobs or internships or whatever you want to name.
Maybe this seems like a forward step to some. This seems to create more anger within the country as the US Government continues to place emphasis on US Citizens differences, IMO.
Which century is this?
Anyway, as a former Democrat, I changed to Unaffiliated less than a year ago. For many reasons. The above is but one. I feel the Democrats have become the largest hate group in the USA, and, I will not be a part of a hate group. There are many parts to the Democrat whole ... still, hate and emphasis on differences is the end result.
Obviously, the Republicans have hate groups at their fringe, as well. However, IMO, hate is not the main ingredient as I feel the Democrats have become.
I am tired of the anger and hate. This is my opinion.
Who established the United Negro College Fund? Can you imagine what would happen if someone established a United White Boy College Fund?
What do you need it for? You already receive all the benefits of this country. No one is saying you can't go to school, or you couldn't sit here, or you couldn't vote! If the shoe was on the other foot, you'd be more than welcome to start a group to help you get your rights as a citizen. But you already have them, will have them, and have had them since the country was founded. Knock it off saltine!
Lamont - Is the UNCF exclusive? What if a Latino or Korean signed up for a UNCF grant? Would they be excluded? Just wondering.
Yes! i went to Tuskegee University, and other minorities have received monies from the UNCF. Know your facts before you spout off at the mouth saltine. And secondly, White students can go to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and get minority funding. Knock it off...
Lamont, please cite what benefits that whites recieve that you don't from living here. Just 3 or 4 little things will do nicely.
Lamont, I called no one a name in my post.
You calling people 'saltine' is another example of why I left the Democrats. Democrats are about anger, hate, division, name calling and I am tired of it.
And, IMO, seats are taken in universities, now, by those who are not even US citizens. So as a US citizens, you need to think very hard about what you ask for or you just might get it ... no available college slots because the rest of the world comes first.
After white men and women, IMO, the remaining US citizens come in second as the new 'Second Class Citizen' of the USA.
Welcome to the club.
Facts please!
"White young men, and, second in line is white young women, are at the bottom of the 'lists' to get grants or loans or jobs or internships or whatever you want to name.
Maybe this seems like a forward step to some. This seems to create more anger within the country as the US Government continues to place emphasis on US Citizens differences, IMO."
Well, if they are lower income, they qualify. Plain and simple. Why don't they get said benefits? Because they can PAY! You can't tell me there are not White folks in America receiving Pell Grants and other educational benefits. SO please, unless you have stats, stop just making stuff up and posting it. Obama already warned that your party is king at doing so, and you folks constantly keep proving it. I live up the street from USC, and all I see are white students driving fifty thousand dollar cars, living in condos, and paying 45 thousand a year to go to school. If they can afford all that, AND afford tuition, then they need to pay. Plain and simple...
You are absolutely correct, Lamont, anybody who qualifies financially, can get Pell grants and loans for their education. Doesn't matter whether they're white, brown, black, or yellow. Hell, I imagine if one were purple with pink polka dots (and an American citizen), one could get a Pell grant.
I'm white and went to a predominately minority (Latino) public university in California and truly believe that anyone who is racist is not only an idiot, but is anti-American. Racism breaks the fundamental principle of being an American- and that is that "ALL men are created equal"
Lamont is correct that plenty of white people have money and should pay tuition.
Plenty of white people do NOT have money, as well. My son's fiancee is up to her neck in debt for student loans. She has been told to forget even trying for grants and scholarships because she will not be considered as soon as she marks the 'white' box.
At some point, qualifications should matter. Ask any athlete. Or any profession where you have to be the best by showing in deed that you are the best.
I am tired of the government pointing out division among US citizens. It is not healthy to divide people in a country in terms of losers and winners.
Name one country where picking winners and losers results in a healthy society.
Lamont - You are describing the social problems in the BLACK community...not the white. My parents saved every penny to give me a better life. We struggled through lean years before my father, working two jobs, was finally promoted to higher wages...why? Not because he was white, but because he was the hardest working, educated himself to the business, and acted properly at work.
Time to get off blaming whitey for why you need financial aid. White people can pay because they embrace business and move up the ladders. Blacks criticize their own for educating themselves. Even Jesse Jackson said Obama was "acting white". The NAACP nearly banned Bill Cosby for telling them to quit blaming white people and take responsibility for their actions. Blacks have no one to blame, but themselves.
My parents did everything they could for me. Time for black parents, as a whole, to do the same.
