PIRG Report on the Burden of Borrowing
Here's a report from the State PIRG's Higher Education Project on the rising rates of student loan debt, from last March.
Here's a report from the State PIRG's Higher Education Project on the rising rates of student loan debt, from last March.
I'm looking for information on how the Democratic presidential candidates respond to the issues germane to us, and I'm having difficulty finding any information at all. Neither Kerry nor Edwards deal w/ graduate debt in their position pieces (though Howard Dean did), and I'm surprised there's nothing there. Or at least, nothing that I'm finding ... but I'm hopeful that there's just something I'm missing.
I have called the national offices for Kerry and Edwards (I apologize for not bothering with Sharpton or Kucinich) and been unable to get a straight answer. "They'll get back to me."
Please contact your local candidates' offices and share what you find.
Also, if you have found any online or offline resources on the candidates' positions, please comment!
Wondering which candidates get money from which special interests (including banks/student loan lenders)? Take at look at Open Secrets. You'll find, for instance, that so far in 2004, Sallie Mae's PAC has given more to Democrats (68%) than Republicans (32%). But note that in 2002, they gave slightly more to Republicans (55%) than Democrats (45%), and in 2000 they gave substantially more to Republicans (62%) than Democrats (38%). Interesting...
Voting this year is more crucial than ever this year, and grassroots efforts fortunately are more vital than they have been in decades.
If you aren't already registered, here's a link to help you to register
at Working for Change.
If you BELIEVE you're registered, you should check. Last presidential election, many would be voters -- not only in Florida but in other states as well -- were turned away because they hadn't voted in previous elections and their registrations had expired. To check, call your town's Registrar of Voters at City/Town Hall.
Likewise, the best way to influence a candidate is from the inside. Whether you're Democrat or Republican, volunteering in a national, state or local race can give you access to candidates and you can influence their agenda. So as you do, don't hesitate to mention your debt and the relief you need ... and, oh yeah, GenDebt.org.
We will not only need the next President behind student loan aid reform. We need Senators and members of Congress behind it. And they talk to the elected representatives in their home states. In other words, you can choose where you want to have your impact felt, and it can still make a difference to this cause.
There are so many different kinds of student loans out there it may be a little hard to navigate the seas of debt. Luckily there are people out there willing to assist us all.
Below is a sample letter to the media. Feel free to cut and paste this text into a letter, fax or email:
Below are a sample of some of the media outlets you can contact to get the story out there. Additional local and national media outlets can be found at Working Assets/Cap Wiz.
Below is a sample letter to your Senators. Feel free to cut and paste this text into a letter, fax or email:
Below is a sample letter to your House Representative. Feel free to cut and paste this text into a letter, fax or email:
Members of Congress were elected to help their constituents, so please don’t be shy about contacting them regarding issues that will affect you. An opinion on current legislation receives more attention than general observation.
Here are a few things to keep in mind in your communication with legislators: