The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release April 21, 2012

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Calling on Congress to Prevent Student Interest Rates from Doubling
WASHINGTON, DCIn this weeks address, President Obama called on Congress to act before student loan interest rates double for more than 7.4 million students, adding an average of $1000 to their debt. Having a college education has never been more important, but its also never been more expensive. While the Obama administration has taken historic steps to provide Americans with a fair shot at an affordable college education, Republicans in Congress have instead prioritized huge new tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. Congress has a chance to take action on what should be an area of bipartisan agreement to prevent this unnecessary and damaging increase in interest rates and give our young people a chance to succeed in the jobs of today and tomorrow. Remarks of President Barack Obama Weekly Address The White House Saturday, April 21, 2012 Hi. This week, I got the chance to sit down with some impressive students at Lorain County Community College in Ohio. One of them was a woman named Andrea Ashley. Two years ago, Andrea lost her job as an HR analyst. Today, shes getting certified in the fast-growing field of electronic medical records. Before enrolling at Lorain, Andrea told me she was looking everywhere trying to find a new job. But without a degree, she said that nobody would hire her.

Andreas story isnt unique. Ive met so many Americans who are out there pounding the pavement looking for work only to discover that they need new skills. And Ive met a lot of employers who are looking for workers, but cant find ones with the skills theyre looking for. So we should be doing everything we can to put higher education within reach for every American because at a time when the unemployment rate for Americans with at least a college degree is about half the national average, its never been more important. But heres the thing: its also never been more expensive. Students who take out loans to pay for college graduate owing an average of $25,000. For the first time, Americans owe more debt on their student loans than they do on their credit cards. And for many working families, the idea of owing that much money means that higher education is simply out of reach for their children. In America, higher education cannot be a luxury. Its an economic imperative that every family must be able to afford. Thats why next week Ill be visiting colleges across the country, talking to students about how we can make higher education more affordable and whats at stake right now if Congress doesnt do something about it. You see, if Congress doesnt act, on July 1st interest rates on some student loans will double. Nearly seven and half million students will end up owing more on their loan payments. That would be a tremendous blow. And its completely preventable. This issue didnt come out of nowhere. For some time now, Ive been calling on Congress to take steps to make higher education more affordable to prevent these interest rates from doubling, to extend the tuition tax credit that has saved middle-class families millions of dollars, and to double the number of work-study jobs over the next five years. Instead, over the past few years, Republicans in Congress have voted against new ways to make college more affordable for middle-class families, and voted for huge new tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires tax cuts that would have to be paid for by cutting things like education and job-training programs that give students new opportunities to work and succeed. We cannot just cut our way to prosperity. Making it harder for our young people to afford higher education and earn their degrees is nothing more than cutting our own future off at the knees. Congress needs to keep interest rates on student loans from doubling, and they need to do it now. This is a question of values. We cannot let America become a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of people struggle to get by. Weve got to build an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. Thats how the middle class gets stronger. Thats an economy thats built to last. And Im not only going to take that case to college campuses next week Im going to take it to every part of the country this year. Thanks, and have a great weekend.

[PRESIDENTIAL WEEKLY ADDRESS ASSESSMENT PHASE A.a START OF]

The White House

[In the sense of "whitecap," from its imagined resemblance to a horse's head and flowing mane]

Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release April 21, 2012
1re lease \ri-'ls\ vb, re leased re leas [ME relesen, fr. AF relesser, ing fr. L relaxare to relax] vt(14c) 1 : to set free from restraint, confinement, or servitude ~ hostages ~ pent-up emotions ~ the brakes ; also: to let go : dismiss released from her job 2 : to relieve from something that confines, burdens, or oppresses was released from her promise 3 : to give up in favor of another : relinquish ~ a claim to property

[12th century. < Old Norse kalla]

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Calling on Congress to Prevent Student Interest Rates from Doubling

from \'frm, 'frm also fm\ prep [ME, fr. OE from, fram; akin to OHG fram, adv., forth, away, OE faran to go more at fare] (bef. 12c) 1 a used as a function word to indicate a starting point of a physical movement or a starting point in measuring or reckoning or in a statement of [14th century. Via French < Latin came here ~ the city a week ~ today cost ~ $5 to $10 b used as a limits praesident- < present participlefunction word to indicate the starting or focal point of an activity called me ~ a of praesidere (see preside)] pay phone ran a business ~ her home

