Ask John Kerry

Dear John,

This has really been bugging me. Yesterday on the radio Dave Ramsey said that as soon as you have a baby you should start saving $166 a month for College, which works out to about $2,000 a year. I figure that after 18 years I would save about $36,000 plus some interest. Experience has shown me that the net effect of this strategy would be to raise the cost of college for my kid by about $36,000. So, what's the point?

Middle Class Parent


Dear Middle Class Parent from the great state of Idaho,

Before I answer your question I want you to know how grateful I am that you are asking me your question, and I know that you have been hit hard job layoffs like your sister states Michigan and Illinois. You should know that the country and I have you in our thoughts.

About your question, I have a plan. It’s like the old saying “You can’t have your cake and save money for college too.” President Bush has had four years to close the tuition gap, but what has his administration done in that time? They have outsourced our student positions to Big Foreign Student Exchange.

When I was in Vietnam, we had to save money too if we wanted to return to college for a masters degree. I actually was against college before attending Yale. The way I see it, the American public has two choices this election, marry into wealth to provide for college expenses or …. (wait for laughter)… (no laughter. wait for nervous chuckles to subside)… Or follow the plan I’ve laid out on my web site. In my plan we will roll back irresponsible tax cuts to the upper income earners in this country making more than two-thousand dollars.

Every child in America has a right to quality higher-education, and I have a plan that will do just that. I also have a plan to create education liability laws to protect our children’s education. I have had one consistent position on your child’s college money since I was in Vietnam, and that is that you have managed your child’s college funding poorly and that my wife can provide for your child’s college better.