Paws: To read those types of comments really saddens me! Blacks have worked hard against all odds and have proven themselves winners time and time again!
sandy
I am going to be honest with you. As long as there is 'Affirmative Action', Blacks will not be given credit for what they accomplish.
As long as women and minorities are used by the Democrats as pawns that are not even competent or capable enough to get a photo ID, we will be viewed as less than those who are considered competent and capable enough to get a photo ID.
No wonder it takes laws to force employers to hire women and minorities. Somewhere in the back of employers minds, they must surely think we are not as smart as men.
Sandy - I did not saying Blacks can not achieve, but to deny the differences is to deny truth. I am friends with many successful blacks and they say the same thing about how their peers tried to drag them down for "being white". The ones that embrace education, the ones who had 2 parents committed to raising their children and making the next generation better than their own, and the ones who embrace a strong work ethic were the ones who are successful in America.
Bill Cosby said it right. Take ownership of your self. It doesn't matter what color your are. Intelligent, hardworking, well-mannered people will be successful in life. The others will not. I'm not saying challenges do not exist by some residual ignorance out there against blacks. But, that can no longer be given as a credible excuse.
Last Sundays' Chicago Tribune had a article on the speech that the head of Caterpillar gave to their investors and America....... No where did he mention "overregulation", "over taxed". His concer, and the company's was a lack of sufficiently educated workforce in America, and our declining infrastructure, (utility's,bridges & roads ) compared to China, India and others in the world.
Foreign governments are spending more of their Gross National Product on these improvements and plan on more. Yet we here have to hear from the Tea-tards and "deficit reduction" Republicans and Libertarians , about "how can we afford it?"
How can we afford not too, in the eyes of industrial leaders? Caterpillar has recently expanded their workforce in the U.S.A., and has a national flag emblem on each piece of equipment they sell overseas, to remind their workers that they work in a world economy today....
But, let the tea tards call it "socialism", "fascist", "communism" and they attract a crowd. We should grow up and face the reality of the world market.
Of COURSE, he will gut those things. Why would Fuhrer RoMONEY want an EDUCATED bunch of slaves? He'll put us all in sweatshops and brag about providing employment. And on top of it all, these are people with ENOUGH. These are people with many BLESSINGS. But its not enough for them.
LOL. So, let's find out just how much money the Obamas - who make over $1,000,000/year - gave last year to charity.
It is you libs who enslave people by pushing failed policies and agendas.
Bring on Romney and Paul!
George diversion is typical of your kind, and at least your opponent is trying,,,,,,, name a time when a reduced budget brought more prosperity and world strength to America? Gee, there has not been one. You are one of those who can cry no matter what the outcome, because you believe it is your personal liberty....LOL.
George is stuck in his "my way or the highway" rightous self interest. Just like those who believe we are superior to others, or more wealthy.
So we existed for almost 200 years without the Department of Education. Since we have HAD it, our results have steadily declined. Great job there! Let's waste a few billion more dollars to NOT educate our kids.
Let's keep Pell grants, but with the stipulation that they are ONLY grants if you actually GRADUATE. Otherwise they should be treated as loans. That may eliminate many "students" from taking the minimum class load and spending the money on other stuff. Why should we pay for "students" to take a few classes and never finish? Does that really make sense to anyone? Maybe if there were some consequences to their actions, some of those so-called students would think twice before wasting taxpayer money.
That is a good idea... We should make all benefits come with a condition. I would go with that...
Fact is, teachers, unions, administrators and the like are sucking up huge amounts of $$$ without any regard for performance since there is no accountability. First thing that should be done is do away with tenure: no other industry has this - and I'm not aware of any other country having such a counter-intuitive item in place.
Easy answer to the question about performance: make the teachers accountable.
Bottom line: we're not getting our moneys worth - and to continue pretending that govt. and their proxy the unions have the answer is not true - otherwise we wouldn't be in the position we're in.
Believe it was Einstein who said something to the effect that the definition of insanity it to continue doing the same thing and expecting a different result.
I think it would be prudent to know what does and doesn't work, before we start massive cuts OR investments.
Why don't we ask the experts instead of the Politicians?
Why are people even arguing the issue of increased education spending? The article clearly states that other nations get better results for less money, so we should be cutting our spending to match theirs, not the other way around.
Do you actually know where to cut? Wouldn't it be smart to find out what the others are doing first?
SemperAugust, love that thinking - but the libs won't give up their pork barrel projects - of which this one is the biggest.
George: Blame it on the libs! The worst education program of all was by some estimates a cost of 144Billion annually. Who enacted the law? That was G.Bush! How did your congressperson vote? Improve education? Very little effect.