John Kerry 2004 On The Issues
A New Army Of Patriots
Patriotism wears no
political label. In service to others and in sacrifice for our country,
there are no Republicans and there are no Democrats - there are only
Americans.
America is based on simple principles: everyone should have the same
opportunity to get ahead, and everyone has a responsibility to give
something back. Since September 11, Americans have been searching for
ways to contribute to our country. Yet during this time, we have seen
cuts to national service programs like AmeriCorps and broken promises
about "armies of compassion."
John Kerry and John Edwards believe that even as we fight to build an
America stronger at home and safer in the world, we should all take heed
of what Robert Kennedy once said: "Each time a man stands up for an
ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against
injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other
from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples
build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression
and resistance."
John Kerry and John Edwards will tap into the idealism and ingenuity of
our national spirit and call on all Americans to work together to build
a stronger America.
John Kerry and John Edwards will:
Engage 200,000 Americans A Year In "Service For College"
John Kerry and John Edwards will offer a simple deal to hundreds of
thousands of America's young people: if you will serve for two years in
one of America's toughest and most important jobs, we will cover four
years of tuition at a typical public university.
Engage 300,000 College Students A Year In Helping Our Children Learn
John Kerry and John Edwards will call on America's college students to
join a national crusade to help America's children succeed in school and
get to college. In return for their service, our young people will
receive up to $2,000 per year to pay for college.
Pay For College And Service By Letting The Market Set Rates For Loans
Today's student loan program effectively guarantees billions in profits
to banks at the expense of American taxpayers. John Kerry and John
Edwards will introduce market forces to overhaul guaranteed student
loans, saving taxpayers billions without charging students a penny more.
Their plan will reward lenders with low costs and high-quality service -
not political clout.
Engage Seniors In Service To Build A Stronger America
To help strengthen future generations of Americans, we need our seniors'
help. John Kerry and John Edwards support existing programs that offer
avenues for senior volunteer service and they will support innovative
new models that create even more opportunities for seniors to serve
their communities. When seniors spend time tutoring they free up
over-strained teachers to teach, and children get extra help learning.
And older Americans can help other seniors in ways no other Americans
can.
The
Kerry-Edwards Plan For A Record Expansion In National Service
500,000 in National Service Within a Decade—National Call to Help
Children Learn—Pays for Every Penny
America is built on simple principles: Everyone should have the same
opportunity to get ahead, and everyone has a responsibility to give
something back. The men and women who serve in our military take the
greatest risks and make the ultimate sacrifices. John Kerry and John
Edwards honor their service, and they believe that Americans who are not
in the military and want to serve ought to have opportunities to do so.
Since September 11, Americans have been searching for ways to contribute
to our country. But President Bush has broken promise after promise to
rally "armies of compassion," even causing cuts in AmeriCorps because of
bureaucratic failures.
John Kerry and John Edwards are calling on all of America's young people
to serve, especially meeting education challenges. The Kerry-Edwards
plan would engage 500,000 more Americans in national service each year
within a decade, compared to 75,000 in AmeriCorps this year. As part of
their commitment to the fiscal responsibility this administration has
recklessly abandoned, John Kerry and John Edwards will pay for every
penny of their service initiatives with resources to spare. At the same
time as they are making the hard choices required by the reckless Bush
deficits, John Kerry and John Edwards are proposing the largest increase
in domestic national service in our history.
The Kerry-Edwards Plan:
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200,000
Americans serving full-time for two years and getting four years of
college aid in return. These Americans will serve in some of
America's toughest jobs, including:
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75,000 young
people helping educate children in troubled schools
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25,000 young
people improving our homeland security
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Some 100,000
young people serving in other critical areas, from building
affordable housing, to helping seniors live independently, to
keeping our water and parks more clean
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300,000
Americans in college serving part-time and teaching our children
while at the same time earning help to pay for school, including:
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100,000 more
young people preparing toddlers for school
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100,000 more
young people helping children learn to read
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100,000 more
young people helping older students find the path to college
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Every Penny Paid
For, With Money to Spare. The Kerry-Edwards plan requires
roughly $13 billion in new resources over 10 years and is paid for
by their new initiative to eliminate the subsidized and guaranteed
profits for banks making student loans. Today, bank profits are set
in statutes written by lobbyists. John Kerry and John Edwards will
require banks to bid in an open auction for the business of student
loans. They will take billions that now pad banks' earnings, and
instead direct those resources to young people who want to serve
America and pay for college, with money left for other service and
education initiatives.
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At Least 200,000
Americans Each Year in "Service For College" Within a Decade.
