Poll: Are College Degrees for ‘Snobs?’
‘President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob.’ – Rick Santorum.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum’s comments recently that characterized Obama as a “snob” for wanting “everybody in America to go to college” has triggered rebukes from Republican governors as well as broader discussions on workforce issues nationally.
Santorum’s comments came while campaigning in Michigan, which is holding its primary Tuesday. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has also been campaigning heavily in Michigan in hopes of solidifying himself as the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination.
“Not all folks are gifted in the same way,” Santorum said Saturday, according to The Washington Post. “Some people have incredible gifts with their hands. Some people have incredible gifts and ... want to work out there making things. President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob.”
The Post reported that Santorum added: “There are good decent men and women who go out and work hard every day and put their skills to test that aren’t taught by some liberal college professor trying to indoctrinate them.”
Some Republican governors have taken issue with Santorum’s comments.
"I wish [Santorum] had said it differently," said Virginia Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, according to the Huffington Post. "I'm pushing in Virginia this year 100,000 new degrees over the next 15 years. I want more college graduates. But that means community college and four-year universities, but not to the exclusion of realizing that some people are going to graduate from high school and be in the trades. What we say is we want somebody to be career ready or college ready. If we haven't done one of those two things for the young people, we have failed you."
In Catonsville, a local blogger has a different opinion, which you can read here.
Maryland Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley has also weighed in, reports Fox News.
"I think the bottom line is we all recognize the more a person learns, the more a person earns," Fox reported O’Malley saying.
Santorum’s comments come as a historically high number of people are earning college degrees.
Five percent of Americans had a four-year college degree in 1947, compared to three in 10 adults who have the degrees in 2011, reported The Washington Post.
MikeC
9:53 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
[Take two]
This poll question doesn't make sense. Rick Santorum has said that Pres. Obama is a "Snob" for "want[ing] everybody in Americans to go to college.", which isn't what Pres. Obama proposed at all. Santorum must be terrible at reading or listening comprehension because he did the same thing to Pres. Kennedy's famous 1960 speech concerning separation of church and state - he changed the whole meaning of what was said and intended to score political points with a small audience.
So, according to this poll if we disagree that college degrees are not for snobs we are agreeing with Rick Santorum that "some people have other talents, and those should be utilized and recognized..." Frankly, this comes across as a "Push Poll" in Rick Santorum's favor.
I agree that college isn't for everyone. Of course it isn't. Pres. Obama implored Americans to better themselves by pursuing at least a year of higher learning in a variety of ways - apprenticeships, trade schools, college, etc. I think that's a great idea. No one but Rick Santorum ever said that "everybody in America should go to college", albeit in a negative way. In the same manner, I've never heard anyone say that college degrees are for snobs, and then, if you believe that getting a college degree is no longer optional, something a few people might agree with, but with some caveats, those people agree that college degrees for for snobs????
Unsure/other
Jeff Martens
11:35 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
I agree with MikeC--the poll options make no sense. It seems if you agree with Santorum, you disagree with Santorum.
Of course Santorum's position on trade schools and community colleges is directly from a recent speech by Obama, and Santorum saying Obama has a snobbish position on college attendance is based on a significant misrepresentation of the president's words.
Ron Wise
2:52 pm on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Agreed, the options don't fit the question.