Georgia students stand in solidarity with other college students across the nation fighting for public higher education. This August 7-8, Georgia Students for Public Higher Education (GSPHE), will be hosting our Summer Conference in Atlanta. All who want one should be able to get a college education.

Once again the gutless Congress is caving into to the student loan sharking industry. But the problem is even bigger. We need free higher education to get our country on track again.

The desire for a college education has become a dream rather than a realistic goal for many American students. As parents and students realize that an affordable college education may be out of their personal reach, many look to loans as a possible alternative. Unfortunately, as families are learning, the disheartening reality is that loans may also be too expensive, making them an unfavorable or unobtainable option.

Students at public universities in California are planning a series of demonstrations across the state protesting tuition hikes today. While a few isolated incidents in recent weeks have provided fodder for some in the media to dismiss their concerns, the students’ cause is incredibly important. If we continue to yearly raise tuition in California far beyond inflation, we threaten to derail all that has enabled my home state to prosper in decades past.

Obama’s proposed budget would cut the big subsidies that banks and lenders get from within the student loan programs, and instead redirects that money to student aid. The president’s plan puts students and families ahead of banks, which is what the federal aid programs should be biased toward.

The student debt alert is a sad commentary on the congressional removal of standard consumer protections from the federally guaranteed student loan system.