Let your reps know you support the plan through ContactingTheCongress.org where you can call, email, and tweet at your representatives using the hashtag #CollegeOpportunity.

Additional Activism/Resources:

Reminder that the states have to agree to implement the president’s community college plan. Even though it would be at no cost to the states, we’ve seen republican (and even some democratic) and split state houses reject free federal money during this administration. Let your state and congressional representatives know you back a plan to make community college available to everyone who wants to attend.

Sources/further reading:

Press Release: “A Student Aid Bill of Rights”

“Your Weekly Address: A Student Aid Bill of Rights”

"5 Reasons Not to Get a Law Degree” via CBS News

"How The $1.2 Trillion College Debt Crisis Is Crippling Students, Parents And The Economy” by Chris Denhart at Forbes.com

"The President Proposes to Make Community College Free for Responsible Students for 2 Years”

Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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0:18.2	win by voting once each day between now and March 24th at podcastawards.com. We're up for the top
0:26.0	prize, the People's Choice category, and our friends over at the Majority Report are up for their
0:30.8	fourth consecutive news and politics award. So, we only have a week to go. You can help support
0:36.0	independent progressive media in this sprint to the finish by setting a daily reminder for yourself
0:40.4	to vote each day for both best of left and a Majority Report until voting closes and don't forget
0:46.4	to verify each of your votes when they send you an email verification. And now, welcome to the award
0:51.5	winning best of left podcast with clips today from the award winning Majority Report. The David
0:56.0	Packman show, redacted tonight, the Jimmy Dorshow, D-Code DC, and last week tonight with John Oliver.
1:08.0	This story also a little bit disturbing. It, it pushed together two disturbing trends. One is that
1:14.5	we have a record amount of student debt in this country. And then the other, we know that Social
1:22.1	Security benefits are not keeping up with rate of inflation. 155,000 Americans had their Social
1:31.2	Security benefits reduced in 2013 because they defaulted on student loan. This is a report from
1:40.2	the government accountability office this past week. The figure has risen steadily since 2002
1:48.1	when 31,000 Americans had retirement disability and survivor benefits cut because of student debt.
1:56.0	Five times more. Most of the Americans affected are above 50 years old,
2:03.1	a rising share are 65 and older. Last year, 36,000 Americans aged 65 and older had benefits cut
2:09.8	because of student debt. 71% of these people were receiving disability income, which means that they
2:17.3	weren't. They're not able to work. You cannot, now we know, education department is the primary
	...

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