Obama: Budget cuts shouldn't target education

(CBS News) In the back-to-school spirit, President Obama in his weekly address urged House Republicans to sign onto his jobs bill, which he argued would help state and local governments keep education a priority "even in tough fiscal times."

Drawing from a visit to Cascade High School earlier this week during a campaign swing through Iowa, the president lamented that "this year, several thousand fewer educators will be going back to school" because of budget cuts. "At a time when the rest of the world is racing to out-educate America," he said, "these cuts force our kids into crowded classrooms, cancel programs for preschoolers and kindergarteners, and shorten the school week and the school year."

Mr. Obama blamed the GOP-controlled House for blocking passage of the jobs bill he sent to Capitol Hill last September, which he said "included support for states to prevent further layoffs and to rehire teachers who'd lost their jobs." Their alternative plan, he continued, "would make the situation even worse" by further gutting education programs like Head Start - "all to pay for a massive new tax cut for millionaires and billionaires."

"I am only the President of the United States today because of the chance my education gave me," he said. "I want every child in America to have that chance - that's what I'm fighting for. And as long as I have the privilege of being your president, that's what I'm going to keep fighting for."

Meanwhile, delivering the Republicans' weekly address, Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., a working farmer, used her own current event of choice to point a finger back at Mr. Obama and defend her party's efforts in the House.

Nodding to August's ongoing state fairs, which she said this year "means recognizing the perseverance of our farmers and ranchers as they face the worst drought our country has suffered in decades," Hartzler charged the president and the Democrat-controlled Senate with dropping the ball on House-approved measures to help farmers affected by the drought in the Midwest - Missouri included.

"I was relieved earlier this month when the House passed a bipartisan measure helping farmers devastated by the ongoing drought," Hartzler said. "A lot was riding on this bill, but the Senate, a body controlled by the president's party, left Washington for the month of August without even bringing it to a vote."

Hartzler also credited House Republicans with passing "more than 30 jobs bills," a budget that "saves Medicare," and efforts to stop a Jan. 1 triggered tax hike on small businesses.

"While the president tells small business owners like me 'you didn't build that,'" she said, repeating the GOP's new favorite attack line from a recent speech by the president, "Republicans know better and are committed to getting government out of their way."

[smirk5]

"You have to spend a little to grow a little. What we're trying to do is stimulate that part of the economy that's on its back."
Paul Ryan in 2002 using a Keynesian argument for Bush Jr.'s stimulus bill.

[lgccac]

The Dept. of Education (along with many other federal departments and agencies) needs to be completely eliminated.

Schools should be run by the states, not the federal government.

[sjc_1]

Schools are run by the states and counties, less than 10% of the money for education comes from the federal government. However, we need consistent standards. If someone comes from a poor state or county, they need a good education too.

[UForgotPoland]

To eliminate the deficit we must cut programs and raise taxes at the same time. Unfortunately these two clowns want to only focus exclusively on just one of these solutions. Sorry but the Republicans tactic of just making cuts while refusing to raise taxes will not decrease the deficit.

[Jaylah54200]

Well, we can keep cutting funding for our schools (whether state, local or federal funding...doesn't matter) so that we can no longer compete in the global marketplace, but as long as we keep increasing our "defense" budget, we can just invade and attack any country we don't like. That oughtta teach 'em, huh?

And children of rich people can go to private schools and get the jobs requiring education, while the kids of poor families can continue to be cannon-fodder for our empire building.

And farmers don't need any help just because half of the nation has experienced one of the worst droughts in our history. So what if we won't be able to produce enough food to feed our people this year? Simple solution: Increase the "defense" budget, cut off all food assistance programs, let anybody that doesn't have the money to buy food at astronomical prices join the military, and then just send all those kids off to invade countries that DO have food and ship the food back here. For the rich people to buy it.


Homeless people? Increase the "defense" budget. Let them join the military. They have barracks there.

Health care? Increase the "defense" budget. There's free health care for everybody in active service in the military.

I mean, it's so simple even somebody that flunked third grade can understand it. Just keep increasing our "defense" budget, and funnel in everybody that can't afford education to the military. (You don't need to be educated to fire a weapon.) Then, whatever we want that we don't have, we just invade the country that does have it, and we take it for ourselves. A side benefit is that oil prices will go down when we invade and take over countries in the Middle East.

Whatever the perceived problem is, the answer is increasing the "defense" budget. (Although maybe we should change the name to the offense budget.)

I can't believe you libs are too dumb to understand that.

Remember, we need to take care of our own LAST.

[samXXkiley]

coucou,
preserving education, ie the public school is synonymous with preservation of children from marginalization
provide favorable conditions for teachers will have a positive impact on pupils
Unfortunately, education does not a priority of the Republican Party, it is logical, since the children of the rich attend private schools
"au revoir"

[gretmw]

Of course you have to have at least a High School diploma to join the military.

[jaykay3141]

Poor education --> permanent underclass --> servants for the 1%

Poor education --> no critical thinking --> vote based on sound bites, not facts.

Vous avez raison, Sam.

[lillyhorton]

State governments cut things like education and funding for the mentally ill because it effects the community directly. It causes the fear that our children will suffer intellectually and the world will get dangerous with bi polar and schizophrenia people running around.

We also need to be aware that people who talk against the government are being arrested. Brandon Raub a former US marine who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan has been detained for his FB page. He will see a judge Monday.

[janeteleanor]

Obama ISN'T TELLING THE FULL STORY. He thinks Americans are dumb.
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE MOSTLY RESPONSIBLE. Check the facts out.

[GrillChilliPepper]

CBS... PRO OBAMA.. tell that to Jerry Brown and the Democrats that threatened their own people in California every time they want a tax increase.

WE ARE FIGHTING BACK WITH KILL THE BEAST CAMPAIGN. YES WE NEED TO STARVE THESE BEAST TO DEATH.

NO TAXES NADA.. NOT A SINGLE TAX SHOULD BE PASS IN CALIFORNIA UNTIL MAJOR REFORM IS MADE.

[RealiteBites]

But isn't that Barack's problem? He doesn't want to make cuts to anything.

That's what makes the pick of Ryan so intriguing ...

[dj_chi]

He offered a big pile of cuts last year.... and the GOP kept refusing to go along with it, which is why we have the automatic cuts going into effect.

[dj_chi]

$3T. Open your eyes. You choose to see nothing which is different from what's there.

[CaptainSmollett]

Let's be clear: Obama's jobs bill was nothing more than "Stimulus II" funded with more debt to create temporary jobs pandering to unions. It was a nonsensical proposal simply for political purposes.