CNN

Now, if he'd only educate the voters..........

Good job obama.most people on this board and fox news and the GOP think people that are unemployed are lazy and dont want to work .i lost my job cause of all the free trade the GOP offer to company to ship there jobs over seas.we know the GOP solution for poor and unemployed people is "F..k them"

I love Barack Obama but he needs to realize that most of the people that are unemployed are NOT receiving unemployment benefits so that makes going back to school nearly impossible if you have a family to feed and you just need to go to work. Right now I'd be happy with a minimum wage job to pay for groceries!!!!! I live in MI and things are really tight. My husband works and we just had to file Chapter 13 to keep our home. I don't need schooling at 54 I need a job!!!!!!!

Pres. Clinton did the same thing in the 90's and I know of three that live in my neighborhood that couldn't find a job and were welfare. They used the program for nursing and now work, pay taxes and have never been on welfare since. Education is the only way and if the gov. pays for education it would still be cheap at half the price because guess what folks they are not on welfare.
Carol from Ohio

Thank You! As Pop-Pop, my grandchildren will be my STAR!

This country needs to stop defining people as just another resource for industrial use, and realize that the whole point of having industry is to improve the quality of life for our entire nation. The US economy should benefit all US citizens: we all live here, we all work here; we should all share in the profits made by our labor and consumption.
This land was made for you and me!

awesome. Great job, Mr. President.

How much will this cost me??

Rush Limbaugh will have something negative to say about this: You see, his argument would be that if someone as ignorant as him can find success in bigotry then all other americans should be able to find success in their passion. Rush suggested that Colin Powell becone a Democrat.. stating that he supported Obama soley on race. this ignorant fool needs to go back, oh he flunked out of college I forgot... I dont remember General Powell (a man who in the words of Ms. Palin "Really fought for his country") endorseing Sharpton or Jackson for president. Just be honest Rush, you'd wish that all African americans would leave ole dixie and join the Democrats; well sorry but I'm not leaving the Republican party, but I have a better idea: How about you leaving the party and renewing your membership with the Klan! I bet this doesnt post

tedious898.....you pay for it!

It's good press, but it's meaningless. All he is doing is encouraging states to change policy. There isn't even any incentives attached. Without the money to pay for the changes, the states, even if they wanted to act on the initiative, won't be able to afford it for at least two years. By that time the unemployment rate will increase another 2-3 million. We don't need education. We need jobs. Now.

If anyone has personally or has had a child use the state lottery scholarship (in many southern states) here is a newsflash for you- the government paid for you or your kid to go to college. Better still, the poor who think they can hit the jackpot paid for the education. There are ways to get people to fund these scholarships- you just have to be creative. In GA we got higher education for high school grads with a 3.0, state-sponsored Pre-K, and returning student scholarships for adults changing jobs or going back to school out of one program.

No, chi-town no you cannot enroll in only training that are short term and in hign need like lpn and alike. You are not going be able to enroll in something that is in decline or not employable.

This is a very smart and encouraging idea. The #1 reason why employers don't like employing those that have not worked in some time is because the general fact is they have been collecting unemployment and thus, essentially not allowed to train, or educate.

This is a very practical and pragmatic form of progressive politics that both conservative and liberal should adamantly support.

Wrong. Our children need this more. Adults can take care of themselves, kids cannot.

To repugs who dare bash this one – your obtuse reasoning indicates that you did not attend a good school and thanks to Obama, America can start weeding out morons like you through fierce and genuine competition rather the nepotism and proxy arrangements we see all too often from your ilk. Read the President's plan clearly before wasting your time posting utter nonesense.

Maybe he should educate the unemployed with college and medical school so that we can have more primary care physicians. Or maybe the unemployed can be educated with legal training so they can take the jobs of the lawyers who make too much. Here is the chance to see if the people who think doctors and lawyers make too much are willing to be educated and trained for those professions.

Obama is right, education is essential in the global economy. I hope the union pukes take advantage of the program instead of complaining about their unskilled jobs going away.