WASHINGTON, DCIn this weeks address, President Obama called on Congress to act before student loan interest rates double for more than 7.4 million students, adding an average of $1000 to their debt. Having a college education has never been more important, but its also never been more expensive. expensive [ik sp nssiv]
adjective
1. costing a lot: costing a large amount of money 2. charging a lot: charging high prices 3. very disadvantageous: involving serious losses or disadvantage to a particular person or group an expensive first quarter for the home team

-expensively, adverb -expensiveness, noun

nev \'ne-vr\ adv [ME, fr. OE nfre, fr. ne not + fre ever more at er no] (bef. 12c) 1 : not ever : at no time I ~ met her 2 : not in any degree : not under any condition ~ the wiser for his experience
[12th century. < French, < late Latin cappa (see cap)]

While the Obama administration has taken historic steps to provide Americans with a fair shot at an affordable college education, Republicans in Congress have instead prioritized huge new tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
[13th century. < in1 + stead "place"]

bil aire \"bi(l)-y-'ner, 'bi(l)-y-"\ n [billion + -aire (as in lion millionaire)] (1860) : one whose wealth is estimated at a billion or more (as of dollars or pounds) [13th century. Via Anglo-Norman < late Latin

cadentia "falling" < present participle of Latin cadere "to fall"]

Congress has a chance to take action on what should be an area of bipartisan agreement to prevent this unnecessary and damaging increase in interest rates and give our young people a chance to succeed in the jobs of today and tomorrow.
[ Old English t morgenne "in the morning"] [ Old English geong < Indo-European, "youth, vigor"]

[Late 16th century. < French remarquer < marquer "to mark"]

Remarks of President Barack Obama Weekly Address The White House Saturday, April 21, 2012

1ad dress \-'dres, a- also 'a-"dres\ vb [ME adressen, fr. AF adrescer, fr. a- (fr. L ad-) + drescer to to direct, put right more at dress] vt(14c) 1 archaica : direct aim b : to direct to go : send 2 a : to direct the efforts or attention of (oneself) will ~ himself to the problem b : to deal with : treat intrigued by the chance to ~ important issues I. L. Horowitz

[ Old English wice < Germanic, "series, succession"]

Hi. This week, I got the chance to sit down with some impressive students at Lorain County Community College in Ohio. One of them was a woman named Andrea Ashley. Two years ago, Andrea lost her job as an HR analyst.
lose \'lz\ vb, lost \'lst\ los \'l-zi\ [ME, fr. OE ing losian to perish, lose, fr. los destruction; akin to OE losan to lose; akin to ON losa to loosen, L luere to atone for, Gk lyein to loosen, dissolve, destroy] vt(bef. 12c) 1 a : to bring to destruction used chiefly in passive construction the ship was lost on the reef b : damn if he shall gain the whole world and ~ his own soul Mt 16:26(AV) 2 : to miss from one's possession or from a customary or supposed place

[Mid-17th century. < French analyste < analyse "analysis" (see analyze)] cer= To Solve -fy Release , To Dissolve, To LL ti \'sr-t-"f\ vt, -fied , To [ME certifien, fr. AF certefier, fr. fy ing Die. E.gL => I Ascended to the certificare, fr. certus certain more at certain] (14c) Gods. 1 : to attest authoritatively: as a : confirm b : to present in formal communication c : to attest as being true or as represented or as meeting a standard d : to attest officially to the insanity of 2 : to inform with certainty : assure 3 : to guarantee (a personal check) as to signature and amount by so indicating on the face 4 : to recognize as having met special qualifications (as of a governmental agency or professional board) within a field agencies that ~ teachers

Today, shes getting certified in the fast-growing field of electronic medical records. Before enrolling at Lorain, Andrea told me she was looking everywhere trying to find a new job. But without a degree, she said that nobody would hire her.
that t] CORE MEANING: a grammatical word used to indicate somebody or something that has already been mentioned or identified, or something that is understood by both the speaker and hearer adjective Do you remember that discussion we had? adjective Later that week I saw her again. pronoun Is that why you're here? pronoun Don't touch that!
1. adjective, pronoun indicating familiar person or thing: used to refer to somebody or something not described, but familiar to the speaker and hearer and not requiring identification adjective Did you read that e-mail I sent? adjective that woman we met yesterday pronoun That was a great year. 2. adjective, pronoun indicating distance from speaker: indicating somebody or something a distance away from you, or further away from another, referred to as "this" adjective You see that girl over there? adjective That bag looks more spacious than this one. pronoun What's that you're doing? pronoun That looks much nicer than this. 3. adjective indicating type: used to characterize a particular type, person, or thing I really want a sleep that goes on forever. 4. pronoun identifying somebody or something: used to introduce a clause giving more