The Kerry-Edwards "Service for College" initiative will offer a
simple deal to hundreds of thousands of America's young people: If
you will serve for two years in one of America's toughest and most
important jobs, we will pay for four years of tuition at a public
university. Young people will also be able to use their educational
awards to pay off student loans if they have already finished
college or to enter job training, start a small business, or buy a
first home. As part of this initiative, which will build on the
success of AmeriCorps:
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At least 75,000
young people will help educate other young people by serving as
teachers, teachers' aides, or tutors and mentors to students
inside the classroom and in afterschool programs. These students
will serve in the urban and rural communities where schools have
the fewest resources and students face the largest obstacles to
success. Research shows that skilled and dedicated teachers with
the right support and aid inside and outside the classroom make
an enormous difference in educational outcomes.
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At least 25,000
young people will protect our security by serving as police
officers through the decade-old Police Corps, which has helped
young people become police officers and pay for college, and by
assisting other first responders in preparing for and dealing
with emergencies.
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Some 100,000
young people will meet other critical needs: for example,
at-risk youths can build low-income housing and get needed
training through successful programs like YouthBuild; young
people can help older Americans to continue to live
independently; and Americans can contribute to keeping our water
and parks clean. While there is no substitute for trained
professionals, national service efforts like these can make
enormous contributions to our country.
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At Least 300,000
More College Students Helping America's Children Learn. As
president, John Kerry will call on America's college students to
join a national crusade to help America's children succeed in school
and get to college. Already today, about 60 percent of college
students engage in community service. Yet many more students would
like to serve but cannot because they must do paid work for too many
hours each week. And many other students aren't able to contribute
as effectively as they could because of limited training and
support. As president, John Kerry will give nonprofit organizations
and campus service-learning initiatives the training and support to
achieve real progress for children. Young people who make a
sustained part-time effort in service will receive help paying for
college as well, up to $2,000 per year. For example, under the
Kerry-Edwards plan:
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At Least
100,000 More College Students Will Prepare At-Risk Preschoolers
for School. Trained college students working with the most
at-risk children in Head Start and other early childhood
programs can provide one-on-one attention and support classroom
teachers. Studies show that these programs achieve sustained,
measurable results in improving children's outcomes. One hundred
thousand students could help 200,000 children per year get ready
for school.
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At Least
100,000 More College Students Will Tutor Young Children in
Reading. Studies have shown that college students who tutor
young children three times a week as part of a structured
classroom intervention or afterschool program achieve measurable
improvements in children's reading achievements. These tutors
can help America meet its commitment to help every child read
fluently by the end of the third grade.
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At Least
100,000 More Students Will Mentor At-Risk Teens So They Can
Reach College and Succeed There. Many poor teens feel they
have no chance to go to college, and only 7 percent of
low-income young people finish college by age 26. But many
schools have made great strides with interventions targeted to
teenagers, such as those now supported by the GEAR UP program,
which combine mentoring, tutoring, and aid negotiating the
confusing path to college. Having recently made the transition
to higher education themselves, college students can play a
unique role in helping at-risk teens find their way to college.
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Pay For College
and Service by Requiring the Market, Not the Government, To Set The
Interest Rate For Student Loans. Today, the student loan program
effectively guarantees billions in profits to banks at taxpayer
expense. Banks receive student payments, government subsidies, and a
government guarantee against default. Political forces in Congress,
not competitive forces in the marketplace, set bank subsidies at
rates as high as 9.5 percent. Studies have shown that the rates are
substantially greater than banks need to make student loans at a
profit. John Kerry and John Edwards will overhaul guaranteed student
loans to save taxpayers billions, without making students pay one
penny more. They will introduce market forces by requiring banks to
win student loan contracts by bidding at an auction, getting
taxpayers the best deal at the lowest price. Low costs and
high-quality service will be rewarded, not political clout. Many
government agencies have successfully used auctions in similar
situations. In addition to other savings, the Kerry-Edwards loan
reform will:
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Eliminate
$12 Billion in Windfall Profits from Changing Interest Rates:
The government guarantees lenders a certain interest rate on
student loans, currently 3.4 percent. When student interest
payments fall short of this rate, the government makes up the
difference. Currently, however, when student payments exceed
this rate, lenders get to pocket the extra money. This is a
windfall that creates excess profits for banks. John Kerry and
John Edwards will eliminate these windfall profits to save $12
billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
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Eliminate $2
Billion in Excess Subsidies on Tax-Exempt Funding: Some
lenders are able to manipulate the Higher Education Act to
receive a 9.5 percent interest rate. In 1992, Congress began
phasing out these large subsidies, given to loans backed by
tax-exempt bonds, but their cost continues to rise. John Kerry
and John Edwards will end these extra subsidies once and for
all, saving $2 billion according to CBO.
Source:
John Kerry for President 2004 Web Site
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