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Community Corner

College Loans

I'm a senior in college and I worry about what my life will be like after I graduate. Whether it is finding a job or a place to live, there are plenty of things to worry about. What worries me the most though? How to pay off my student loans. 
I'm not the only one, many of my college friends are also scared and overwhelmed by the debt that they accumulate during they're time in college. That is why I support representatives like Congressman Peter Roskam, who supports tying student loans to market-based interest rates. In fact, he voted for HR 1911, the Smarter Solutions for Students Act, which would do just that. This approach has been supported by the Chicago Tribune and Washington Post and could have saved the average student up to $3,400 through college had there been a market-based interest rate during their time.
Instead of tying student loan interest rates to the whim of Congress which they then use as a political tool, it is time to switch to an independent market-based approach. Congressman Roskam is trying not only to keep student loan rates down, but he is also trying to actually solve a problem for the long term. What is being proposed is not a radical idea, it has nothing to do with party, but everything to do with the education of this nation's youth.
Although paying these loans off will never be easy - and it will take me a long time - Congress has the power to help make these loans manageable and sensible. For the sake of those seeking higher education, let's hope they do. 

Brian AndersonNorth Aurora, IL

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