Andreanof Islands

[ ndree nnf l f lndz] group of islands in southwestern Alaska, forming part of the Aleutian Islands

Andreas story isnt unique. Ive met so many Americans who are out there pounding the everything [ vvree thng] pavement looking for work only to discover pronoun need new skills. And Ive met a lot of that they employers who are looking for workers, but1. the entirety: allwithitems, actions, or facts in a given situation cant find ones the the skills theyre looking for.
Everything I do is for my family. work \'wr-kr\ n (14c) er Is everything all right? 1 a : one that works esp. at manual or industrial labor or with a particular material a factory ~ often used in used to emphasize that somebody 2. something all-important: combination b : a member of the working or class something is the most important person or thing there is 2 : anyTo the sexually underdeveloped and usu. sterile members of a colony of of them, family is everything. social ants, bees, wasps, or termites that perform most of the labor and protective duties of the colony

Microsoft Encarta 2009. 1993-2008

Microsoft education within rights every So we should be doing everything we can to put higherCorporation. Allreach forreserved. American because at a time when the unemployment rate for Americans with at least a college degree is about half the national average, its never been more important.

1na tion \'nash-nl, 'na-sh-nl\ adj (1580) al 1 : of or relating to a nation 2 : nationalist 3 : comprising or characteristic of a nationality 4 : belonging to or maintained by the federal government 5 : of, relating to, or being a coalition government formed by most or all major political parties usu. in a crisis na tion ly adv al

1least \'lst\ adj superlative of little [ME leest, fr. OE lst, superl. of lssa less] (bef. 12c) 1 : lowest in importance or position 2 a : smallest in size or degree b : being a member of a kind distinguished by diminutive size the ~ bittern c : smallest possible : slightest

expensive adjective

[ik sp nssiv]

1. costing a lot: costing a large amount of money 2. charging a lot: charging high prices 3. very disadvantageous: involving serious losses or disadvantage to a particular person or group an expensive first quarter for the home team

[Pre-12th century. < ne "not" + ever]

But heres the thing: its also never been more expensive. Students who take out loans to pay for college graduate owing an average of $25,000.
American
[ m rrikn] river in north central California flowing southward to join the Sacramento River at Sacramento. Gold discovered along the river in 1848 spurred the California Gold Rush. Length: 48 km/30 mi

Microsoft Encarta 2009. 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. For the first time, Americans owe more debt on their student loans than they do on their credit

cards. And for many working families, the idea of owing that much money means that higher education is simply out of reach for their children. child \'ch(-)ld\ n, pl chil dren \'chil-drn, -drn\
[Pre-12th century. Via French < Latin simplus] often attrib, [ME, fr. OE cild; akin to Goth kilthei womb, and perh. to Skt jahara belly] (bef. 12c) 1 a : an unborn or recently born person b dial: a female infant 2 a : a young person esp. between infancy and youth [ Old English hah < Germanic] b : a childlike or childish person c : a person not yet of age In America, higher education cannot be a luxury. Its an economic imperative that everyyouth of noble birth 3 usuchilde \'ch(-)ld\ archaic: a family must be able to afford. Thats why next week Ill be visiting4collegesor daughter of human parents b : a : a son across the country, talking to students about how we can make higher education more affordable and whats at stake right descendant now if Congress doesnt do something about it. 5 : one strongly influenced by another or by a place or af ford \-'frd\ vt [ME aforthen, fr. OE geforthian to state of affairs

[14th century. Directly or via French acte < Latin actus, actum "public transaction" < past participle of agere "do"]

carry out, fr. ge-, perfective prefix + forthian to carry out, fr. forth more at co-, forth] (14c) 1 a : to manage to bear without serious detriment you can't ~ to neglect your health b : to be able to bear the cost of can't ~ to be out of work long able to ~ a new car

