Comparing the status quo to D-Day, the stock market crash on Black Tuesday and the abuses of civil rights marchers on Bloody Sunday, President Barack Obama addressed the nation in his first State of the Union speech on Wednesday.
In his speech, Obama attended to some of the most crucial issues of the time, including the economy, convergence between rival political parties, support and patience from the American people and financing higher education.
And this last one perked up the ears of students at K-State.
Obama outlined a number of reforms he would like to see effected regarding post-secondary education. He proposed cutting taxes for “eight million Americans paying for college,” forgiving student loans after 20 years of payment — 10 years if the student chooses a career in public service — and increasing the desirability of community colleges.
Larry Moeder, assistant vice president for student life and director of admissions and student financial aid, said he was happy with the policies Obama outlined in his speech.
“I was pleased with his remarks on education,” Moeder said. “I think it’s heading very much in the right direction by getting more money to students.”
Among his reasons for agreement with the president, Moeder said he concurred with Obama’s views on Pell Grants and loan repayment.
Students can receive loans in two ways: from the federal government or private banks, Moeder said. When a bank loans a student money for college, the federal government sends the bank a certain subsidy.
A bill up for renewal in Congress, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, will stop these subsidies. Obama said he supported this resolution.
“To make college more affordable,” Obama said, “this bill will finally end the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that go to banks for student loans.”
Instead, he proposed both a $10,000 tax credit to families of students attending four years of college and raising Pell Grants.
Moeder said he would “totally support” increasing the amount of money for Pell Grants, because they help some of the “neediest” students, and students should be receiving more money.
Currently, fewer than 4,000 K-State students are receiving a Pell Grant, Moeder said. This totals to nearly $12 million coming from the federal government to assist K-Staters in their academic pursuits. If Obama has his way, Moeder said he thought the amount of money distributed via the Pell Grant would increase, and more students would be admitted into the program, helping to curb the rising costs of college.
Moeder said the cost of attending K-State is less than other institutions - a result of “a very strong effort” by the Board of Regents, students, and the administration. However, it still remains difficult for students to fund their education. He praised Obama for helping to restrict college costs and increase student financial assistance.
“Nationally, college costs are getting way out of hand,” Moeder said, “and so, I think the effort to control college costs is a good proposal as well.”
On the other side of campus, Joseph K. Unekis, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, said President Obama had “only Reagan and Kennedy in his class” of speakers.
“I look on his speech as almost elegant,” Unekis said; “nothing’s wasted.”
He said all the issues Obama mentioned - not just those about higher education - were important and applicable to students at K-State.
Like the economy. Obama said the country is slated to have 1.5 million new jobs created by the end of this year, thanks to the stimulus bill. After some hopeful case studies of small-business owners and entrepreneurs, he acknowledged that many are still unemployed, making this the biggest issue for him.
“That is why jobs must be our number-one focus in 2010,” he said, “and that’s why I’m calling for a new jobs bill tonight.”
Unekis said, since most students who graduate from K-State will be searching for employment, it is vital that more jobs are created.
One big subject that many expected the president to address was the reform on healthcare. Obama did speak about it, but very briefly towards the end of the speech. He said middle and lower-class Americans are struggling financially, and they do not need a hefty medical bill exacerbating their problems.
“I will not walk away from these Americans, and neither should the people in this chamber,” he said.
Professor Unekis said it was smart of Obama to not focus his speech on healthcare. Polls are showing that people care more about the economy and jobs than healthcare, so more attention should be paid to those issues, which Obama did.
Source:kstatecollegian.com/
Showing posts with label OSU Student Debt Relief. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OSU Student Debt Relief. Show all posts
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Obama's day: Florida follow-up to big speech
President Obama delivered his State of the Union last night, and, as USA TODAY's Richard Wolf reports, talked about proposals to create jobs and reduce the budget deficit. USA TODAY's Susan Page notes that Obama focused on "hard times and tough choices."
Today, the president -- with Vice President Joe Biden -- follows up by visiting Florida for a town hall meeting at the University of Tampa.
Obama and Biden will announce an $8 billion grant in stimulus funds for a nationwide high-speed rail system. They will also tour an airplane maintenance center that has been used for aid flights to Haiti.
In his State of the Union, Obama also challenged Republicans to show leadership in light of their recent political success. Republicans said Obama displayed "long-windedness, hypocrisy and egotism," reports Kathy Kiely of USA TODAY.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told Gannett colleague James Carroll of the Louisville Courier-Journal that Obama delivered an "in-your-face" and "needlessly partisan" address, "at a time when Americans were looking for the president to move to the center and build coalitions."
Obama covered a lot of ground in his 69-minute address, including issues bound to make news in the weeks and months ahead. Among them:
Jobs. Obama called job creation his top priority, and gave shorter shrift to health care.
Bi-partisanship. Appeals for legislative comity became a major theme of his speech.
Campaign finance. Obama proposed new rules for corporate spending on campaigns, criticizing a recent Supreme Court decision on the topic; Justice Samuel Alito, sitting in front of Obama, vigorously dissented from the president's analysis.
