Last weekend, Senator Rick Santorum called President Barack Obama a "snob" for wanting all Americans to go to college. Not only is this a gross exaggeration of what Obama said, but diminishing the role of higher education in American life is harmful for the individual as well as for the country as a whole.

According to the Huffington Post, Obama says that he wants all Americans to receive some sort of higher education, but acknowledges that this might include vocational or other non-traditional routes, rather than attending a four-year college. Santorum positioned his attack of the President's the stance as a way to "fight" for those Americans who have not gone to college and, as he says, have not been "indoctrinated" by the liberal elite of college professors.

But Santorum doesn't understand the big picture. Now, considering we're all attending Brandeis, it's logical to assume that we see the value of higher education. But even viewed objectively, not only are we creating better futures for ourselves, we're creating a better future for America.

By going to college, we're creating opportunities for ourselves. Research has shown, after all, that those with a college degree earn more and their employment status is less likely to be affected in an economic downturn. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2009, the average male aged 25 to 34 with a high school degree earned $32,900 a year, compared to the $51,000 earned by males of the same age range with a Bachelor's degree.

From these numbers, it's evident that the benefits of having a college degree extend beyond getting a job. The type of thinking and writing skills learned in college carry over to the working world. Thinking outside of the box and being able to then communicate this new and innovative thinking helps college graduates successfully navigate the work force.

Beyond this, we're also building towards a better America. Assuming Santorum, in his always pro-America rhetoric, wants to keep the U.S. its position as of a world superpower, does he really believe America can continue to possess its sphere of influence if it is primarily a country made up of those without higher education?

But while America actively built its name as a superpower in past decades, it is becoming harder and harder to hold onto this title. With the growth of technology in the modern world, America must compete with other countries that put a higher premium on the thinking necessary for such technological advances. The fact of the matter is that America is losing its position of innovation in the world. The factory system that made the U.S. a superpower in the first place has been shipped overseas. Countries like India and China, which put a lot of emphasis on education, are quickly rising as some of the most influential countries in the world.

Where would an under-educated America fit into this? It is completely illogical for Santorum to dismiss Obama's comments about the value of higher education when he, assumedly, wants to see America continue to fight for its place as a world superpower. We shouldn't be telling people not to go to college; rather, we should be encouraging them to pursue the highest education possible so that we can continue to compete in the global marketplace.

Furthermore, the American democracy needs an educated public in order to function. Thomas Jefferson believed in the power of democracy as resting in the hands of the everyday person who, with education, would be able to make informed decisions about our country.

Not only are Santorum's comments antithetical to America's economic goals and interests, they also serve to threaten the basis of our governmental system by encouraging an uneducated public who will blindly follow the ideas of their government. Santorum's problems with higher education may stem from his assumption that people are "indoctrinated" in college.

While campaigning before the Michigan and Arizona primaries, he said, "There are good, decent men and women who go out and work hard every day, and put their skills to test, who aren't taught by some liberal college professor [who] tries to indoctrinate them. I understand why he wants you to go to college. He wants to remake you in his image." But this logic does not work. Santorum himself went to Pennsylvania State University. Does the fact that he went to college automatically make him liberal? Unless he's a fabulous actor, it certainly doesn't appear so.

As Obama clarified, higher education is not just about four-year, liberal arts universities. It can also include vocational schools that teach job-specific trades such as mechanics and nursing. Instead, the overall purpose of any college is to get you thinking critically and questioning the world around you. That is not a political agenda.

Thinking analytically will not only help individuals get jobs and think innovatively about products for the market, but will also encourage citizens to be active participants in the democratic system of government.

Higher education isn't about being "snobbish" or "elitist;" It's about creating a brighter future for us and for our country. What makes our country special is that "we the people" have the ability to change the way our government functions. We have control over our democracy and we need people who are educated to be in the position to enact change—people with continued, lifelong education that does not solely rest in the hands of the country's colleges and universities. Whether it is vocational training, community college, or a university, higher education is America's path for tomorrow. Santorum's comments to the contrary are sadly shortsighted.