The title for this page should also say “At Public Universities”. I am an advocate for fully funded public education.
Our taxes used to support fully funded public education through college. I am a graduate of: Pasadena City College and California State University at Los Angeles. Because there was no tuition, I graduated in 1972 debt free. Today, students do not enjoy the same public support I received.
In 1972, the U.S. was spending an enormous amount on the Vietnam war. Today, we spend much, much more on war. To help fund our never ending wars, students in effect have been asked to absorb huge debt. For many, the dream of home ownership vanishes. The rest of America suffers because payments for college loans divert huge sums to the banking industry. It is an enormous drag on our economy.
If elected, I will introduce legislation to eliminate student debt. Republicans will no doubt oppose it, but the majority of Democrats in Congress will object as well because political donations from Wall Street would stop. At the same time, I will also introduce a bill to authorize the United States government to buy up all private student loans and then charge 0% for repayment. Banks should not be profiting because we have chosen to not fully fund public education. A small percentage of our military budget would be more than enough to fund these proposals.
Barry Hermanson