Christie Delivers a Clear Plan of Action Regarding Student Loans

By Lizzie Clarke

Co-reported by Spencer Solomon

“I’m a guy that likes free things as much as anybody but…”

At yet another personal Town Hall meeting held by Chris Christie today, voters got the inside scoop on where he stands on a very relevant issue for the American youth. An energetic young women stood up and questioned Christie on how he would plan to deal with rising student loans and the debt crisis in particular, and his answer proved why the New Jersey Governor has a fighting chance in this race.

First, Christie made his opinion clear by stating, “Free tuition is not free tuition, free tuition is someone else is paying for it.” This was a direct criticism of Senator Bernie Sanders’ platform of free public college tuition. He made a convincing argument that education is more beneficial when one pays for it, because it is better appreciated and means more to a student. Next, Christie broke down the student loan dilemma and described his course of action in distinct and legible terms. His plan could be the thing to inspire young voters and parents of college-age kids, giving a boost to Christie who has been recently lagging in the polls.

If you asked Chris Christie where the problem with student debt begins, he would tell you it is becasue we do not allow our students to refinance their loans, meaning that they have to pay their loans back at a higher rate set by the government. This, in Christie’s terms, is “Crazy. We should not be making money off of our kids.” Christie finished this thought by promising that as president, he would allow students to finance their loans, lessening the student debt problem that is plauging America right now.

Next, Christie demanded that we must allow a national service option for all students after they get out of school, giving them the choice to work in any national service position in exchange for a cut of their debts for every year that they are in that position. Christie continued by saying, “For some people this would work, for others it won’t, and for the folks who do get their debt cut that way, when they go out in to the work force, they can get a job based upon where their heart wants to take them, not where they have to worry about ‘well how much do I have to make?’” Christie ended with a passionate statement, remarking, “I think it’s a much better world when people follow their heart to where they want to go.”

Christie makes the point clearly, the cost of college is out of control. Christie immediately offered his two-part plan on how to fix this problem. First, American government must force colleges to explain to their tuition payers how they are spending their money. He questioned why it is okay for colleges to send students a bill with three simple lines; tuition, room and board, and other fees, and used the effective analogy of a waiter showing up with a check simply stating, food. “We need to force them to tell us how they are spending our money.” Christie argued. “Becasue if we did, I think they’d be embarassed and we’d be outraged.”

“I think it’s a much better world when people follow their heart to where they want to go.”

Christie then suggested that students should only have to pay for what they’re going to use. Using the example of the latest craze of rock walls in college sports centers, he said, “You should be able to pay for the things that you’re going to use and not pay for the other things.”

Christie went on to offer a personal anecdote about his daughter, a sophomore at Notre Dame, and asked the audience members to take a moment to think about how they make their financial decisions. A father of four, he explained how he and Mary Pat try to make financial decisions based on the value and neccessity of the product. He asked audience members to picture trying to tell their own 19 year old daughter that they had decided that her college tuition was no longer a worthy investment, that she should find a new school at a cheaper price. Not an easy task, and something that happens. Christie argued that the trick with these schools is that they have students wrapped around their finger. Families own a plethora of apparel and are just as in love with the school as their student is. “They know they have us in an emotional tie-up.” Christie added, suggesting that this is the reason they Americans continue to pay the ridiculously high prices of higher education institutions.

Just how does Christie plan to enforce these ideas? He has his own ways. Christie said that if schools don’t follow his specific plans, then students would not be able to participate in the Federal Student Loan or Federal Student Grant System. Christie ended with a powerful sentiment of how we must take the power back in to our own hands, stating “We need to force colleges to be responsible on where they spend their money, and they’re not.”

Overall, Christie delivered a powerful speech on where he stands regarding the student debt problem in America, and not a single audience member was left wondering why, and how, he plans to tackle this issue. This meeting reinforced the strong showing that Christie has been delivering in New Hampshire and will surely help him in the polls come tomorrow.