Sanders Directly Addresses Students Regarding His College Affordability Plan

http://www.nationofchange.org/2015/10/21/sanders-directly-addresses-students-regarding-his-college-affordability-plan/

In a cutting edge grassroots movement and political revolution led by Bernie Sanders, one of his biggest campaign focuses is college affordability. His plan to address college costs has been a main focus throughout his campaign, but he recently took this issue up directly with students at the William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

On Monday, Sanders laid out his plan to cut college costs and bring down student loan interest rates. And his main focus is on a proposed legislations that would “cover tuition costs for qualified students at public colleges and universities,” according to Sanders’ campaign website, Bernie 2016.

“In the year 2015, now is the time to extend that idea to colleges and universities,” Sanders said. “That is why I am fighting for free tuition at public colleges and universities. The world has changed. We are living in a highly competitive global economy and for us to succeed we need the best educated workforce in the world.”

Since college tuition rose by 50 percent in the past decade and government cut its support of higher education, the cost burden has shifted onto students and parents.

The legislation would “overhaul student loan programs so students and parents could reduce crushing debt loads” and impose a tax on Wall Street transactions by investment houses, hedge funds and others—therefore eliminating federal profits on loans, according to Sanders’ campaign website Bernie 2016. Not only has a tax on Wall Street been endorsed in the U.S., it’s been proven effective in more than 40 countries across the globe with Britain, German, France, Switzerland and China all imposing a like-minded tax.

“We live in a highly competitive global economy. If our economy is to be strong, we need the best educated work force in the world. That will not happen if every year hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college and if millions more leave school deeply in debt,” Sanders said on the website Senate.gov.

Also, as part of Sanders’ affordability plan, he wants to expand work-study programs and offer incentives so 4-year colleges and universities will keep costs down.