You see, if Congress doesnt act, on July 1st interest rates on some student loans will double. Nearly seven and half million students will end up owing more on their loan payments. That would be a tremendous blow. And its completely preventable.
1will \wl, ()l, l, 'wil\ vb, past would \wd, ()d, 'wd\ pres sing & pl will [ME (1st & 3d sing. pres. indic.), fr. OE wille (infin. wyllan); akin to OHG wili (3d sing. pres. indic.) wills, L velle to wish, will] vt(bef. 12c) : desire wish call it what you ~ verbal auxiliary 1 used to express desire, choice, willingness, consent, or in negative constructions refusal no one would take the job if we ~ all do our best ~ you please stop that racket 1com plete \km-'plt\ adj, com plet -est [ME complet, fr. L er completus, fr. pp. of complre] (14c) 1 a : having all necessary parts, elements, or steps a ~ diet b : having all four sets of floral organs c of a subject or predicate: including modifiers, complements, or objects 2 : brought to an end : concluded a ~ period of time 3 : highly proficient a ~ artist 4 a : fully carried out : thorough a ~ renovation b : total absolute ~ silence c of a football pass: legally caught

 [ Old English sum "one, somebody" < Indo-European, "together with"]

This issue didnt come out of nowhere. For some time now, Ive been calling on Congress to take steps to make higher education more affordable to prevent these interest rates from doubling, to extend the tuition tax credit that has saved middle-class families millions of dollars, pre vent \pri-'vent\ vb [ Old English macian <number of work-study jobs over the next [ME, to anticipate, fr. L praeventus, pp. of and to double the Indofive years.
European, "kneading"]

praevenire to come before, anticipate, forestall, fr. prae- + venire to 1dou \'d-bl\ come more at come] ble adj [ME, fr. AF duble, double, fr. L duplus (akin to Gk diploos), fr. duo two + -plus multiplied by; akin to OE -feald -fold more at two, -fold] (13c) vt(15c) 1 : having a twofold relation or to be in readiness for (as an occasion) b : to meet or satisfy 1 archaica : character : dual 2 : consisting of two usu. combined act ahead of d : to go or arrive before in advance c : to members or parts an egg with a ~ yolk 3 a : being twice as2 : to deprive of power or hope of acting or succeeding b of a great or as many ~ the number of expected applicants coin: worth two of the specified amount a ~ eagle a ~ crown

[14th century. < again + adverbial suffix es + -t, after such words as amidst]

Instead, over the past few years, Republicans in Congress have voted against new ways to make college more affordable for middle-class families, and voted for huge new tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires tax cuts that would have to be paid for by cutting things like education and job-training programs that give students new opportunities to work and succeed.
1pro gram \'pr-"gram, -grm\ n [F programme agenda, public notice, fr. Gk programma, fr. prographein to write before, fr. probefore + graphein to write more at carve] (1633) 1 [LL programma, fr. Gk]: a public notice 2 a : a brief usu. printed outline of the order to be followed, of the features to be presented, and the persons participating (as in a public performance) b : the performance of a program ; esp: a performance broadcast on radio or television

1way \'w\ n [ME, fr. OE weg; akin to OHG weg way, OE wegan to move, L vehere to carry, via way] (bef. 12c) 1 a : a thoroughfare for travel or transportation from place to place b : an opening for passage this door is the only ~ out of the room 2 : the course traveled from one place to

We cannot just cut our way to prosperity. Making it harder for our young people to afford higher education and earn their degrees is nothing more than cutting our own future off at the 1ques tion \'kwes-chn, 'kwesh-\ n [ME, fr. AF, fr. L quaestion-, knees. Congress needs to keep interest rates on student loans from doubling, and they need to do quaestio, fr. quaerere to seek, ask] (14c) it now.

1[aOld English cpan "take, observe,"used to test knowledge (2): (1): an interrogative expression often origin ?] an interrogative sentence or clause b : a subject or aspect in dispute or open for discussion : issue ; broadly: problem matter c (1): a subject or point of debate or a proposition to be voted on in a meeting (2): the bringing of such to a vote d : the specific point at issue

This is a question of values. We cannot let America become a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of people struggle to get by. Weve got to build an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.
ev \'ev-r\ adj [ME everich, every, fr. OE fre lc, fr. fre ever + ery
[ Old English settan "cause to sit" < Germanic, "sit"]

lc each] (bef. 12c)

