Barack Obama has people stirring this week with the announcement of his proposal to provide two free years of community college.

The United States has been a society that thrives off of education. With some of the best universities and colleges in the world, America is always looking to breed new innovators who will help the country advance. America has prided in the fact that we give all our children a free public education, so it was only a matter of time before some colleges became free too.

Barack Obama’s overall goal is reported to have more people enter the middle class because “a college degree is the surest ticket to the middle class,” he said during a speech in Tennessee last Friday.

Though it sounds like a great idea, this proposal has one major downfall – where would all the funding come from? Barack Obama has not yet released a payment overview for this plan. People are wondering where the funds will come from if students will not be paying anything to attend. After all, teachers need to be paid and supplies need to be bought.

No one doubts that all of the funding will be hard to come by, but the program provides benefits to everyone in the long run. High school graduates will be able to take the two years to figure out their path in life if they do not know already. It’s an opportunity to stay in school and at the same time find your true passion. It would also be beneficial for anyone who may have wanted to go to college, but could not go for financial reasons. If they would wish to continue their education even further, it’d be easier because they wouldn’t have to fall into as much student loan debt.

Money will always be a major factor in this plan, but the benefit of a college education is so valuable. The opportunity that would be presented to people all across the country would change lives. America will be able to continue to grow if more people have an education extending beyond high school.