Michelle Bachmann votes against students

Letter to the Editor from the College of St. Benedicts / St. John's University Record.

Michelle Bachmann votes against students
April 3rd, 2008

Dear Editor,

Michelle Bachmann just doesn’t seem to get it. Add her most recent news about the “War on fluorescent light bulbs” to her embarrassing list of irrationality during her tenure in Congress.

While I could talk about her scene at the State of the Union, her claim that the economy in Minnesota is fine because “we are the workingest state in the union” or her divulgence that she had secret information about an Iranian plan to partition Iraq —I won’t dwell on those issues.

Instead I’d like to highlight Michelle’s apparent disregard for college students. Her votes — all public record on Web sites like Vote Smart — offer insight to her consistent position against college students. Her votes against college students include bills which raise Pell grant limits (HR 4137) lower student loan interest rates (HR 5) and a longer deferment option for military students (HR 2669). Michelle Bachmann’s congressional Web site, and a list of all of her public record statements and speeches make no mention of helping out college students who continue to face rising tuition and student debt or, frankly, anything relating to assisting students.

But I digress: since announcing her intention to run for office and being elected to the House, Michelle hasn’t once visited CSB/SJU, so maybe she just doesn’t have any idea that 75 percent of our student body is eligible for need based aid or that the average CSB/SJU student graduates with over $24,000 in loans. Maybe it’s time to change this light bulb.

Joe Kane
SJU junior