Education is always a good investement for the country. People really need to stop complaining about how much they pay in taxes for education. Do you know how much more it costs you in taxes to keep people in prison, the people you constantly complain didn't get enough education? Check your state's budget! It'll be a real eye opener!
It's cheaper, more sensible, safer, and better for our our economy as well if we invest even more of our taxdollars in education. The alternative, paying for their prison cells later in life is a lot more expensive.

If you keep the people healthy, and educated, they are much more difficult to control. Obama rocks!

The man is trying, unlike his predecessor who serve eight years in abstentia, except for war and torture.

This is a change we Democratic lone for a change to go and get an good education. The conservative got theirs education off the poor Dem. for many many years without complaning now this Adminatration trying to even the playing field ."Well" done Mr. President.

I have a great idea for colleges, too. If you give an athlete a scholarship and he does not graduate, but leaves with no degree and a big signing bonus, he MUST repay his scholarship in full out of said bonus. That way, the scholarships are self-sustaining, because how many of these jokers jump on a scholarship to a big school with no intention of ever getting a degree? Lots of them. Then at least the school hasn't lost its investment.

I had lost my factory job to Mexico NAFTA and had the opportunity to go to school as well as collect unemployment and now am working in the medical field and loving it. i think this is a great idea, but many like myself still could not afford to go to school because unemployment was not enough to keep them afloat with their families still. They had to work more than one job. I could do it because my husband has a pretty good job.

To everyone talking about how this is just a giveaway:

Pell grants need to be repaid, starting 12 months after you've finished the deferment period. My wife has one from when we were in college.

We need more than just help for the un-employed. Our childrens schools don't have Art, Music, or P.E. They don't have a safe environment to learn in, because so many children have been abandoned for all practical purposes by their Jerry Springer, Judge Judy audience parents. This nation needs to shame parents into taking responsibility for their kids. From every angle the message should be "what are you doing to ensure your child grows up to have a better life than yours". Churches, Commercials, Programs, Billboards... It really ought to be a top priority of our nation, if we are to have any kind of future worth living in.

President Obama is right on educating the unemployed. Had we used 10% of the bailout money for education, we would have fared much better.

To mississippi mike and chi town
Get a life and vacate your trailers every once and a while. Your brains are starting to rot. Being White trash is not popular.

It never ceases to amaze me how these conservative folks think that they are the only ones that work. Give us a break, please.

Cool I hope I get laid off so I can go back to school!

All of you people that paid for your own education are a bunch of suckers!

It is great if people get skilled jobs. But one must asked the question. President Obama would never be where he is today without one. I personnally don't think he got elected because he was black and all the black people voted for him. He got elected because he was academically prepared and was a deep thinker.

Thank you Mr. President. There are many people out there I am sure who have lost their jobs and who are willing to take advantage of this package. How can you get educated if you do not have money coming into the home to pay bills. This should have been done a long time ago. And, for the pundits out there, please stop finding fault with everything this man attempts to do. At least, he knows that what we did the last 8 years didn't work so we are going in another direction. I know he has my support and there are milllions more out there who support him, so lets hear from them. Drown the nay-sayers out.

To chi town and mississippi mike
You need to vacate your trailers before your minds rot. Talk about two peas in a pod. MORONS! Or should I SAY trailer trash.

Who the hell is gonna pay for all this spending? The long run says hard working people like you and me. Do you people really believe the rich are gonna pay for all this – WRONG. They will hide their money anyway they can and when Obama says "GUESS WHAT AMERICA I HAVE TO RAISE TAXES CAUSE I WAS STUPID" Everyone in their mother-in-law will vote his ass out. And who will you vote for – I wonder....

Cowboy in West Texas May 8th, 2009 12:53 pm ET

Woudn't hurt if they could make change too – seems ever store I go in has a help wanted sign.

Really?! Keep talking like that, and you'll see more Californians in West Texas!

Hey, I'm a conservatrive and voted for McCain and I actually agree with Obama that many unemployeed may need to be retrained.
But is this just supposed to be paid for out of the stimulus? How will the states fund this when the stimulus runs out? What will stop people from just gaming the system, show up for classes and just sit there and text and twitter or sleep in class while they collect a check.
I can support this as part of the stimulus. I need more details about how this would work as permant program, what is the cost, how paid for and the rules involved to prevent it being gamed by dead beats.

