Santorum talks student debt, loans in Rock Hill
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 6:03PM By Amanda Phipps
phippsa@mytjnow.com
Student loan availability needs to be tied to a college’s ability to control costs, Rick Santorum said during his town hall meeting in Rock Hill Friday.
Santorum, one of five GOP contenders vying for a presidential nomination, addressed a crowd of all ages and families in Rock Hill’s Magnolia Room as he answered questions concerning the war on terror, small businesses and spending.
An audience member told Santorum that his son struggles with student loan debt that he couldn’t pay. Santorum said the problem of student debt is that though many subsidized loans are available and the government encourages students to take out these loans to pay for school, colleges do not have an incentive to control costs.
Santorum said it was important to vote for somebody who could both beat President Barack Obama and govern the country.
“The President doesn’t believe America was born a great country,” he said. “(He believes) that (America) is a broken model that needs to be changed. I believe America was born great.”
Santorum said he plans to repeal every Obama regulation that costs over $100 million and work on entitlement spending.
Santorum said the race isn’t over.
“This race is just beginning,” he said. “South Carolina can completely change the tenor of this race.”
After inviting the Dugger family, seen on TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” who have traveled with Santorum to support him, Santorum told the people how important family was to him and the country.
Parents of seven children themselves, Santorum said he and his wife, Karen, who is a home-schooling mom, a lawyer and a neo-natal nurse, believe in the values of family and faith.
“We have to first have the economy be strong - that’s the family,” he said. “We are the children of God.”