Gay rights. The president advocated repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
The battle against al Qaeda. Obama pledged to take the fight to terrorists. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, meanwhile, asked that the upcoming trial of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed be moved out of Manhattan, reports Kevin Johnson of USA TODAY.
Afghanistan. As Obama discussed his new war policy, Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai said it will take years to train his nation's military forces.
A laundry list of other pledges also highlighted the speech, and we'll discuss some of them in the hours ahead, along with reports of the Obama town hall in Florida. Keep clicking in, and have a good day.
Source:content.usatoday.com/
Obama's promises, verbatim
State of the Union addresses are also quasi-campaign speeches, as presidents recite a long list of pledges and promises.
Here is a list of things President Obama promised to do last night on a variety of topics. The comments are in the order they were delivered during the 69-minute address.
Bank fees.
"I've proposed a fee on the biggest banks. Now, I know Wall Street isn't keen on this idea. But if these firms can afford to hand out big bonuses again, they can afford a modest fee to pay back the taxpayers who rescued them in their time of need."
A jobs bill.
"I realize that for every success story, there are other stories, of men and women who wake up with the anguish of not knowing where their next paycheck will come from; who send out resumes week after week and hear nothing in response. That is why jobs must be our number-one focus in 2010, and that's why I'm calling for a new jobs bill tonight."
Jobs loans and tax incentives.
"Tonight, I'm proposing that we take $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid and use it to help community banks give small businesses the credit they need to stay afloat. I'm also proposing a new small business tax credit -- one that will go to over one million small businesses who hire new workers or raise wages. While we're at it, let's also eliminate all capital gains taxes on small business investment, and provide a tax incentive for all large businesses and all small businesses to invest in new plants and equipment."
New Wall Street regulations.
"Now, the House has already passed financial reform with many of these changes. And the lobbyists are trying to kill it. But we cannot let them win this fight. And if the bill that ends up on my desk does not meet the test of real reform, I will send it back until we get it right."
Energy programs
"To create more of these clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development. It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies. And, yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America."
EducationÂ
"I urge the Senate to follow the House and pass a bill that will revitalize our community colleges, which are a career pathway to the children of so many working families. To make college more affordable, this bill will finally end the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that go to banks for student loans. Instead, let's take that money and give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college and increase Pell Grants. And let's tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years -- and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college."
Health care
"As temperatures cool, I want everyone to take another look at the plan we've proposed. There's a reason why many doctors, nurses, and health care experts who know our system best consider this approach a vast improvement over the status quo."
Debt and deficits
"Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Spending related to our national security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will not be affected. But all other discretionary government programs will."
"We will continue to go through the budget, line by line, page by page, to eliminate programs that we can't afford and don't work. We've already identified $20 billion in savings for next year."
"I've called for a bipartisan fiscal commission, modeled on a proposal by Republican Judd Gregg and Democrat Kent Conrad. This can't be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem. The commission will have to provide a specific set of solutions by a certain deadline."
Governmen and election reform.
"It's time to require lobbyists to disclose each contact they make on behalf of a client with my administration or with Congress. It's time to put strict limits on the contributions that lobbyists give to candidates for federal office."
"I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people. And I'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to correct some of these problems."
"Tonight, I'm calling on Congress to publish all earmark requests on a single Web site before there's a vote, so that the American people can see how their money is being spent."
Disaster response.
"We are launching a new initiative that will give us the capacity to respond faster and more effectively to bioterrorism or an infectious disease -- a plan that will counter threats at home and strengthen public health abroad."
Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
"I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It's the right thing to do."
Immigration.
"We should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system -- to secure our borders and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation."
Source:content.usatoday.com/
Here is a list of things President Obama promised to do last night on a variety of topics. The comments are in the order they were delivered during the 69-minute address.
Bank fees.
"I've proposed a fee on the biggest banks. Now, I know Wall Street isn't keen on this idea. But if these firms can afford to hand out big bonuses again, they can afford a modest fee to pay back the taxpayers who rescued them in their time of need."
A jobs bill.
"I realize that for every success story, there are other stories, of men and women who wake up with the anguish of not knowing where their next paycheck will come from; who send out resumes week after week and hear nothing in response. That is why jobs must be our number-one focus in 2010, and that's why I'm calling for a new jobs bill tonight."
Jobs loans and tax incentives.
"Tonight, I'm proposing that we take $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid and use it to help community banks give small businesses the credit they need to stay afloat. I'm also proposing a new small business tax credit -- one that will go to over one million small businesses who hire new workers or raise wages. While we're at it, let's also eliminate all capital gains taxes on small business investment, and provide a tax incentive for all large businesses and all small businesses to invest in new plants and equipment."
New Wall Street regulations.
"Now, the House has already passed financial reform with many of these changes. And the lobbyists are trying to kill it. But we cannot let them win this fight. And if the bill that ends up on my desk does not meet the test of real reform, I will send it back until we get it right."