The saddest thing of all is that in another time, without bieing strangled by the religous right like kudzu, the Republican Party would have been the ones to think up this idea.

Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day;
teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

more give me give me, more distractions from Obama trying to be a dictator. You are no good and wastfull spending just cause debt.

Unfortunately economists predict that low unemployment is a lagging indicator of a rebounding economy. By helping people obtain retraining and improve the credentials, the currently unemployed will be better able to recover once the economy improves. Also, the better educated work force will be a benefit to businesses large and small.

The bitter GOPers will criticize anything and every thing President Obama does. Their comments are so obviously nonsensical, it is hardly worth the effort to point that out.

But then the fear and hate mongerin' GOP will sure as heck cry foul and start pickin' holes in anything that the Dems offer as a reform.

Agree 100% with a couple of the posters. Before people receive free money like this, they should have to actually contribute to the country or community. Peace corps, military, volunteer service, etc.

The concept is nice, but it has the possibility of abuse and corruption written all over it.

It's funny how everyone calls the electorate "uneducated" – at least those who elected President Bush – yet research has proven that on average those with the highest levels of educational achievement are usually Republican. But that's a different argument.

I think this educational initiative is a good one. We need to do all we can to make education available to those who need it the most. It's not fair to choose between unemployment benefits and getting the training that you need in order to get a job. States need to adopt this measure immediately for the coming academic year.

We spend billions to care for people who have no right even being in our country and our congress of lunatics has placed the needs of Americans at the bottom of the list.

Americans deserve it. And while we're at it, do something about the cost of college for all Americans. In California, the UC President just received a raise to $400,000 a year while increasing student fees by $600 a year at the same time. And California legislators are already trying to take educational funding and move it into the general fund through a mandated upcoming special vote which costs the county in which I live $700,000.

The democrats are wrong, the republicans are wrong. Somewhere there's got to be someone in government who wants to see Americans succeed.

Screw that same old question... "where is the money going to come from?" Whatever the cost, Obama is right! But stop spreading what little we have around the rest of the planet and put it to work here in the United States. Stop dumping more and more into financial institutions and auto manufacturers and start doing something for Americans.

This sounds great! Now I just need to get laid off and go back to college to fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a community organizer, or maybe even a constitutional..... just one step closer to being like you Barack Obama (and I just might name my sixth kid after you, because everyone says it's such a cool name!).

Thank you Mr. President! In New Mexico, if you start going to school, your unemployment is cut off immediately.

On a serious note, I just don't hear what the republicans are saying other then they want to complain and/or ignore all problems. It's almost as if they WANT to have something to complain about.

Unemployed: Don't educate them, let them make no money, but don't let them have welfare, they should have a job, but don't train them to get a job, they should be unemployed. It's a big circle jerk. They have created a circular path that allows them to do nothing but complain and then act as if they aren't the ones CAUSING the problem, when they ARE the whole problem of why nothing is ever FIXED!

I am really happy about this opportunity. My son is one of the numeous african american males in south carolina that can't find employment. He would like to go to school to get his barber's training and a lic. But in south carolina if you get unemployment you can not attend school and we are saddled with a Gov. that seems to be campaigning for a Republican Presidency by allowing the africian americans in his state o suffer

For those of you who think increasing the amount of money available to people living in poverty or have lost a manufacturing job will do the trick, you are sadly mistaken. I agree that everyone that wants to attend college should do so as long as they are serious about it. Our colleges are full of non-serious students who take advantage of pell grants until they find a job making 10 to 15 dollars per hour. In order to be successful at a university, you need to have buy-in. Maybe as some have suggested, provide some service after you complete your degree, or if you do not finish, a portion must be paid back. All of this putting money into education sounds great but it will not work if people do not have buy-in.

tedious898: Apparently obama wants to educate everyone but you....the ENTIRE idea of liberals is to keep blacks uneducated and unemployed because if they get educated, then they will have the doors to unlimited opportunity open and if that happens....uh oh...they might not NEED TO DEPEND ON OUR GOVERNMENT...which would result in them not being democrats...because dependency is the definition of liberalism...

