Senator Hilary Clinton is making an historical impact on America, being the first women President of the United States if elected. Her proposed immigration, education and tax policies are in favor of immigrants, especially those whose families have low income.
She plans to introduce comprehensive immigration reform, restore basic fairness in the tax code and make college debt free, taking on student debt. These are issues that seem to impact millions of college students living across America.
College debt is an important issue for many. Clinton believes that no student should have to be burdened by loans when furthering their education in their state. Clinton’s plan to address this issue states: By 2021, students with a household income of $125,000 or less will no longer have to repay their debt for government loans they received and for students who come from households earning $85,000 a year or less, for in-state higher education, and community college would offer free education as well. This legislation would only apply to public colleges and universities, so Cabrini students and other students at private institutions would still be subject to tuition fees.
Adjunct communications professor and community leader John Doyle feels very strongly about not living in a debtor society. However, he is concerned with Clinton’s proposal. He believes making public schools free would hinder private institutions that provide invaluable service to certain students. “So your education at Cabrini can cater to you in a way that Temple or Penn State could have never provided for you,” Doyle said. “But if this went into effect, it would remove money from private institutions forcing them to raise their tuition making their education less affordable, as well as forcing students enroll in a (public) school that may not be the best fit strictly for financial reasons.”
Aquilino Jaquez, small business owner of Sister’s Mini Market, and immigrant of the Dominican Republic, has a daughter who is currently enrolled at Montgomery County Community College (MCCC). Bill Clinton recently visited MCCC and he won Jaquez over in his address. Jaquez would be ecstatic if community college offered free tuition. “It would be great if college was free,” Jaquez said. “I could use that money to support my family.”
Tek Ngov, small business owner of Mama Venezia’s Pizzeria and immigrant of Cambodia, has a daughter who recently graduated from Drexel University. He believes that public universities should not be free, there has to be some type of payment involved to keep the lights in the building on. “If school is free then how do teachers get paid?” Nogv said. “I know many (of them) work hard to be there, they cannot work (for) free.”
Clinton wants to end three-year and ten-year bars for immigrants. These bars are forcing families apart, making immigrants either live under a rock to avoid the wait to get back to America legally, or be morally just and headed back to their native land and leaving their family behind. Jaquez has family back in the Dominican Republic that have been waiting for approval into the states for over four years now. “My mother and father already here but I have brothers and sisters back home that have been waiting so long to come over,” Jaquez said. “They are not criminals. They’re hard working people who just want to live a better life here. The family is not the same living apart and we miss them dearly.”
Clinton wants to implement a fair share surcharge and cut taxes for small businesses so they can hire and grow. Also relieving rising costs for families in the work force, such as child and health care, college and even unexpected expenses such as an ill family member. “I think she is being very conscious of the working man, because they are a lot of voters there,” Doyle said. “And she is going after those in that top one percent to be taxed in a way that it equitable”.
“I had no idea she was going to do all of this for us,” Jaquez said. “This is why we need to vote for Hillary.”
