rally

At 2:30 this afternoon, the Student PIRGs will hold a rally in the "Senate Swamp" next to the Russell Senate Office Building. The rally will be in support of Obama's 2010 budget, highlighting the investments it makes in priority youth areas including energy, education and health care. They will be joined by Senators Durbin, Whitehouse, Casey and Cardin. Here's a preview of the statement that Laura Kim, National Student Forum Chair, will make at today's event:

Statement of Lauren Kim, PIRG National Student Forum Chair

April 1st ‘Rally for the Budget’

Hi my name is Lauren Kim. I’ll be graduating in a few short months from the University of Maryland College Park. I’m going into community organizing when I graduate. But I’ll face a huge barrier, and that is my student loan debt.

The vast majority of college students across the country now graduate with enough loan debt that we are being squeezed out of careers and getting married and having kids. Worse, qualified high school graduates are dropping out of the college application process due to cost. As states have cut college budgets and grant aid has decreased, students like me are shouldering massive loans to pay for our education.

I wonder if the loans are worth it as I look at the financial uncertainty and shrinking job market. But I know our country needs us to get educated. The problems of the 21st century require solutions that my generation is getting trained to deal with in college.

So that’s why the budget plan being put forth by President Obama, Senate Leader Reid, and the House is crucial. It reinvests billions of dollars in student aid so we can have higher Pell grants and less loan debt. And the plan pays for this reinvestment by cutting excessive subsidies used to support banks like Sallie Mae. This money should go toward supporting students like me, who plan to make a difference, rather than supporting the banks, which seem to have different plans.

Let’s increase student aid! Let’s pass this budget!

cross posted on the CDNY blog: http://collegedemsny.com/blog/

I'm on so many list serves that its hard to keep track. But this press release caught my attention:

This Wednesday @3pm there will be a Huge GOTV Rally in Rochester, NY featuring Senator Hillary Clinton and Democratic challengers Eric Massa (NY-29), Dan Maffei (NY-25), Alice Kryzan (NY-26). Address is below:

Monroe Community College

Stabins Physical Education Complex (Building 10)

1000 East Henrietta Road

Rochester, NY 14424

Parking will be available in Lots G, M, and M1

For those of you who live in the upstate New York area, this is a great rally to attend featuring our own Senator Clinton and 3 great Democratic challengers who can swing their district from red to blue in this Election.

Dan Levin is the President of the College Democrats of NY