1 a : being each individual or part of a group without exception b : being each in a series or succession ~ few days ~ once in a while 2 obs: being all taken severally 3 : being each within a range of possibilities was given ~ chance 4 : complete entire we have ~ confidence in her every now and then orevery now and again orevery so often : at intervals : occasionally

[ Old English strang < Germanic]

[ Old English byldan "construct a house" < bold "dwelling" < Germanic, "dwell"]

Thats how the middle class gets stronger. Thats an economy thats built to last. And Im not only going to take that case to college campuses next week Im going to take it to every part of the country this year. Thanks, and have a great weekend.
thank \'thak\ vt [ME, fr. OE thancian; akin to OE thanc gratitude more at thanks] (bef. 12c) 1 : to express gratitude to ~ed her for the present used in the phrase thank you usu. without a subject to politely express gratitude ~ you for your consideration or sometimes to emphasize a preceding statement esp. by implying that it is not subject to question likes her job just fine, thank you used in such phrases as thank God, thank goodness usu. without a subject to express gratitude or more often only the speaker's or writer's pleasure or satisfaction in something

[PRESIDENTIAL WEEKLY ADDRESS ASSESSMENT PHASE A.a END OF] [PRESIDENTIAL WEEKLY ADDRESS ASSESSMENT PHASE A.b START OF]

The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release April 21, 2012

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Calling on Congress to Prevent Student Interest Rates from Doubling
WASHINGTON, DCIn this weeks address, President Obama called on Congress to act before student loan interest rates double for more than 7.4 million students, adding an average of $1000 to their debt. Having a college education has never been more important, but its also never been more expensive. While the Obama administration has taken historic steps to provide Americans with a fair shot at an affordable college education, Republicans in Congress have instead prioritized huge new tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. Congress has a chance to take action on what should be an area of bipartisan agreement to prevent this unnecessary and

damaging increase in interest rates and give our young people a chance to succeed in the jobs of today and tomorrow. Remarks of President Barack Obama Weekly Address The White House Saturday, April 21, 2012 Hi. This week, I got the chance to sit down with some impressive students at Lorain County Community College in Ohio. One of them was a woman named Andrea Ashley. Two years ago, Andrea lost her job as an HR analyst. Today, shes getting certified in the fast-growing field of electronic medical records. Before enrolling at Lorain, Andrea told me she was looking everywhere trying to find a new job. But without a degree, she said that nobody would hire her. Andreas story isnt unique. Ive met so many Americans who are out there pounding the pavement looking for work only to discover that they need new skills. And Ive met a lot of employers who are looking for workers, but cant find ones with the skills theyre looking for. So we should be doing everything we can to put higher education within reach for every American because at a time when the unemployment rate for Americans with at least a college degree is about half the national average, its never been more important. But heres the thing: its also never been more expensive. Students who take out loans to pay for college graduate owing an average of $25,000. For the first time, Americans owe more debt on their student loans than they do on their credit cards. And for many working families, the idea of owing that much money means that higher education is simply out of reach for their children. In America, higher education cannot be a luxury. Its an economic imperative that every family must be able to afford. Thats why next week Ill be visiting colleges across the country, talking to students about how we can make higher education more affordable and whats at stake right now if Congress doesnt do something about it. You see, if Congress doesnt act, on July 1st interest rates on some student loans will double. Nearly seven and half million students will end up owing more on their loan payments. That would be a tremendous blow. And its completely preventable. This issue didnt come out of nowhere. For some time now, Ive been calling on Congress to take steps to make higher education more affordable to prevent these interest rates from doubling, to extend the tuition tax credit that has saved middle-class families millions of dollars, and to double the number of work-study jobs over the next five years. Instead, over the past few years, Republicans in Congress have voted against new ways to make college more affordable for middle-class families, and voted for huge new tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires tax cuts that would have to be paid for by cutting things like education and job-training programs that give students new opportunities to work and succeed. We cannot just cut our way to prosperity. Making it harder for our young people to afford higher education and earn their degrees is nothing more than cutting our own future off at the

knees. Congress needs to keep interest rates on student loans from doubling, and they need to do it now. This is a question of values. We cannot let America become a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of people struggle to get by. Weve got to build an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. Thats how the middle class gets stronger. Thats an economy thats built to last. And Im not only going to take that case to college campuses next week Im going to take it to every part of the country this year. Thanks, and have a great weekend. [PRESIDENTIAL WEEKLY ADDRESS ASSESSMENT PHASE A.b END OF]