Student -aid cut is arrogant act

To the editor:

Most college students like myself can only afford a college education with the help of federal Pell grants that, unlike loans, do not need to be repaid. The amount received generally depends on need, as it should. For many students, especially those whose families earn less than $40,000 annually, college would not be possible without Pell grants and student loans.

In an arrogant act of insensitivity towards those who are most in need of help, the Republican Congress voted to authorize Secretary of Education Spelling to cut tuition aid to more than a million students who come from working and middle class families. The tax cuts passed in President Bush's first term shift the tax burden from wealthy Americans to middle- and lower-income Americans. The ones who will end up paying more in taxes are usually those who need the financial aid to send their children to school. About one-third of college students will either lose their aid or see drastic reductions in their financial aid.

Before the election the Democrats warned us that Pell grants were going to be cut. Those who didn't believe them have turned out to be wrong and have possibly hurt their own families as a result. How can Republicans say they support family values when they are cutting students off from education?

KERRIE LINTNER, Cape Girardeau