Sen. Bradley focuses on economics

Senator Bill Bradley (D-N.J.) focused on the impact of economics on college education in an afternoon speech Monday in Dunlop Auditorium. Bradley also spoke about subjects such as the dying Cold War, the unstable state of the economy and the future of American leadership in the hour-long speech. Bradley, who is a 1965 Princeton graduate, a Rhodes Scholar, a member of the 1964 U.S. Olympic basketball team and a former starting forward for the New York Knicks, said that 51 percent of New Jersey's parents believe their children will have a lower standard of living than they do. He said he believes the main reason for such concern is the possibility that their children will not be able to go to college due to financial stress resulting from the country's economy and personal financial burdens. "Prospects of a college education . . . are drifting out of reach of many in my state and across the country," Bradley said. Bradley said he believes everyone should be able to earn a college degree and that financial burdens should be reduced through federal government aid. "You are the one who benefits from a college education," Bradley said. "You make 60 to 70 percent more than someone without a college degree." Bradley proposes help including Self-Reliance Loans from the federal government, which are included in the tax package passed by the Senate Finance Committee on March 3. The legislation, open to families of all incomes, allows a student to borrow up to $5,000 a year as an undergraduate, $15,000 as a graduate student and a lifetime total of $30,000. The normal amount of time to pay back the loan is 15 years. Self-Reliance is not only open to families of all incomes, it is open to students of all ages. Mothers returning to school are qualified for the loan, and so are workers returning to school for retraining. Bradley also amused the audience with an anecdote about his experience in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics as a player on the U.S. basketball team. Before the game, Bradley asked a Princeton Russian professor how to say "Hey, big fella, watch out." The phrase came in useful when a 6 '7 ", 240 pound Soviet player elbowed Bradley in the chest. After Bradley's show of Russian fluency, the Soviets stopped calling plays verbally. Addressing the issue of the economic state for the past four years and its correlation to American leadership in a global community, Bradley said the United States should set itself up as an economic example. "It should be a pluralistic . . . democracy whose economy takes everybody to a higher ground," he said. "We got a way to go to get our economy to grow." On the subject of the Cold War, Bradley expressed his surprise at the disappearing threat of a nuclear war. "As of last August, it [nuclear war] was a thought of impossibility," Bradley said. Further, he told of the opportunity costs of trying to win the Cold War, saying Germany and Japan are economically and technologically ahead of the United States because they used money for development, not for arms. "The investment we made to win the cold war compared to those who didn't make the investment to win, it gives a different perspective on things," he added. After the speech, there was an hour-long question and answer session. Students asked questions on many subjects, ranging from Congressional reforms to tax codes. On the issue of Congressional reform, Bradley said there should be more of a financial limit on campaign funds. There should be limits on money from political action committees, and on sewer money, or unnoticed contributions from wealthy supporters. And Bradley said he supports progressive taxes, which increase the taxable percentage of income as the income gets higher. Most of the 100-member audience thought Bradley was honest and direct. "I think he's an excellent guy," College freshman Ted Kartzmen said. "I love the fact that he answers the questions directly and honestly . . . I think it's just terrible when things aren't getting done in the Senate when there are minds like Bill Bradley's." "In general I tend to be deluded by government and political leaders," College senior Alpa Khanhar said. "It was refreshing to listen to him speak . . . Everything he said was well thought out. He wasn't trying to get votes."

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