Auraria Events Center
University of Colorado - Denver Campus
Denver, Colorado
10:25 A.M. MDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you! Well, it is great to be back in Colorado. (Applause.) And it is great to be here at CU Denver. (Applause.)
I tend to have some pretty good memories about Denver. (Applause.) We had a little gathering here a few years ago, at Mile High. (Applause.) So coming here gets me fired up. Even when it's snowing outside, I'm fired up. (Applause.) I don't know where else you can go sledding in Halloween. (Laughter.) It's like, what's up with the snow this soon? I mean, is this actually late? This is late for Denver, huh?
I want to start by thanking Mahala for the wonderful introduction and for sharing her story, which I know resonates with a lot of young people here. I want to thank your outstanding Governor, who's here -- John Hickenlooper is in the house. (Applause.) There he is. The Mayor of Denver, Michael Hancock, is in the house. (Applause.) The Lieutenant Governor, Joe Garcia, is in the house. (Applause.) And one of the finest public servants, somebody you were wise enough to elect and then reelect as United States Senator -- Michael Bennet is in the house.
You guys do a good job when it comes to elected officials in Colorado, I just want you to know. (Applause.) You have a good eye for talent.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!
THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. I do. (Applause.)
Now, I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately. And the reason I’ve been hitting the road so much is because the folks I’m talking to in cities and small towns and communities all across America, they're -- let's face it, they're making a little more sense than the folks back in Washington. (Applause.)
Here in Colorado, you’ve got folks who are spending months -- some, years -- looking for work. We've got families who are making tough sacrifices just to pay the bills, or the mortgage, or college tuition. And Americans know we need to do something about it. (Applause.) And I know this is especially hard for a lot of young people.
You guys came of age at a time of profound change. Globalization and technology have all made the world much more competitive. Although this offers unmatched opportunity -- I mean, the way that the world is now linked up and synched up means that you can start a business that’s global from your laptop. But it also means that we are going to have to adapt to these changes.
And for decades, too many of our institutions -- from Washington to Wall Street -- failed to adapt, or they adapted in ways that didn't work for ordinary folk -- for middle-class families, for those aspiring to get into the middle class. We had an economy that was based more on consuming things and piling up debt than making things and creating value. We had a philosophy that said if we cut taxes for the very wealthiest, and we gut environmental regulations, and we don't enforce labor regulations, and somehow if we let Wall Street just write the rules, that somehow that was going to lead to prosperity. And instead what it did was culminate in the worst financial crisis and the deepest recession since the Great Depression.
For the last three years, we’ve worked to stabilize the economy, and we’ve made some progress. An economy that was shrinking is now growing, but too slowly. We’ve had private sector job growth, but it’s been offset by layoffs of teachers and police and firefighters, of the public sector. And we’ve still got a long way to go.
And now, as you young people are getting ready to head out into the world, I know you’re hearing stories from friends and classmates and siblings who are struggling to find work, and you’re wondering what’s in store for your future. And I know that can be scary. (Applause.) So the --
AUDIENCE MEMBER: -- Mother Earth -- backs of our children and our future.
THE PRESIDENT: All right. Thank you, guys. We’re looking at it right now, all right? No decision has been made. And I know your deep concern about it. So we will address it.
So here’s what I also know -- and I know that's true for folks who are concerned about the environment, folks who are concerned about foreign policy, but also folks who are concerned about the economy.
When I look out at all of you, I feel confident because I know that as long as there are young people like you who still have hope and are still inspired by the possibilities of America, then there are going to be better days for this country. (Applause.) I know that we are going to come through this stronger than before.
And when I wake up every single morning, what I'm thinking about is how do we create an America in which you have opportunity, in which anybody can make it if they try, no matter what they look like, no matter where they come from, no matter what race, what creed, what faith. (Applause.) And the very fact -- the very fact that you are here, investing in your education, the fact that you're going to college, the fact that you're making an investment in your future tells me that you share my faith in America’s future. (Applause.) You inspire me -- your hopes and your dreams and your opportunities.
And so the truth is the economic problems we face today didn’t happen overnight, and they won’t be solved overnight. The challenges we face on the environment, or on getting comprehensive immigration reform done -- on all these issues we are going to keep on pushing. And it’s going to take time to restore a sense of security for middle-class Americans. It's going to take time to rebuild an economy that works for everybody -- not just those at the top. (Applause.) But there are steps we can take right now to put Americans back to work and give our economy a boost. I know it. You know it. The American people know it.
