Higher Education: Increased Access For All One of the most profound changes in American society in the last half-century was the opening of post-secondary education to virtually everyone.
Competition among institutions has been the key to that success. What began with the GI Bill in the 1940s has
now, through student loans and grants, become the best higher education system
in the world. Ours is a system in which
achievement can count for more than money or social status. Americans are rightly proud of that. Now the challenges we face in the
technological revolution and in the global economy require us to continue to
expand the extent and excellence of higher education.
That is why both Governor Bush and
congressional Republicans have given priority to programs that increase access
to higher education for qualified students. The centerpiece of this effort has been
education savings accounts — the ideal combination of minimal red tape and
maximum consumer choice. Along with that
innovation, congressional Republicans passed legislation to allow tax-free
distributions from state pre-paid tuition plans, enhance the tax deduction for
student loans, and make it more practicable for employers to provide educational
assistance to train workers.
Unfortunately, that legislation was vetoed. Next year, a Republican president will sign
it into law.
Meanwhile, under Republican fiscal
discipline, interest rates on federally guaranteed student loans are lower than
ever before so student aspirations can reach higher than ever before. Pell Grants, the doorway to learning for
millions of low-income families, are greater than ever — and will become a
dynamic force in math, science, and technology when a Republican Congress enacts
Governor Bush’s proposal to:
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Target increased
benefits to students taking challenging course in those fields.
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Form partnerships
with colleges and universities to improve science and math education.
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Attract science,
math, and engineering grads to low-income schools and areas with shortages of
those teachers.
Overall college costs, however,
continue to climb, usually far ahead of inflation. Whatever the reasons, these costs squeeze the
budgets of the middle class. Many
families feel they’re on a treadmill, working harder to pay tuition bills that
never stop rising. We call upon campus
administrators to search for ways to hold down that price spiral; and, in
fairness to them, we propose a presidentially directed study on the effect of
government regulation and paperwork demands.
At many institutions of higher
learning, the ideal of academic freedom is threatened by intolerance. Students should not be compelled to support,
through mandatory student fees, anyone’s political agenda. The Republican party
stands in solidarity with the dedicated faculty who are penalized for their
conservatism and also with the courageous students who run independent campus
newspapers to confront the powerful with the power of truth. To protect the nation’s colleges and
universities against intolerance, we will work with independent educators to
maintain alternatives to ideological accrediting bodies. We also support a reasonable approach to
Title IX that seeks to expand opportunities for women without adversely
affecting men's teams.
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The President also gets a failing grade for higher education. Over the last three years, college
tuitions have risen by 35 percent, pricing 220,000 students out of college. Yet while then-
Governor Bush promised to increase college aid, President Bush tried to charge more for student
loans and eliminate Pell Grants for 84,000 students. Making college affordable. With the leadership of John Kerry and John Edwards, we will make
college more affordable, so that more young people get higher education, and more of those who
graduate get relief from the crushing burden of debt. We will make student aid faster and simpler
to get so students aren't scared off by the complicated process. We will offer generous tax credits
to reduce the price of four years of college for all students, including those who pay their own
way and can least afford college now. We will strengthen our aid programs for students while
eliminating wasteful subsidies for lenders. At a time when all good jobs increasingly depend on
advanced skills, we will strengthen technical training for those who do not attend college. Finally,
we must place a special emphasis on expanding achievement in math and science. These are
subjects where America has always led the world and must continue to lead in the 21st century. |
| SubsidiesThe Issue: The unrestricted competition of the free market is the best way to foster prosperity.
The Principle: In order to achieve a free economy, in which government victimizes no one for the benefit of any other, we oppose all government
subsidies to business, labor, education, agriculture, science,
broadcasting, the arts, sports, or any other special interest. In
particular, we condemn any effort to forge an alliance between
government and business under the guise of "reindustrialization" or
"industrial policy." Relief or exemption from taxation or from any other
involuntary government intervention, however, should not be considered a
subsidy.
Solutions: We call for the abolition of the
Federal Financing Bank, the most important national agency subsidizing
special interests with government loans. We also oppose all government
guarantees of so-called private loans. Such guarantees transfer
resources to special interests as effectively as actual government
expenditures and, at the national level, exceed direct government loans
in total amount. Taxpayers must never bear the cost of default upon
government-guaranteed loans. All national, state and local government
agencies whose primary function is to guarantee loans -- including the
Federal Housing Administration, the Rural Electrification Administration
and the Small Business Administration -- must be abolished or
privatized. Furthermore, the loans of government-sponsored enterprises,
even when not guaranteed by the government, constitute another form of
subsidy. All such enterprises -- the Federal Home Loan Mortgage
Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association, the Farm Credit
Administration, and the Student Loan Marketing Association -- must
either be abolished or completely privatized.
Transitional
Action: We oppose any resumption of the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation, or any similar plan that would force the taxpayer to
subsidize or sustain any enterprise.
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