OK, “movie” might be a bit grandiose, but the newest campaign video is up, this one explaining “Commit to Minnesota”, a program to provide free post-secondary education to students who live in Minnesota at least five years after leaving school. If you’d rather watch it on Youtube, click here or click the Youtube logo in the video.

The goal is take money out of the equation when a young adult decides whether to continue education after high school. As much as more education is needed in the modern economy, the burden of student debt is intimidating enough to cause some of our young adults to just skip any sort of post-secondary education, or else they take on the debt and find it constrains every choice in life, reducing opportunity and increasing inequality.

We can do better.

“Commit to Minnesota” will not only make a drastic improvement in college affordability, but will help retain our educated young adults who often leave the state. We’re likely to lose a congressional seat because we’re not keeping up with the rest of the country in population growth.

After five years living in Minnesota without a student debt burden, young adults are likely to have put down roots, maybe buying a home, starting a family and maybe their own business, which they often put off while struggling to pay off their debt. It’s at the same time a mercy to students, and will increase the state’s educated workforce, which will promote economic growth.