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Student Debt Shaping Career Decisions
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GET OUT THE VOTE—The New Voters Project will register thousands of young voters this year. The project, which is built on peer-to-peer connections, earned national acclaim for its non-partisan role in increasing voter turnout during the 2004 presidential election.
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A college education is the key to being able to do what you want in life, or at least that’s what parents have been telling their children for years. According to a NMPIRG report released in May however, unmanageable college debt has left many students unable to pursue their ideal careers, including teaching.
The report, “Paying Back, Not Giving Back,” found more than 23 percent of 4-year public and 38 percent of private college graduates have too much debt to seriously consider jobs as public school teachers.
“Public servants such as teachers and social workers are vital to the success of our communities,” said Higher Education Associate Luke Swarthout. “Unfortunately, high student loan debt can prevent new graduates from entering careers as teachers or other lower-paying yet valuable jobs.” Swarthout was quoted in The New York Times Magazine on debt.
Congress could make college more affordable by cutting student loan interest rates and increasing need-based grant aid. NMPIRG’s Higher Education Project is advocating a bill, HR-5150, that would cut interest rates in half for the borrowers in most need.
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Project Encourages
Young People To Vote
With another election coming up, NMPIRG is once again encouraging young people to register and vote—a step that many experts believe will lead to the development of a lifetime of civic engagement.
In 2004, New Voters Project’s work helped increase voter participation among young people by 11 percent. The Project’s organizers found that peer-to-peer interaction worked best to persuade college students and other young people to sign up and vote, a tactic that they’ll depend on heavily again this year.
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Court Strikes
Down Reform Law
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Vermont’s tough legal limits on political campaign contributions and spending—a severe blow to champions of campaign finance reform.
The Vermont law, which was supported and defended by VPIRG, set contribution limits of $200 per election cycle for candidates for state representative, $300 for candidates for state senate, and $400 for gubernatorial candidates. The Supreme Court held that the limits abridged the free speech rights of both voters and candidates.
“But the court’s ruling ignores the fact that some voters can afford more ‘speech’ than others,” said NMPIRG’s Gary Kalman. “That’s a direct violation of the principle of one person, one vote. If Bill Gates or Warren Buffett can give a candidate a check for $10,000 or $100,000 or more, their vote is worth more than yours or mine. That’s not the American way.”
Kalman and other reform advocates are exploring strategies to push reforms that stay within the ruling’s narrow boundaries and to challenge the ruling so stronger reforms are possible in the future.
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Advocates Hold Line On Patients’ Rights
NMPIRG and other public interest advocates helped turn back a push in Congress last spring to weaken patients’ rights on several fronts. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (Tenn.) had promoted a set of bills as part of “Health Week.” Yet our analysis found that bills backed by Sen. Frist would have done little to control costs and limited the rights of medical malpractice victims and exempting some HMOs from minimum coverage, including cancer screening and maternity care.
Referring to the latter bill, NMPIRG’s Paul Brown said, “Expanding small business access to health care is a good idea, but this bill is the wrong approach. It will ultimately leave everyone with substandard care.”
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