Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd on Thursday unveiled a plan to reduce the cost of college loans and provide free community college education to all Americans.
The Connecticut senator told an audience of around 40 at Des Moines Area Community College's Urban Campus that expanded access to higher education would strengthen the middle class, solidify the United States' position in the global economy and protect American democracy.
"The Constitution is a sophisticated document that requires an educated population to support it," he said.
Dodd's community college plan would provide a dollar-for-dollar match for tuition reduction offered by states, up to 50 percent.
Such an approach is essential as more Americans turn to community colleges for higher education needs in a climate of escalating costs, Dodd said. "Every indication is that if we don't do something soon, cost is going to become a barrier," he said. . . .
