Comments on: Local Dems running hard with student-loan issue

By: JohnW

JohnW — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:12:26 +0000

I think the story was about student loans, not about “Liveshot.” Nice segue though. The crux of the problem is neither interest rates nor tuition per se. Taxpayers used to pay nearly 100% of the cost of providing an education in the UC and Cal State systems. The taxpayer share paid by the state is now down to about 10%. Other states weren’t quite as generous as California, but a similar trend has occurred throughout the country. So, while the underlying cost of providing a college education has exceeded the rate of inflation, for various reasons, a major factor has been the shift in cost-sharing burden from taxpayer to student. Had the taxpayer share remained steady, we wouldn’t be arguing about student loans or whether the cost of obtaining a college education today is worth it from the student’s perspective. However, maintaining the former taxpayer share would be prohibitive.

By: Soquel Creek

Soquel Creek — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:37:05 +0000

This shouldn’t be surprising.

BARBARA LEE MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=Career&cid=N00008046&type=I

#7: United Auto Workers (UAW), who, despite their name, also organizes student employees on California campuses
http://www.uaw.org/page/uaw-uniting-academic-workers
http://www.uaw.org/story/first-ever-contract-university-california
#19: University of California

BARBARA BOXER MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=Career&type=I&cid=N00006692&newMem=N&recs=20

#2: University of California
#9: Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy
#11: Milberg, Weiss et al
#15: Stanford Univeristy

Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy has various ties to the University of California and the Regents of the Univeristy of Calfiornia.

Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP has served as legal council for the University of California.

ZOE LOFGREN MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=Career&type=I&cid=N00007479&newMem=N&recs=20

#17: Stanford University
#18: Marcus & Millichamp Real Estate Investment Services

The “Marcus” in “Marcus & Millichamp” is George M. Marcus, a major contributor to California Democrats and until March of this year, was a Regent for the University of California.
http://articles.latimes.com/2000/dec/28/news/mn-5622

By: Rick K.

Rick K. — Wed, 02 May 2012 05:05:44 +0000

Will Congressman “Live Shot” Garamendi also share his opinion on this issue? UC students pay higher tuition because the nepotism/cronyism that link California’s political elites and the UC administration. “Live Shot”‘s son, John Garamendi, Jr., was given a cushy $209,000 a year job at UC Merced. See for yourself at: http://www.mercurynews.com/salaries/uc/2009. Money like that goes a long, long way in the San Joaquin Valley. Garamendi, Jr. was 30-something then. Was it a mere coincidence that a politician’s son was named to the No. 3 post on a UC campus? Garamendi, Sr. was president of the UC Merced Foundation from 1999-2009. See: http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/29664/john-garamendi It’s very likely that Garamendi, Sr. used his position with the foundation to install Garamendi, Jr. in that $209,000 a year job — more-qualified, less-connected candidates for the lucrative job likely were pushed aside. UC Davis students, staff and faculty need to question Congressman Garamendi about this apparent act of nepotism/cronyism. Davis students are paying higher tuition and Davis staff members are losing pay and jobs because the UC administration is top-heavy with children of politicians with names like Garamendi. Why should “Live Shot” Garamendi be rewarded with another term in Congress when the Garamendi family puts its own personal profiteering above the interests of common folk like UC students? Can you spell H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E?