Of all the Washington criticisms leveled against President Barack Obama, the most wrong-headed is the attack that he is doing too much, too fast.
When the Washington establishment says the president should focus exclusively on the twin challenges of economic trauma at home and terror abroad they just don’t get it.
The president understands that the very best economic stimulus, and one of the very best ways to make America safer, is to invest in Americans right now.
In order for our economy to grow, we need to send more Americans to college and waste less money sending Americans to emergency rooms for conditions that are easily treatable through basic preventive care.
In San Francisco – we are showing that these kind of basic investments in human capital pay tremendous economic dividends.
Our Healthy San Francisco program is already providing quality health coverage to more than half of the previously uninsured at a fraction of the cost of traditional private insurance.
Now we are launching a new program designed to send more of our public school students to college. It’s called San Francisco Promise – and difficult times like these are exactly the right moment for such a bold program.
SF Promise is a unique partnership between the City of San Francisco, the San Francisco Unified School District and San Francisco State. It builds upon our universal pre-school and after-school programs to make sure college is truly available to all students. The new program guarantees all public school students a college education at San Francisco State University upon graduation from high school – if they commit to and fulfill the program’s eligibility requirements. Financial support will also be provided for those who need it.
If we are going to improve our economy, we need a better-educated workforce. It is that simple. Nationally, more than one million students are dropping out of high school annually, exacerbating the shortage of trained workers. And studies show by 2025, 41 percent of jobs in California will require a bachelor’s degree or higher.
The president understands that our economic stimulus plan must provide significant investment in our greatest asset – human capital. It is for exactly that reason that in San Francisco we are not waiting to invest in the next generation.
SF Promise is part of our own extensive local economic stimulus investment. This program will make sure that our students are ready to take and create the jobs of the new economy, from biotech to green business. These graduates will ensure that the workforce of tomorrow mirrors the diversity of the U.S. population in an increasingly global economy.
On my Green 960 radio show this past week, I discussed San Francisco Promise. Please listen to the radio show for yourself.
The Washington insiders want to go slow. But all of us in government need to follow the president’s lead – because making our nation both secure and prosperous requires investing in the health and knowledge of Americans today.
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