Kendrick Meek: “We have individuals now that are ungraduate level and just to do a comparison between what happened in 1997 to 2000, and…”

“We have individuals now that are ungraduate level and just to do a comparison between what happened in 1997 to 2000, and if you move beyond that you really start getting in trouble. But here between 1997 and 2000 the typical undergraduate debt rose 66 percent to $18,900. And more than a quarter of today's 14 million undergraduate students will incur more than $25,000 in debt to earn their degree. Now, that is a good story because I know of stories that individuals leave the higher education experience 75,000, $100,000 in debt. Now, you mention that yes, we are here to point those issues out but at the same time we are here to talk about solutions, and there is legislation on this side of the aisle from the Democrats with our fearless leader, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) that has served this Congress so well as the Democratic leader, and wants the opportunity to be Speaker of this House, so to summon these issues that are facing real Americans can rise to the top, need it be carrying out if the American people would have it, Senator Kerry's plan which hopefully will be President Kerry, or Members of this body that want to be see this legislation top shelf in this House. But now we have Republicans that are blocking legislation to lock low interest rates in, to allow students to be able to continue to receive low interest rates versus a variable in the long run. They will pay more if this is not taken care of.”