I love our President. He is sooo working on everything he promised. I'm sorry for the haters and paranoid freaks. We finally have an excellent man leading our country and they can't see it for the hate. I suggest they move to Texas or Alaska, because they would fit right in, with all the other backward looking zealots.

If employers are not hiring, you're stuck!

Don't blame the Democrats. They had to cut a good deal of education funding from the Economic Recovery Act/Plan because the GOP/Jindhal/McConnell/Boner cabal said it was 'wasteful'. If the GOP really wants to help the US economically, maybe they can convince all their buddies who own big corporations to bring all our jobs back from overseas, eh?

Educating the uneducated means President Obama only has to focus this policy on 21% of the American population- the Republicans! Good job Mr. President. The smarter they become, the more likely they'll join the rest of the majority and vote for you and the Democrats in the coming year(s)!

This sounds like a good idea, with a reasonably well-thought-out implementation. Education, for those dopes who think this is just for computer jockeys, includes all forms of advancement, including SKILLS. Don't pooh-pooh it just because you're an uneducated dolt yourself. Don't be afraid of our own people getting educated just because you bought into the "ignorance is American" mantra of the Bush administration. The best way to get a burden on society back as a contributing member is to help him/her gain the skills and knowledge to become a wage earner again. A far better investment than pouring money down a rathole called war.

I think it's great that there will be help for the unemployed to get re-education, but I really think that we left all our children behind with No Child Left Behind. The program has had a devastating affect on our children's education and it shows now in the rate of drop-outs and the amount of illiterate adults we now have in our population. Children in 2nd and 3rd world countries are bi and sometimes tri-lingual and kick our children's butts in math and sciences! Our children hold the key to the future of our country. Let's not fail them by not providing them the education they need so they can obtain the knowledge and skills to compete on a global scale.

Jeff: "I think this would be a good idea if the money has to be repaid when employment is found, there is a placement program to find jobs that so people can not just refuse employment if they took the cash, and if they drop out, they owe it back immediately, and certain grade levels must be maintained in order to keep receiving the money."

I agree, but there's a big problem with that. We do that now for people on assistance who want help going back to school on the government dime. They drop out and owe, but of course they can't pay it back. If they could have paid in the first place, they wouldn't be asking the government to pay. It's essentially a huge risk for the government- they put money into these people's education, and if something goes wrong, then that's money lost.

How about taking money from the prison system, and putting it towards educating youth, not re educating those who did not seize the opportunity when it originally presented itself.

So far, this new president has made a lot of talk, but what has actually happened, except a bunch of liberals heads nodding?

Line by line examination of bills before passage, and public vetting?

Keep that promise first.

this will be great if the new tax codes do not run all the companies that produce jobs out of this country.

More folks hustled into the indoctrination centers for a briefing, then on to the union halls, and government offices.

Noting comes without a price.

Saw this go on when I was in college. Lots of people being "trained" for jobs that weren't' available, and they really didn't want, though it was a nice place to tread water on the government dime.....

Every system gets abused.

We can either spend the money on education, or go the GOP way, and spend the money building more prisons.

hey tedius the majority of people who voted for obama were uneducated . and why is the Obama is the only getting credit for saying we need more education, i have been hearing and knowing that for years but now that Obama says it then anything that anybody has said for years is what just lies.

So the government is going to pay people to go to school?

I appluad the president for his vision and challenge the unemploy to take advantage of this opportunity. To the nay sayers if you think education is expensive, try ignorance and you'll find out the hard way. Remember! The last eight years is living proof. Bravo! Mr. President bravo!

I get it he is Santa Claus, and he has an endless pot of money, called the generational theft fund. With Obarfa, you get something for nothing, or was that something for either the bankrupting of our future, the massive increases in taxes for all of us, and skyrocketing inflation, devaluation of our currency and a great deal of misery in the not too distant future.

