Time to lead...

It's no secret that I'm an Obama fan. I started out as a Kucinich fan (big dreams, lots of pockets),  and then became an Edwards fan, and then got bounced to Obama. 

Why Obama? Because he gets people excited about politics. Regardless of the policy stances he's taken on several controversial issues, he is able to use his candour and gravitas to bring people together and get them excited about politics, even when they might disagree with him. 

Isn't this blog about education? 

Barack Obama (Senior) came to America from Kenya.  He was a bright student, self driven, academically capable, but encountered financial barriers in trying to enter the higher education system. He began writing letters to American universities asking for admission and scholarship, and eventually The University of Hawiaii agreed to give him an education. He would here continue his education and father Barack. 

Barack himself funded his university career on student loans. Barack and Michelle only recently paid off their remaining student loans after becoming elected to the United States Senate in 2004 and becoming a bestselling author. 

So what's his pledge to students?

Barack Obama will reform No Child Left Behind:

• Obama and Biden believe teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests and he will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college.
  

ans:Invest in early childhood education:

• The Obama-Biden comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. And they will help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.
  

I would argue that these first two promises are as important (if not more important) than the final promise. With a public school system as good as the one we have throughout most of Canada, we can't begin to imagine the work that needs to be done before we can fully consider making it possible for every capable American high school graduate to obtain a higher education. 

• Obama and Biden will create a new American Opportunity Tax Credit worth $4,000 in exchange for community service. It will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students.
  

Three small promises, that will arguably have resounding affects on the next generation. I haven't studied american education policy, and the context is certainly very different. 

Hope for Education

Sometimes I catch myself drifting away from the importance of higher education and wonder if I should be focusing my efforts elsewhere. But the Obama story is inspiring for more reasons than unity.  Within the student advocacy movement we talk alot about the difficulties faced by students in Canada from families with no history of higher education. 

The Obama story is an unlikely one for many reasons, but its inspiring to believe that the chance accessibility of higher education has played such a pivotal role in paving the path for the president of today.  Because of the generousity of some University of Hawaii adminstrators, his father was empowered to visit America and father one of the greatest organizers and thinkers of our time. 

It makes me extremely hopeful for a world of possibilities. Possibilities that will only be realized once our leaders take the steps to ensure that every capable student is able to pursue a higher education with the right tools at their grasp, and to able to do so without the fear of backbreaking debt, balancing two jobs with full time study, or taking care of a young family. 

That's why I like Obama.

Change Jack Can Believe In

There's nothing that makes me want to support NDP more than bands that sound like Coldplay.

New Democrats from across Nova Scotia gathered in Halifax for a rally this afternoon. The place was full of interesting sorts, including old men in Obama T-Shirts, several Dalhousie professors, Canadian Autoworkers and disgruntled airline stewardesses.

I arrived just at noon, and was a bit thrown off by the awkward setup of the room. The podium was setup facing the cameras, with the crowd seating on the opposite side. I wasn't seated for more than two minutes when several NDP staffers tried to convince me to come stand in the crowd.

"Come down and stand around Jack, we need a big crowd" they said.

"I'm just here to watch," I said while pointing at my CASA sweater.

"But you need a sign!" they insisted. I held my ground. They eventually gave up. Only later would I realize that they were only asking young people to come down, and weren't paying much attention to the grey heads next to me.

Darryl Dexter introduced Layton, reminding us that there was only one leader standing up against big oil companies, fighting for public health care, and working families. This is frustrating to me, because I know its simply not true! Whether or not you agree that we should be standing up against big oil, privatization of health care, and the like, anyone with half a brain knows that the NDP share a similar position with other opposition parties on many of these issues.

Jack Layton is targetting Harper almost exclusively now. He has limited his criticism of Dion, simply calling Dion the Leader who supported Harper by abstaining on 43 confidence motions. He says the NDP is appealling to Canadians who would otherwise vote Liberal, who are thinking about voting Green, and who used to vote for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. "If you want to stop Stephen Harper, only New Democrats can do it," he said at today's rally, "the choice is between Jack Layton and Stephen Harper."

For the (small g) Greens in the crowd, it may interest you to know that Jack flew from Iqualuit to Halifax last night. Not the most efficient route of travel. He also claimed that his plane flew through the Northern Lights. Sorry Jack, but the Northern Lights happen in the Ionosphere, at least 50 kilometers above sea level, which is 40 kilometers above cruising altitude.