RENO - In a speech delayed by winds and shortened by an approaching brush fire, Vice President Joe Biden told Galena High students Thursday that America must restore the accessibility and affordability of a college education.
Praising the school's 90 percent graduation rate, he called on Galena students to get a college education, saying that within the decade, there will be very few jobs left that don't require a degree.
He told the audience that for more than 70 years, America has had a bargain with its middle class, that each generation of children would have the chance for a college education and a better life than their parents.
"Over the last 10 or 12 years, that bargain has been increasingly broken," he said.
While the cost of college has doubled over that period, he said, the income of the average middle-class family has fallen and the value of their home - often used as collateral for college loans - has collapsed. He termed it "a perfect storm."
At the same time, he said, the rest of the world has caught on to America's secret. Biden said that 70 years ago, the U.S. was the only country that provided every child with at least 12 years of education. Now other nations are also pouring money into education.
"A decade ago, we were No. 1 in the world," he said. "Now we're No. 16."
Between the rising costs of education and "this awful recession," Biden said, the middle class has been squeezed.
But he told the students - many of them seniors nearing graduation - that college is vital to their future.
"A college education is about a lot more than a paycheck and a job," he said.
Biden said it disturbs him that more people these days are saying they don't think college is worth the cost. He pointed out that while unemployment is over 8 percent, the jobless rate for those who are college educated is half that, just over 4 percent.
He added that college education should be available to everyone, which is why he and the president still strongly support the DREAM Act. That controversial proposal is designed to provide a path to citizenship for children who were brought illegally into the U.S. if they attend college or enlist in the military.
"It makes no sense not to educate everybody in this country," he said. "When they get a Ph.D, they should get a seven-year green card."
Biden said the Obama administration has been working to improve accessibility and affordability in higher education for all, putting federal money into Pell Grants instead of putting it through the banks for student loans, and setting a cap on monthly payments to pay back student loans so graduates aren't buried in debt and forced to take whatever job pays best instead of following their dreams.
Biden said he is more optimistic about the nation's future today than ever before, even with growing educational competition from more and more countries, because of what American schools teach. Students in the U.S., he said, are trained to question authority, question doctrine.
"No other country does that," he said.
He quoted the late Steve Jobs as saying the secret to success is "think differently." He said that's what Americans do. He told the students that's their future and that he expects they will bring the U.S. back to economic leadership and job creation in the world.
"In the next five years, you're not going to hear the word 'outsourcing.' You're going to hear 'insourcing,'" he said to loud applause.
The estimated 350 Galena students and their parents in attendance for Thursday's appearance waited, mostly patiently, until Biden arrived two hours late for the 11:30 a.m. speech.
"I'm the late Joe Biden," he quipped. "The very late Joe Biden."
He said Reno-Tahoe Airport wouldn't let Air Force 2 land because of wind shear, so they had to land at Naval Air Station Fallon and drive to Reno. Biden's wife, Jill, visited with nurses at a Reno hospital to discuss health care issues.
Just 20 minutes into his speech, the vice president was informed that the fire marshal wanted Galena evacuated because of an approaching fire in nearby Pleasant Valley.
"This is awful to do to you," he told students. "I come out late, then they set a fire."
"We're very disappointed," said spokeswoman Irene Payne of the Washoe County School District. "All the students and the parents have been looking forward to this, but it's Mother Nature and we can't control that."