Too bad too many of you Santa Clause Obama kool aid drinking liberals live in the fantasy world of make believe and can't see past the smile and big ears and look at the massive debt and cost this generational theft will cost all of us.

Education assistance for the unemployed?

Won't Republicans oppose education because its a form of socialism? that is likely to be weaken and corrupt America?

Education funding is bad say the haters. And then y'all wonder why all the doctors and engineers don't look like us and have funny names and accents. Have a nice day!

Chi Town May 8th, 2009 12:35 pm ET

Nice… so now people can draw money, not worry about losing benifits cause they enrolled in basket weaving… not find a job… and live off other working people.

I hope you lose your job so you can experience first hand what a miserable excuse for a human being you really are. Republicans don't want people to educate themselves because it means there will be fewer Republicans

These days, you need to be on the front edge of technology in order to be competitive in the job market. There are also people who are changing careers in orders to find a job and they need education in entirely new fields. The President's plan is just what is needed. Thank you Mr. President for listening and acting!

Hey Posters.....its really easy to tell the GOPers commenting on this article.

They will be the ones saying "education bad, expensive for the tax payers – yahda yahda"

Here's the argument in a nut shell – If we had a educated electorate in 2000 and 2004, we wouldn't have ended up with GWB and our country in shambles THINK ABOUT IT!

The GOP wants all of America stupid and ignorant. President Obama knows education opens up opportunities

Hey Mr. Pres. maybe you want to focus on all the kids that are not getting a good education first.
My state just CUT education funding for K-12 because they have no money. The alleged stimulus money that is supposed to go to education has so many strings attached that it is all but useless.
Cut the strings and let us parents decide where it NEEDS to go, not some politician. I was just notified that 30% of the teachers at my daughters' school will not be returning next year. Class sizes are being increased to 40 students per class and ALL after school sports are being eliminated.

Let the grown ups fend for themselves.
The kids need it more.

Another great idea for the unemployed by the Obama Administration. As an unemployed individual this suggestion is a long way comming and I hope that anyone who wishes to update their education and career, that they take advantage of this great deal.

Depends on the education – skills would be a better action word – lots of the people I know can pound a computer key board but can't use a hammer. Remember – the stimulus was for shovel ready jobs – not much air conditioned work there! Woudn't hurt if they could make change too – seems ever store I go in has a help wanted sign.

Awww...man, why are we using this money to educate our OWN people. We need to be using this money to kill our kids in foreign lands in illegal wars! Why oh why are we helping our own country! This is SO unamerican to spend OUR money on US and OUR own people rather then kill our children so we don't have to educate them!

Man oh man, what's this country coming to? Helping our own people and stuff rather then killing innocent people in foreign lands!

This country really needs to overhaul its entire public education system because we are in no position to call ourselves "#1" when developing countries rank higher in the math and sciences than we do! And after talking to many public school teachers, the "No Child Left Behind" is a waste of time and has inadvertantly done more harm than good. We're raising a generation of children that accept mediocrity because we no longer take the time to encourage and push our children to excel and yet some people have the audacity to criticize Obama's attempt at educating the public? Ignorance really is bliss, isn't it?

I am all for education. But if you want education that is paid for partly or entirly by the government then you need to put back in to society. It doesn't have to be military service but can be cleaning the highways, Peace Corp or many other volunteer experiences. And don't tell me you can't do both at the same time. I work full time and take 3 cousrse semester to finish my degree. Don't even go there. There are many ways to not just get a lending hand. I have to be honest. I served 22 years in the army as a Green Beret and was away from my family ALOT. Now people want free education and free health care. I made a choice in my life for these benefits. Now folks just want them. Again, no prob with the handouts, but they need to do community service or join the military.

Good idea. Problem is, having a good education doesn't guarantee a job. Competition is fierce for these types of jobs.

I think this was a general plan and that the details will be worked out so that the person receiving unemployment benefits and education grants must be enrolled in a career-tract curriculum and must graduate in a specified time or have to pay the money back.

Education is the silver bullet that will help end poverty, people! Don't you get that?

