Election day is less than one month away and the question on almost every American’s mind is “Who will the next President be?”
A heated debate on Oct. 3 between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney, which was won by Romney, proved that Americans are reconsidering their Presidential choice, according to a recent poll conducted by Gallup (objective collector of public opinion.)
While in office as governor of Massachusetts from 2003-2007, “Romney added tens of thousands of new jobs lowered the state’s unemployment rate, and balanced the state budget every year without borrowing or raising taxes,” Ryan Williams, Romney Spokesman said.
“Romney’s effective management skills have brought awareness that his capabilities of saving Massachusetts’ economy can rescue the nation from its current recession,” Paul Watanabe, political science professor, at the University of Massachusetts, said. However, one of the factions under scrutiny, which hits close to home with college students during the presidential election, is the increased eligibility for federal school loans and Pell Grant.
Pell Grants are subsidies the federal government gives to college students primarily low-income families, although middle-class families are also eligible, according to Investors.com.
Paul Ryan, Romney’s running mate, has been criticized for his remarks of wanting to reduce funding for Pell Grants, remarks of which Romney has backed away from.
Romney’s educational plan hopes to “refocus Pell Grant dollars on the students that need them most and place the program on a responsible, long-term path that avoids future funding cliffs and last-minute funding patches,” according to USNews.com.
By refocusing Pell Grant dollars, those who receive Pell Grants and any form of student loan will have a much lower debt to repay in the long term.
Romney’s goals of creating millions of new jobs over the next four years and lifting our nation out of debt if elected, this is a positive light for those who are hoping to graduate within the near future.