To the editor:
With classes scheduled to start soon, college students and parents should take a quick break from vacation to tell Congress to stop cuts to college financial aid. Recently, lawmakers proposed the largest cut ever, an estimated $11 billion, to the federal student aid programs when they passed H.R. 609 out of the House Education Committee.
H.R. 609, cleverly named the College Access and Opportunity Act, is anything but an opportunity for students receiving federal loans. Tuition prices at all Kansas institutions of higher education increase annually. Unfortunately, this legislation puts affordable higher education even further out of reach for Kansas families. This bill freezes funding for grant programs, increases student loan interest rates and charges students bigger upfront fees to borrow.
This is the wrong direction for our country's future. When our representatives in Congress return to Washington, D.C., this fall they should do the right thing for Kansans and vote against the irresponsible policies that H.R. 609 proposes.
Josh Bender,
Lawrence
Comments
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BrianR (anonymous) says…
It's part of BushCo's program to assure that only the rich have access to college. Don't forget to vote.
merrill (anonymous) says…
Bush is still trying to pay for the war for oil. Where did that oil go anyway?
Speakout (anonymous) says…
It is amazing how much money has been wasted by our government. As much as Israel should not have encroached upon Palestinian land and should return all of it taken in the wars we supported, we are footing the bill for the Settlers who illegally built houses and schools in Gaza so they can relocate. The whole thing is paid for by the US in hopes of gaining a lasting peace in the Middle East.
We spend billions there and all of that tax money could go to our needs here in the USA. We must stop this misappropriation of our money!
merrill (anonymous) says…
The one trillion Bush is spending in the Iraq war alone could have put the nation on alternative energy sources plus pay for medical care in which both would be good for big and small business.
If he somehow gets his SS reform through that will initially cost the taxpayer another trillion which could finance a ton of college grants for awhile.
craigers (anonymous) says…
I think it sucks that financial aid got cut, but the rates that you can get student loans at are really low and don't have that much cost associated with them. I am going to pay mine for the next 15 years, and two years from now my interest rate will be around 1.5%. The money I pay will not be worth that much in ten years so the burden gets easier every year. I graduated with about 25K of student loan debt so why can't everybody else?
Speakout (anonymous) says…
This is the problem craigers, the USA is everyone and if everyone was in debt, we would be in a bigger mess. I am glad you got an education, but if you could have graduated without debt, you would be happier. I deal with people everyday who borrow to live and that too is bad news for our shaky economy.
aidan (anonymous) says…
In addition to Speakout's comments, yes, most undergrads can get out of school with 25K or less in loans if they attend a fairly affordable state institution like KU. However, add 2-4 years of post-graduate study (law school, med school, pharmacy school, masters in nursing, vet school, and others), one person's student loan debt can be well over 100K. Added to the increased cost of graduate professional education (as in, per credit hour) the fact that most professional programs either limit the number of work hours students can take on (the ABA limit is 20 hrs/wk) or are so time-consuming that outside work is basically impossible, student loan debt and federal cuts in it are a serious issue. We can't really do without doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and veterinarians...