We need more educated,Un-Employeed like we need another car company...We need Jobs not,welfare Education.What good is it to lose your house and car,while your are going to school to get an education to do what,write a better resume? Compete against younger more able College age students,who up on graduation will take a lower pay for a job,because they have no responsibility,of Family,kids to feed,house payment to make,insurance,medical payments,etc,etc..... We need jobs not more Educated Un-Employeed.

And then Welfare can go away forever and ever. Amen!

I think that is an excellent idea. I will definitely will go back to school to complete my undergrad if I get laid off from my job

I love the fact that President Obama does not opt for the "band-aid" quick fix to a problem, but instead looks ahead to long-term solutions. Just another reason why so many of us, Dem and Rep alike, voted for this man. He has vision, he sees beyond the here and now.
Way to go President Obama: teach them how to fish...

thats all and great but when the state gov. keeps cutting education benefits and teaching positions it won't do a hell of alot. there has to be employment to be had and in washington state is loosing more and more employers every day. the unemployment offices screw around and find any thing to deny you unemployment claims however possible!!

Let's see, if we give money to companies, there better be strings attached, so why not when we give money to individuals?

I think this would be a good idea if the money has to be repaid when employment is found, there is a placement program to find jobs that so people can not just refuse employment if they took the cash, and if they drop out, they owe it back immediately, and certain grade levels must be maintained in order to keep receiving the money.

How's that for a start or are some of you going to say that is unfair? And would that be the same people who think it's fair on companies?

Excellent practical thinking. I think there are a lot of Americans who want to go out and make themselves more employable, but haven't had access to the resources (particularly financial) to assist them to become more competitive in the present and future work environment.

Nice... so now people can draw money, not worry about losing benifits cause they enrolled in basket weaving... not find a job... and live off other working people.

Perfect... a whole country of democrats... no wonder there are so many... its an easy, lazy, worthless, unproductive life... soaps and youtube all day long... change you can believe in... and someone else picks up your tab for you... perfect utopia... unless of course you work for a living.

Excellent. He is educating people for jobs that won't exist because of his anti-capitalist policies and high tax rates. Next he is going to send every US citizen a set of horse shoes in hopes that a pony will magically appear under every Christmas tree this winter.

I've been saying for years that what this country needs is a paid apprenticeship system for those who don't finish high school. It would be open to U.S. citizens only. It should be in fields where the jobs can never be outsourced. Fields like: Healthcare, construction, transportation, food service, HVAC/maintenence, forestry, agriculture, auto mechanics, plumbing/electrical, etc.

By the way, some right wing kook started posting as "Some Guy" today. It's not me. Hence my name change. Have a nice day!

GOOD!
An educated population can better adapt to the changing job market. This lays the foundation for an economic re-birth for our people. Not only that, but the more educated people are, the less they will rely on old worn out rhetoric from the right. It is a fact that educated people are more likely to be Democrats.

This is truly looking ahead. Aparently the president and his team have come to the realization that in order for USA to compete, the USA needs an able and ready population. By encouraging people to go back to school and sharpen their skills, the administration is preparing the country for the future. This is a great move..in chess you always thinks two to three steps ahead.
The next step would be to encourage employers to focus their hiring within the US, and re-consider their hiring requirements..thus, even though someone may have spent 15 years working in manufacturing, then they go to school and get a degree in engineering, the employer should consider both their employment in manufacturing as well as their newly minted degree in making the hiring decision. It is a team effort america, and it seems we have sound leadership.

A hand up is more beneficial in the long run than a hand out.

... and if you think education is expensive – try ignorance!

Thanks! obama saves the planet! And I thought the economy was pretty crappy right now.

Just keep telling the lies but soon enough people will start wondering why fewer jobs are available.

Ok I will never knock education but just how is this gonna be paid for??? I would like to know statistics of the people that are currently out of work, how many actually have degrees? I worked in the education system and I can tell you there are those that take complete advantage of grants, unemployment and have no intention of getting a job. I think if people are gonna be given this opportunity, contracts should be made to do some type of community/volunteer service back to the country.