Now we come to my last discussion for this month: which candidate has the best plan for students? I’ll discuss the two party’s intentions instead of just the candidates so you can also use this information when voting for representatives.

The Republican and Democratic platforms have been renewed at the conventions, and a few distinct policies have made it clear what they have in store for young students and people coming out of college.

As we all know, rising tuition costs for college has gotten completely out of hand and made the dream of having more people educated and going to college less obtainable. There are an overwhelming number of students who want to go to college, but can’t afford to do so without crazy amounts of debt following them for years.

But what sets the Republicans and the Democrats apart are their opinions on the distribution of financial aid by the government. In their heart of hearts, both want to lower the costs of college tuitions, but the Republican Paul Ryan budget plan involves slashing financial aid. This plan involves less government spending so they can save face in reducing the deficit.

The Republicans spin it like this: if we reduce the funding for college aid now, then future generations won’t inherit a huge national debt. But what they don’t understand is that the national debt, though important, can wait. Education cannot. This is why we need to keep financial aid for college students.

Lowering tuition does not cancel out the need for federal financial aid. Maybe more people will be able to afford school, but some middle and lower class Americans still need financial aid to avoid serious amounts of debt. Federal student loans have helped millions and I feel like it’s a better cause than lowering the deficit. The thing about cutting funding is that you take away money from programs that enrich the values and opportunities in America.

Yes, I will agree that funding for college aid is very high, and cutting it will help reduce the deficit, but it is not worth Americans being unable to afford sending their children to college. We can lower government aid when tuitions are reduced significantly, but probably not in the next 4-8 years when Romney and Ryan could theoretically be in office.

I have been very bipartisan in my recent columns about voting, urging my readers to vote for what they want in each candidate, whether it be for Republicans or Democrats. But as we can see from their platforms, the Democrats are a better choice for students to make it through college.

This ends my campaign for voting for this month. Remember to register to vote by Oct. 9 and think about your decision for President, whomever it may be.