Michigan Coalition Nudges Congress

MIRS (Michigan Information & Research Service Inc.) | 1/5/07

A Michigan coalition has embraced the new congressional Democratic Party agenda to hike the minimum wage, reduce the cost of college loans and allow more competition in setting prescription drug prices. Michigan Citizen Action (MCA) wants all of that done in the first 100 hours of the new session in Washington.

At a news conference staged in Lansing, a variety of groups said college students could save up to $5,600 a year if Congress slices the interest rates on loans in half. Brandon WHITE from the U.S. Student Association reported that 400,000 students were priced out of college last year because they could not afford to attend.

White said years ago the federal government made up about 60 percent of the tuition costs, but now the number is just over 30 percent and if the downward trend continues, he warned only the rich will get a college degree.

Elsewhere on the education front, the Michigan Education Association (MEA), which is part of the coalition, called for full funding of No Child Left Behind. MEA President Iris SALTER said its wrong for the feds to order more testing at all levels, but not provide the dollars to pay for it. Salter said schools will have no choice but to cut into other programs to find the money to fund the federal mandate.

Linda TEETER from the MCA also called on Congress to allow Medicaid to negotiate with the drug companies on the price of prescription drugs. She said it's unfair for the Veterans Administration to have that authorization while leaving Medicaid out. Teeter said seniors could save money on their monthly bills if Washington is able to bargain with drug manufacturers.

The group also wants to repeal tax breaks for "Big Oil" companies, but the Sierra Club spokesperson who was scheduled to explain the proposal at the conference was a no show.

(Contributed by Senior Capital Correspondent Tim SKUBICK.)