| The email below is from Senator Jeff Merkley, a progressive champion in Oregon. Senator Merkley started a petition on CREDO Mobilize, where activists can launch their own campaigns for progressive change. We strongly urge you to sign Senator Merkley's petition and help him build support for an innovative new approach to paying for college. | ||
| Pay It Forward: Let's change the way we pay for college. | ||
I was the first person in my family to attend college. It changed my life. It opened the doors of opportunity, and helped me build a life for my family. I still live in that same working-class neighborhood in East Multnomah County, Oregon. And my neighbors, many of them young people who will also be the first in their families to go to college, look at the mountain of debt that is now the price of college and worry about those doors closing. We can't afford to ignore this huge problem any longer. That's why I’ve proposed a new approach - "Pay It Forward" - which would guarantee that students can afford to attend college by replacing student loan debt with a commitment to pay a set percentage of their income once they're working. I just started a campaign on CREDO's new site that allows activists to start their own petitions to gather support for "Pay It Forward". My petition, which is to my colleagues in Congress, asks the following: Student loans are crushing our young people and their families. We can't ignore this huge problem any longer -- America needs a bold, new approach to the way we pay for college. That's why we urge you to support Senator Jeff Merkley's "Pay It Forward" plan to guarantee college affordability by replacing student loan debt with a commitment from students to pay a set percentage of their income once they are working. When Senator Merkley introduces legislation featuring "Pay It Forward”, I urge you to act without delay. Will you join me and add your name to my petition to urge Congress to support my "Pay It Forward" proposal to make college more affordable? It’s an idea that started with a group of college students in Oregon, and I’m proud to bring it to Congress. Under our "Pay It Forward" proposal, the federal government will provide the up-front cost of their education and students will pay into the system once they graduate and find gainful employment. Because the amount is pegged to their income, affordability is assured. Whether they want to pursue a career in the sciences or the arts, public service or entrepreneurship, teaching or engineering, our young people deserve to be able to follow their dreams. Massive, backbreaking college loans will become a thing of the past, and graduates will be able to afford to own a home and raise their own families. Soon, I'll be officially introducing legislation in Congress based on this “Pay It Forward” plan. I'll be sharing these petitions with my colleagues in Congress to make sure they understand how much public support there is for a plan that guarantees college affordability. America’s future depends on ensuring that young people can afford a college education. Please join me and tell Congress to change the we pay for college. Add your name to my petition to urge Congress to support my "Pay It Forward" proposal to make college more affordable. Thank you for your support. Senator Jeff Merkley
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