DNC platform goals address rising cost of education

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Denver — In a nod to the young voters who have been instrumental in Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, the Democrats addressed the rising cost of higher education when approving the party’s platform Monday.

The platform was presented by Judith McHale, co-chair of the platform committee, who called it the next step in our road to victory.

“Our platform puts us on a new course to deliver the change we need that will allow America to be America again,” McHale told a crowd at the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver.

The platform’s higher education plank proposed an increase in federal funding for higher education, including the creation of an American Opportunity Tax Credit, which would pay for the first $4,000 of college costs for most Americans. In exchange, students would be expected to perform community service.

Delegate Jason Morgan, a student at Northern Michigan University, said a program such as this is necessary, because college costs are skyrocketing and student loans are becoming more difficult to receive.

“Scholarships are great, but I know a lot of friends who didn’t get approved for loans,” he said. “I know two good friends, personally, that just couldn’t go to college. They’re both working at McDonald’s.”

The plank also affirmed the government will offer more grants for community colleges and trade school programs to train workers for emerging industries.

The document echoed Michigan’s message of diversifying the economy for green jobs and vowed to double investment in science, engineering, math and technology education and research.

MSU Trustee Faylene Owen, who also is a Michigan delegate, said these investments would mean more jobs and internships for university students, many of whom would help conduct research.

“That’s where all these new technologies are going to be made,” she said. “It’s you (students) that are making them.”

But even with the higher education funding outlined in the Democratic Party’s platform, more reforms are needed to make college affordable for everyone, said Iris Salters, president of the Michigan Education Association.

“There’s always further we’d like to see them go, but I think it’s a good start,” Salters said. “It’s an exciting opportunity for us to start to build on what we need to do in the future.”

Other issues on the party’s platform are health care, energy reform and ending the Iraq war.

The platform stated that Democrats would reduce U.S. oil consumption by 35 percent by 2030 and work with other nations to establish new climate protocols. On the issue of the war, Democrats pledged to “bring the Iraq war to a responsible end,” and completely redeploy within 16 months.

Although the platform addressed the party’s commitment to universal health care, it did not outline how to achieve that goal.

“There are different approaches within the Democratic Party about how best to achieve the commitment of covering every American,” it stated.

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