Energy programs
"To create more of these clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development. It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies. And, yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America."
EducationÂ
"I urge the Senate to follow the House and pass a bill that will revitalize our community colleges, which are a career pathway to the children of so many working families. To make college more affordable, this bill will finally end the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that go to banks for student loans. Instead, let's take that money and give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college and increase Pell Grants. And let's tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years -- and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college."
Health care
"As temperatures cool, I want everyone to take another look at the plan we've proposed. There's a reason why many doctors, nurses, and health care experts who know our system best consider this approach a vast improvement over the status quo."
Debt and deficits
"Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Spending related to our national security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will not be affected. But all other discretionary government programs will."
"We will continue to go through the budget, line by line, page by page, to eliminate programs that we can't afford and don't work. We've already identified $20 billion in savings for next year."
"I've called for a bipartisan fiscal commission, modeled on a proposal by Republican Judd Gregg and Democrat Kent Conrad. This can't be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem. The commission will have to provide a specific set of solutions by a certain deadline."
Governmen and election reform.
"It's time to require lobbyists to disclose each contact they make on behalf of a client with my administration or with Congress. It's time to put strict limits on the contributions that lobbyists give to candidates for federal office."
"I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people. And I'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to correct some of these problems."
"Tonight, I'm calling on Congress to publish all earmark requests on a single Web site before there's a vote, so that the American people can see how their money is being spent."
Disaster response.
"We are launching a new initiative that will give us the capacity to respond faster and more effectively to bioterrorism or an infectious disease -- a plan that will counter threats at home and strengthen public health abroad."
Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
"I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It's the right thing to do."
Immigration.
"We should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system -- to secure our borders and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation."
Source:content.usatoday.com/
Obama Pushes $10,000 College Tax Credit and Student Debt Relief
Obama urged the U.S. Senate to join the House in overhauling the federal student-loan system, saying such a move would end “unwarranted taxpayer subsidies” to banks and help revitalize community colleges. He also supported an update of No Child Left Behind, the Bush administration education effort.
Obama said the cost of the higher-education initiatives would be offset by money saved from his plan to provide all new federal loans directly to students, instead of through private lenders led by the Reston, Virginia-based SLM Corp., known as Sallie Mae. While some Republican lawmakers have opposed this plan saying it may raise college costs, the Congressional Budget Office said it may save the government $80 billion in 10 years.
“In the 21st century, the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education,” Obama said in yesterday’s speech. “No one should go broke because they chose to go to college.”
Obama, who plans to send Congress his budget request for fiscal 2011 next week, said he’ll propose the $10,000 tax credit for families paying for four years of college, and more money for Pell Grants that help low-income students afford college. He also called for an expansion of an income-based student-loan repayment program the Education Department started in July.
“Let’s tell another 1 million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years -- and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service,” Obama said.
Student Loan Savings
The plan to provide federal college loans directly, approved by the House in September, aims to protect student loans from turmoil in financial markets and end federal payments that Obama says are wasteful. It would discontinue the 43-year- old Federal Family Education Loan Program that subsidizes and guarantees loans made by private lenders.
Starting in July, all new federal loans would be provided through a separate program, created in 1993, that lets the Education Department lend directly to students.
Representative John Kline of Minnesota, the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, said such a plan may create new expenses for students.
“Making the federal government responsible for a larger share of student debt is likely to do nothing more than exacerbate high college costs,” Kline said yesterday in an e- mailed statement.
Education Budget
Obama’s budget plan, set to be released Feb. 1, includes a $3 billion raise in discretionary education funds next year, shielding federal school programs from his proposed freeze on some domestic spending, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said yesterday. That’s about 6 percent more than this year’s $47 billion discretionary budget for education programs other than Pell Grants, Education Department spokeswoman Sandra Abrevaya said yesterday in an e-mail.
The $3 billion contains Obama’s proposed $1.35 billion expansion of the Race to the Top competitive grant program, which rewards states that make the most progress in raising academic standards, boosting teacher quality, tracking student gains and improving failing schools.
That program, which will award $4.35 billion in stimulus grants to states this year, has “broken through the stalemate between left and right” on how to improve the nation’s public schools, Obama said.
‘Reward Success’
“Instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success,” Obama said. “Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform - reform that raises student achievement, inspires students to excel in math and science, and turns around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans.”
The budget proposal would allow another $1 billion in K-12 education spending, for a total of $4 billion, if lawmakers reauthorize No Child Left Behind this year, Duncan said.
The 2002 law, enacted under President George W. Bush, requires states to measure student achievement through standardized tests.
While states can set their own standards to determine what constitutes an adequate education, they can lose some federal funds if they don’t show yearly progress toward those goals.
Obama and Duncan have said the law prompted many states to weaken their academic standards and led schools to devote too much time to standardized test preparation. They want states to agree on a common set of tougher, nationwide standards. They also want to give states more flexibility in meeting those standards than they now have under No Child Left Behind.
“In this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than on their potential,” Obama said.
Source:bloomberg.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)