On July 1, the interest rate on Stafford student loans is scheduled to double – from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent.
Democrats and (most) Republicans say they want to keep the rate down at the 3.4 percent level. But they differ seriously on how to pay for it. Democrats want to raise Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes on high-earning stock holders of some privately owned corporations. Republicans want to take it out of the health care reform act.
This article appears in May 3-9, 2012.