Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is attempting to reach out to college-aged voters.
Kerry held a conference call Tuesday with college journalists from around the country to discuss his economic plan and how it affects college tuition rates.
“Over the last three years, college tuitions have increased more than 28 percent,” Kerry said. “That needs to turn around.”
Kerry attributed this tuition increase to George W. Bush’s failed economic policy.
“The administration cut taxes for wealthy Americans and states are getting less federal funding,” Kerry said.
He said this drop in funding has forced public four-year universities to increase tuition rates.
According to Kerry, this increase has priced more than 220,000 young Americans out of college in the past year.
The Kerry campaign cited literature published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, which states, “a consensus view is that a $1,000 increase in net college costs results in about a 4 percentage point decline in the probability of enrollment.”
“Once again, the president just does not get it,” Kerry said. “A college education means more than ever in today’s economy, yet this president has done nothing to make it more affordable. In fact, he’s does just the opposite. His broken promises and failed economic policies are making it harder to get an education. That’s not leadership. That’s failure on the part of a president who is out of touch, out of credibility and letting young Americans down.”
If elected, Kerry said he can work to alleviate this problem through his “Compact with the Next Generation.” He said he already has proposed a $25 billion fiscal aid package to relieve pressure on states and has proposed $50 billion in tax credits to help Americans afford four years of college.
“While George Bush is pricing thousands of young people right out of the American dream, I offer a new direction,” Kerry said. “That’s what my Compact with the Next Generation is all about. Instead of making it harder to get an education, we’ll invest in students who work hard and do what’s right. We’ll help you pay for school.”
During the conference call, Kerry also addressed how important it is for young people to get out and vote.
“There is so much at stake in November,” Kerry said. “We can change the direction of our country. Young people have this enormous power and need to use it.”