Andrea's Message to Congress

"I recently joined Prepare the Future(http://www.preparethefuture.org), and I wanted to share with you why this is an important organization for you to know.

I joined Prepare the Future as a high school student who is thoroughly disenchanted by the public school system. The path through high school has been turbulent, at best. As a bright, high achieving honors student, I have encountered road blocks to my educational opportunities that have, at times, made me lose faith in the system.

If I am a bright student with strong community ties, what must it be like for less advantaged students?

Education reform is essential to establishing an education worthy ofall of our students. Since many of us cannot vote for representatives,we have no say in how this is done. With organizations such as Prepare the Future, however, our voices can be heard, and our agenda will beheard.

Prepare the Future will ensure that policy impacting children at the local, state, and national levels: reflects our core values of fairness, trust and responsibility and strong, caring communities; ensures that the academic achievement and promotion/graduation of rates of students is improved overall; and narrows the achievement gap at a pace that will virtually eliminate it within one student generation.

Thank you, in advance, for your support of issues and policies positively impacting the lives of our nation's children and youth."

--Andrea Kalsow

Tell the Senate to help people like Andrea: http://capwiz.com/mobilize/issues/alert/?alertID=9218701

Matthew's Message about Drug Policy and Financial Aid

"Picture this if you will: The summer after high school graduation you and some friends get caught smoking a marijuana cigarette at some deserted farm by the sheriff. Because of the higher education act, if you're parents can't afford to send you to college, you're not going to be able to go. The Higher Education Act bans citizens with a drug conviction from receiving student financial aid.

Conversely, if, while driving, you kill a person under the intoxication of alcohol, after you've served your time you are as eligible for financial aid as the eighteen year old honor student graduating high school.

See something wrong with this picture?

In our society, once you've paid your debt to society, you're free to live your life as anyone else can. However, with the crime of drug possession, the punishment continues long after the debt
is paid to society.

It's not right. It's hypocritical. What if every politician that ever smoked marijuana when they were a teenager had gotten caught and not been afforded the opportunity to attend college. Where would they be now? Not all of them were the children of wealthy families. Welcome to the factory, son.

Tens of thousands of determined young people are waiting to get back into school. Please help them achieve success by co-sponsoring the RISE Act today.

Thanks for your attention to this important issue. I look forward to hearing your thoughts as soon as you have a chance to share them."

--Matthew McKinney

Tell the Senate to help people like Matthew: http://capwiz.com/mobilize/issues/alert/?alertid=9291121&type=CO

Lani's Message to Congress

"As a recent college graduate, I understand the struggles of earning a degree. With tuition rising every year, along with the miscellaneous costs of attending college (textbooks, supplies, etc) and the overall cost of living, just getting by is hard enough. For potential or current students who face a drug conviction, the burdens of overcoming legal and personal struggles associated with using or dealing drugs can be overwhelming. While some with drug convictions belong behind bars, far more are relatively normal people with relatively normal aspirations for their lives.

Many with drug convictions do not have substantial financial resources to independently fund their higher education. For those who want tomove past their drug problems and continue their pursuit of a degree, many need financial aid -- financial aid that is no longer available,thanks to the aid elimination penalty amendment to the Higher Education Act (1998).

As your constituent, I urge you to reconsider the logic behind creating obstacles for higher education for students with drug convictions -- does this not further condemn them to a life of drug use/dealing? There are already minimum GPA requirements for financial-aid, so blocking aid only affects students who are doing well in their classes. Why would we discourage at-risk students from staying in school?

College graduates are much more likely to become successful tax-paying citizens, while those who are kicked out of school are more likely to abuse drugs, become costly drains on the criminal justice system, and rely on expensive government assistance programs. Numerous addiction recovery, criminal justice, religious, and other leaders have insisted that education is one of the best means to reduce crime and drug abuse. Education is one of our society's greatest tools of reform; without an education, how can we expect anyone to achieve greatness?

I urge you to support the Removing Impediments to Students' Education(RISE) Act, sponsored in the House by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), whichwould repeal the aid elimination penalty and help hard-working and determined individuals get back into school and on the path to success. Last Congress, the bill had more than 70 House co-sponsors. Even Congress's own Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance recommended removing the drug conviction question from the aid application, calling it "irrelevant" to eligibility.

Thank you for your attention in this matter; I look forward to your response."

--Lani Ogle

Tell Congress to help people like Lani: http://capwiz.com/mobilize/issues/alert/?alertid=9063991&type=CO