Education Nation

Our educational system is a mess, and what's the President's solution?

It's the same as his answer for every problem: More money.

He wants to give the Department of Education an extra $70 billion next year. What do you think this investment would get us?

A better prepared workforce? Or more bureaucratic red tape?

The sad fact is, not even a fancy college degree is a ticket to success.

According to a new study out this week, for the last three years, less than half of college graduates could find a full-time job within a year of finishing school.

Compare that to the nearly three-quarters that landed a job in previous years. And these new grads' problems are just beginning.

The job market is just barely opening up, and they're forming a growing backlog of graduates from earlier years, fighting for the same entry-level positions.

With the intense competition, they're taking lower wages, which can drag down pay for the rest of their lives.

Putting off raising a family, or buying a home. This number is a tragedy.

But look, I graduated into a horrible recession.

And I can tell you, crying over spilt milk, looking for a bailout, those aren't solutions.

I buckled down, hustled, found a job, and worked through it.

In any case, the dismal prospects that recent grads are facing is just a symptom of an even more troubling problem.

A nation-wide failure to provide quality education.

Consider this:

But all is not lost.

There is a new movement emerging for educational reform. It's not coming from the federal government, which just wants to throw more money at the problem.

No, reform is happening locally, from the states.

Governors like Bobby Jindal, Bob McDonnell, Mitch Daniels, and Chris Christie are fighting for student vouchers, and taking back control from powerful teachers unions.

And consider this: These governors are among the top picks to be mitt Romney’s vice president.

If one of them gets tapped, we could see real education reform become the national issue it deserves to be.

Getting a good education is step one in achieving the American dream. The economy is issue number one this November. And today's education is the cornerstone of the economy tomorrow.