“Welcome to life,” Rep. Michele Ugenti blatantly states in response to the countless objections from students and other protestors over HB 2675. According to Ugenti, drowning in debt is a part of life — nothing to be too concerned about. Yet Ugenti fails to acknowledge that a large reason for the economic suffering of many people is a result of being unable to pay off their student debts. Driving college students into debt will not help their economic well-being. Rep. Chad Campbell states that an increase in the already rapidly rising tuition would turn students away from furthering their education.

February 14, 2005

David Rye believes he has something to say about the nation’s mounting consumer debt problem.

An unexpected $600,000 from postseason football helped the Arizona State athletic department move closer to eliminating its deficit, business manager Amy Schramm said.

Arizona State University sophomore Anisha Hindocha works hard to put herself through school without having to take out loans – so hard that it’s started to affect her health.

Dear Debt Adviser: I own my home and have no mortgage or note. I have no debts except a student loan of about $11,000, and I can pay that off right now. I’ve always wanted to be debt-free, and I could write a check tomorrow and do that.

Dear Debt Adviser,

College graduates typically earn more than non-college graduates over their lifetimes, yet the average 30-year-old who earned a bachelor’s degree in 2004 is most likely ineligible today for a home mortgage because of a high debt-to-income ratio.

Dear Debt Adviser: I’m 37, married with three kids and have about $15,000 in college debt from my MBA expenses. Should I withdraw retirement savings from my 401(k) or Roth individual retirement account to pay off the debt? I’m sick of having this debt and want to be done with it now. Can I avoid penalties if the retirement money is used to pay off student loans? — Randy

The Arizona House recently passed a bill onto the House floor that would oblige Arizona university students to pay $2,000 dollars of tuition out of pocket. This bill drastically increases student debt, which for an undergraduate student, is on average $21,000.

Former Arizona State University student Mallory Parker was walking through campus her freshman year when she was presented with an offer — a credit card that would pay for meals, books, rent and all other expenses that build up day after day.

Illegal immigrant students brought to this country as children deserve a path to citizenship and affordable higher education, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said during a visit to Arizona State University on Monday.

Local graduates from Arizona’s three public universities look at the mountains of debt accumulated from obtaining that precious degree, and then grind their teeth when they remember the state’s founders expected their education to be provided “as free as possible.”

College students burdened by educational debt may no longer have the option of consolidating their loans at a low fixed-interest rate according to a proposal under consideration in Congress.

Dear Debt Adviser: How do I find out the timeline on my debt? I know after six or seven years the debt is taken off. I would like to know if there is a way to see if it is gone. -- Mark

Richard Carmona (“Politicized attacks on Pell Grants misguided,” EVT 3/30) is right that a good education opens doors. What he fails to grasp is that incurring massive debt in exchange for an unmarketable degree often slams shut the door of opportunity. For many students, Pell Grants have simply been a gateway drug to a mountain of debt. As Carmona points out, Pell Grants cover less than a third of the cost of tuition, with the remainder often covered by government-subsidized loans. Mr. Carmona omits mention of loans entirely. Perhaps because it would complicate his partisan hit on Congressman Jeff Flake, whose comments about the government driving tuition inflation were clearly addressing the entire massive array of federal subsidies. Total student debt, much of which is subsidized by the government, recently topped one trillion dollars! If you think all that cash hasn’t led to inflation, then you may have a degree, but you missed the education.

High school senior Taylor Kessinger, 18, frequently falls asleep in class.

I keep hearing the liberals, the progressives and the Democrats saying over and over again that America is the richest country in the world. That we should be providing unlimited unemployment (benefits) for years, not months. That we should be providing “Obamacare” to 40 million uninsured lower income families. That we should be providing cheap or free higher education to every single American high school student. That we should be providing jobs for every American. Obama said that if he is re-elected that he will give amnesty to 20 million illegal aliens, 20 million. That we should be providing food aid, business aid, medical aid for every single poor nation in the world. That we should be providing military protection for every corner of the globe. That America should be everything to everybody in the world.

Scottsdale’s Notre Dame Preparatory High School found a simple way to pay back its construction debt: School leaders took their hopes, dreams and needs directly to parents and community members.

Scottsdale’s Notre Dame Preparatory High School found a simple way to pay back its construction debt: School leaders took their hopes, dreams and needs directly to parents and community members.

NEW YORK - A new car would be so nice — it’s $29,000 and the interest rate is practically zero. Or a swimming pool — that would be fun, and the bank is offering a home equity line to help finance it.