To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Universal Access to Higher Education
High school graduates shall be guaranteed admission to an institution of higher education. Higher education costs shall be deferred for all students and shall be paid during the participants' working years by a graduated universal higher-education tax based upon participants' income . The higher-education tax shall be suspended during an individual's time of unemployment. The individual's higher-education financial obligation shall terminate when the individual collects Social Security.
Why is this important?
The average student loan debt for the class of 2012 was $29,400, a one year increase of more than 10%, with an average annual increase of six percent from 2008 to 2012 (as reported by the Institute for College Access & Success' Project on Student Debt). Students are being priced out of higher-education and sacrificing their futures in order to go to college. In the long term, the nation is losing the benefit of these students being able to dream, plan their lives, start their families, own a home, contribute to the community and live the American dream. Universal access to higher education should be the legal right of every high school graduate. Dream, educate yourself, live your life, and contribute to your community and our nation should be the vision and gift extended to every high school graduate in the United States.