President Obama’s free community college proposal may sound good on the surface, but is it?

1. Some people are more adapt at the trades vs. college. Therefore, why leave out trade schools from being free?

2. School is mandatory up through high school — community college is not. Should two years of community college or a trade school be mandatory and funded by the taxpayers’?

3. If a person has no skin in the game (e.g. it is free), they typically are less motivated to put forth their best effort.

4. We could provide cheap loans, e.g. ¼ or ½ percent interest that must be paid back in a 5-15 years after completion of their education, Or give scholarships requiring effort to attain e.g. tell why I want to succeed, my goals etc. Setup mentoring and measurable progress towards completion.

5. Do something that is not just another step towards an entitlement, which is one of the problems with our country now. Let’s stop that mindset and figure out how to help people succeed. As the saying goes – give a person fish, and they will eat for a day, teach them how to fish and they will eat for a lifetime. Let’s teach people how to succeed in life so they can provide for themselves, and not rely on Uncle Sam who is already in debit over his head.

Here’s a solution: Solve basic problem vs. free community college.

1. Many young people are trapped in their environment. They have no tools, motivation, nor resources to help them succeed in life, and have no self-esteem. We need to fix that first.

2. Gather the brightest experts in education who have developed programs in and out of the classroom who believe in young people and figured out how to motivate them to accomplish something. Include sharp welfare and DSHS administrators/case workers who see what is missing in our system. Add unemployment administrators who see motivated and unmotivated job seekers. Bring in small and big businesses that have developed creative programs. Then come up with solutions and the resources on how to help everyone in our country succeed who are at the bottom of the barrel economically, socially and with a criminal element in their blood.

3. Implement mentoring classes in high school on planning your life to succeed. Provide the desire, opportunity and hope to get out of the slums, gangs and welfare cycle.

4. Implement a national effort on “How to Help Everyone Succeed,” with flexibility for every area of the country. One shoe does not fit all. Build self-esteem and motivate kids so that they want to get a job to provide for themselves and establish a healthy family environment, and have that desire to succeed in life.

Larry Brickman, Bellevue