Letter to the Editor: Professor Kerry Wrong

In attacking President Bush over college tuition, John Kerry is either ignoring the President’s $33 million in new funding for enhanced Pell Grants to low-income students, or he does not have his facts straight. President Bush is expanding college scholarships and increasing Pell grants.

President Bush has proposed increasing total student aid to more than $73 billion — a $4.2 billion (6%) increase over 2004. Almost 10 million students and parents — 426,000 more recipients than this year — would receive one or more grants, loans or work-study awards.

Kerry’s accusations ring doubly false coming from a senator with such a thin education record. Kerry voted six times against expanded education savings accounts, which would have provided $4 billion in tax savings for parents to use toward their child’s college tuition.

Just like Kerry’s $1.9 trillion in new government spending proposals, the numbers for Kerry’s college plan don’t add up. Kerry’s pie-in-the-sky proposal would not give students enough money to attend college and would put unqualified young people in classrooms as teachers. Kerry’s purely political attack against the President’s record of enabling more Americans to attend college denies reality. The President’s pro-growth policies have led to economic recovery, the creation of new jobs, and increased access to higher education — all good news for Americans, but disaster for Kerry in November.

Sincerely,

Michael R. Davis

Law Student, University of Iowa

Member, United States Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance

—————————-Mike Davis320 South Gilbert Street #1014Iowa City, Iowa 52240319-321-3773 (cell)