Friday, June 30, 2006
If you're paying more $$ for College
You can always blame Republicans for it (hint: they deserve it).
"Two decades ago, a maximum grant covered half of a college education, but today’s maximum grant of $4,050 only covers a third of average total charges, including tuition, fees, room and board at four-year public colleges and universities—$12,127. Not surprisingly, Americans report that they are having a harder time paying for college. The struggle of millions of students and families to pay for a college education, however, is not the result of random market forces.
By acts of commission and omission, congressional conservatives are responsible for this state of affairs. Conservatives running Congress removed $12 billion dollars from the student loan program that should have gone to grants; failed to extend the college tuition tax deduction, instead opting for tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations; and cut grant aid in last year’s budget.
It’s outrageous that politicians are ignoring rising college costs. Annually,200,000 students are priced out of a college education, while 400,000 attend a two-year school instead of a four-year institution because of financial pressure. These numbers represent the crushing of individual dreams, but they also take a toll on our economy. The Republican failure on college affordability does a disservice to those who have earned a college education but cannot afford it, and to the country that can’t afford to lose the contributions that those same students might make if they were able to attend school."
Go and read the whole thing, but more than anything: Let us start holding these politicians accountable for their actions.
"Two decades ago, a maximum grant covered half of a college education, but today’s maximum grant of $4,050 only covers a third of average total charges, including tuition, fees, room and board at four-year public colleges and universities—$12,127. Not surprisingly, Americans report that they are having a harder time paying for college. The struggle of millions of students and families to pay for a college education, however, is not the result of random market forces.
By acts of commission and omission, congressional conservatives are responsible for this state of affairs. Conservatives running Congress removed $12 billion dollars from the student loan program that should have gone to grants; failed to extend the college tuition tax deduction, instead opting for tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations; and cut grant aid in last year’s budget.
It’s outrageous that politicians are ignoring rising college costs. Annually,200,000 students are priced out of a college education, while 400,000 attend a two-year school instead of a four-year institution because of financial pressure. These numbers represent the crushing of individual dreams, but they also take a toll on our economy. The Republican failure on college affordability does a disservice to those who have earned a college education but cannot afford it, and to the country that can’t afford to lose the contributions that those same students might make if they were able to attend school."
Go and read the whole thing, but more than anything: Let us start holding these politicians accountable for their actions.
# posted by Raf C. @ 4:52 PM 
