In a highly competitive global economy, we need the best-educated workforce in the world. It is insane and counter-productive to the best interests of our country and our future, that hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college, and that millions of others leave school with a mountain of debt that burdens them for decades. That shortsighted path to the future must end.
As President, Bernie Sanders will fight to make sure that every American who studies hard in school can go to college regardless of how much money their parents make and without going deeply into debt.
Here are the six steps that Bernie will take as President to make college debt free:
- MAKE TUITION FREE AT PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.
- STOP THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FROM MAKING A PROFIT ON STUDENT LOANS.
- SUBSTANTIALLY CUT STUDENT LOAN INTEREST RATES.
- ALLOW AMERICANS TO REFINANCE STUDENT LOANS AT TODAY’S LOW INTEREST RATES.
- ALLOW STUDENTS TO USE NEED-BASED FINANCIAL AID AND WORK STUDY PROGRAMS TO MAKE COLLEGE DEBT FREE.
- FULLY PAID FOR BY IMPOSING A TAX ON WALL STREET SPECULATORS.
berniesanders.com/...
MAKE TUITION FREE AT PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.
This is not a radical idea. Last year, Germany eliminated tuition because they believed that charging students $1,300 per year was discouraging Germans from going to college. Next year, Chile will do the same. Finland, Norway, Sweden and many other countries around the world also offer free college to all of their citizens. If other countries can take this action, so can the United States of America.
In fact, it’s what many of our colleges and universities used to do. The University of California system offered free tuition at its schools until the 1980s. In 1965, average tuition at a four-year public university was just $243 and many of the best colleges – including the City University of New York – did not charge any tuition at all. The Sanders plan would make tuition free at public colleges and universities throughout the country.
berniesanders.com/...
Eliminate Undergraduate Tuition at 4-year Public Colleges and Universities. This legislation would provide $47 billion per year to states to eliminate undergraduate tuition and fees at public colleges and universities.
Today, total tuition at public colleges and universities amounts to about $70 billion per year. Under the College for All Act, the federal government would cover 67% of this cost, while the states would be responsible for the remaining 33% of the cost.
To qualify for federal funding, states must meet a number of requirements designed to protect students, ensure quality, and reduce ballooning costs. States will need to maintain spending on their higher education systems, on academic instruction, and on need-based financial aid. In addition, colleges and universities must reduce their reliance on low-paid adjunct faculty.
Improving Health Care in this country is a fight that has taken many years and is still ongoing. Nothing would have happened without the first steps.
It’s the same with making college tuition free and debt free. It may take years but we need to start working and fighting for it now!
But nothing is “free”! How are you going to pay for this?
There are various measures that have been proposed to cover these changes. In the College for All Act, which Bernie sponsored, a “Robin Hood” tax on Wall Street would be implemented – a 0.5 percent speculation fee on investment houses, hedge funds, and other stock trades, as well as a 0.1 percent fee on bonds and a 0.005 percent fee charged on derivatives. These very small taxes on the financial sector would completely cover the cost of providing free higher education to all students who are willing and able to attend college or university.
Moreover, the cost of not providing higher education must also be factored into consideration. A more educated workforce is likely to lead to higher incomes and a higher GDP for the nation, which will lead to increased prosperity, wealth, and consumer spending in its own right. In addition, families and individuals will spend their income freely instead of saving it for college tuition or using it to pay back student loans. This rise in consumer spending will also likely have a positive effect on the nation’s GDP.
feelthebern.org/…
"Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of bright young Americans that are qualified to go to college that aren't going because their family does not have enough income, so we would fundamentally reject that assertion," said Warren Gunnels, policy director for the Bernie Sanders campaign. Gunnels also highlighted that — though not specifically outlined in the College for All legislation — Sanders supports the expansion of the federal Pell Grant, a need-based scholarship that specifically helps low-income college students pay for costs of living, tuition, books, transportation, and more, and does not have to be repaid. [...]
Ultimately, however, this may be a moot point if the plan stalls in Congress, as Akers predicts it will. "It would require new legislation to get a free college plan passed and to implement the change in tax code that would be necessary to fund it," Akers said. "I don't see that happening."
That's one criticism that Gunnels is probably used to hearing. "That's what the political revolution that Sen. Sanders is calling for is all about," he said, with a chuckle. "He's calling for fundamental, transformative change."
www.cosmopolitan.com/...
Where is Bernie Sanders on the Issues? Where he’s always been.
His positions are not a matter of convenience or getting elected.
Bernie’s positions are founded on his sincere beliefs and principles demonstrated by a lifetime of action.
Click the links below for more information on Bernie’s positions on the issues.
With Bernie Sanders you know what you are getting.
Get Out the Vote!