President Obama wrapped up his West Coast trip yesterday with a speech at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, in which he highlighted the rising cost of college for American youth.
Speaking to approximately 2,000 college students and supporters, Obama told them, “I want to make it easier for more students like you to earn a degree without shouldering a mountain of debt.”
He noted the importance of having a college education for future job placement, mentioning that the unemployment rate for Americans with a college degree is nearly half the rate of the entire Unite States population.
The President offered his opinion that a college education is vital in today’s economy, saying, “Higher education can’t be a luxury; it’s an economic necessity.”
Obama then attempted to shift the blame for rising college costs to the House GOP members, claiming that Republicans were only willing to prevent rate increases on student loans if he removed certain portions of his healthcare bill.
When discussing the economy, Obama again attempted to pin the massive deficit spending, not on himself, but on Republicans, saying, “they ran up the deficit for over a decade!”
The UNLV speech marks the end of a two-day trip to California and Nevada, in which Obama also attended two fundraisers in Beverly Hills, slated to raise him more than $3 million.