You've got leaders like Michael Bennet and Mark Udall and Diana DeGette that are looking out for you. But the problem is there are some in Washington -- (audience interruption) -- there are some in Washington who don't seem to share this same sense of urgency. Last week, for the second time this month, Republicans in the Senate blocked a jobs bill from moving forward.
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: Now, this is a jobs bill that would have meant nearly 400,000 teachers and firefighters and first responders back on the job. (Applause.) It was the kind of proposal that in the past has gotten Democratic and Republican support.
It was paid for by asking those who have done the best in our society, those who have made the most, to just do a little bit more. And it was supported by an overwhelming majority of the American people. But they still said no. And it doesn’t make sense. How can you say no to creating jobs at a time when so many people are looking for work? It doesn’t make any sense.
So the truth is the only way we can attack our economic challenges on the scale that’s necessary -- the only way we can put hundreds of thousands of people, millions of people, back to work is if Congress is willing to cooperate with the executive branch and we are able to do some bold action -- like passing the jobs bill. That’s what we need. (Applause.)
And that’s why I am going to keep forcing these senators to vote on common-sense, paid-for jobs proposals. And I’m going to need you to help send them the message. You don’t need to tell Michael Bennet -- he's already on the page. (Laughter.) But I’m going to need you guys to be out there calling and tweeting and all the stuff you do. (Laughter.)
But, listen, we’re not going to wait, though. We’re not waiting for Congress. Last month, when I addressed a joint session of Congress about our jobs crisis, I said I intend to do everything in my power right now to act on behalf of the American people -- with or without Congress. (Applause.) We can’t wait for Congress to do its job. So where they won’t act, I will. (Applause.)
And that’s why, in recent weeks, we’ve been taking a series of executive actions. We decided we couldn’t stop -- we couldn’t just wait for Congress to fix No Child Left Behind. We went ahead and decided, let’s give states the flexibility they need to meet higher standards for our kids and improve our schools. (Applause.)
We said we can't wait for Congress to help small businesses. We're going to go ahead and say to the federal government, pay small businesses faster if they're contractors so they've got more money and they can start hiring more people. (Applause.)
We said we're not going to wait for Congress to fix what's going on in our health care system. We eliminated regulations that will save hospitals and patients billions of dollars. (Applause.) And yesterday we announced a new initiative to make it easier for veterans to get jobs, putting their skills to work in hospitals and community centers. (Applause.)
On Monday, we announced a new policy that will help families whose home values have fallen, to refinance their mortgages and to save up to thousands of dollars a year.
All these steps aren’t going to take the place of the needed action that Congress has to get going on -- they're still going to have to pass this jobs bill, they've got to create jobs, they've got to grow the economy -- but these executive actions we're taking can make a difference.
And I've told my administration we're going to look every single day to figure out what we can do without Congress. What can we do without them? (Applause.) Steps that can save you money, and make government more efficient and responsive, and help heal this economy. So we're going to be announcing these steps on a regular basis. And that's why I came to Denver today -- to do something that will be especially important to all of you here at CU Denver and millions of students -- and former students -- all across America. (Applause.)
Now, I mentioned that we live in a global economy, where businesses can set up shop anywhere where there's an Internet connection. So we live in a time when, over the next decade, 60 percent of new jobs will require more than a high school diploma. And other countries are hustling to out-educate us today, so they can out-compete us tomorrow. They want the jobs of the future. I want you to have those jobs. (Applause.) I want America to have those jobs. (Applause.) I want America to have the most highly skilled workers doing the most advanced work. I want us to win the future. (Applause.)
So that means we should be doing everything we can to put a college education within reach for every American. (Applause.) That has never been more important. It's never been more important, but, let's face it, it's also never been more expensive. There was a new report today, tuition gone up again, on average -- much faster than inflation; certainly much faster than wages and incomes.
Over the past three decades, the cost of college has nearly tripled. And that is forcing you, forcing students, to take out more loans and rack up more debt. Last year, graduates who took out loans left college owing an average of $24,000. Student loan debt has now surpassed credit card debt, for the first time ever.
Now, living with that kind of debt means making some pretty tough choices when you’re first starting out. It might mean putting off buying a house. It might mean you can’t start a business idea that you’ve got. It may mean that you’ve got to wait longer to start a family, or certainly it means you’re putting off saving for retirement because you’re still paying off your student loans.
And when a big chunk of every paycheck goes towards student loans instead of being spent on other things, that’s not just tough for middle-class families, it’s painful for the economy and it’s harmful to our recovery because that money is not going to help businesses grow.
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