Kerry Release on Student Loans
The Kerry campaign released a statement on student loans in which the Senator stated the he was against eliminating consolidation at fixed rates. While it makes no mention of the refinancing issue, it seems to me that Kerry's statement backs us up a little bit: "We need a market-based auction where banks get student loan business based on their ability to offer the best service at the lowest price."
Comments
I have written Senator Kerry several times during the last seveal months about refinancing previously consolidated student loans. To date I have received no response. This issue is important enough to me to effect my vote. I am not asking for elimination of the debt, just a reasonable means to refinance just as you do your home. I can't be the only one out there who feels this issue is very important.
Posted by: Marie | April 28, 2004 12:20 PM
Diana -- GREAT POST!
Marie: CALL the Kerry campaign. Your letters have been logged. Yet you can have a greater impact if you call them.
You mentioned that this issue is important enough to you that it will impact upon your vote in this presidential election. Here are some points:
Marie and others, I apologize but my computer keeps crashing when I try to go to the site I want to site below ...
Go to www.house.gov and then to the Education and Workforce Committee subsite. There you'll find a Republican-sponsored "survey" on what should be done regarding higher ed financing.
Gen Debt is a non-partisan site, and I respect that.
However, I will say, if you sympathize with the tone of the Republican-sponsored questionaire, then you're ... well, nuts.
The survey pits a trade-off between relief to people like you and me, and funding future generations of higher ed students. That's preposterous in a day when we have a gov't that is spending in the way in which it has and intends to continue to do in the future.
I would have thought that our issue might have struck a chord w/ Rs -- free market student loans, specifically -- but Rs, who control the House, Senate and White House, choose to see the issue of relief to higher ed student loan repayers as contrary to funding future students.
Of course, those same policy-dictating Rs don't seem to see a problem w/ shouldering working people w/ billions in debt to find WMD in Iraq. Even the gas price relief promised is ... well ... go look at your gas prices.
So I cannot advise how to vote. I just recommend that, Marie, as this is an issue of import to you and will impact how you vote, that you look at where the greater sympathies lie. Sadly, NO candidate is (yet) our champion. But you may wish to look at which among those will most likely bring ANY relief to our cause.
Posted by: Gerry | April 28, 2004 10:57 PM