If elected president, Sen. John Kerry will submit the College Opportunity Tax credit that refunds families up to $4,000 in tuition costs, every year, up to four years, in an effort to make college more accessible, according to his campaign website.

The projected cost is $52 billion over 10 years, according to WWW.johnkerry.com. He plans to remove the tax breaks given by President George W. Bush to the richest two percent of the country. In a press release, Kerry stated that Bush provided the top one percent of taxpayers with nearly 40 percent of the tax breaks.

“Society would greatly benefit from expanding educational opportunities because it is too expensive,” said Megan Green, campaign director for the SF State College Democrats. “It is not right that the top two percent in this country control most of the wealth.”

However, SF State College Republican Vice-President Chris Finarelli disagrees with taxing the rich.

"Giving tax breaks to the rich help the economy," stated Finarelli. "Many of these people own business(ES) and they create jobs."

On Oct. 14,, the Treasury Department declared that the federal deficit is at a record high of $413 billion. The figure improved greatly from the Bush administration’s original estimate in February-- $521 billion, and last year the deficit was $377 billion, according to the Associated Press.

“When Bush took office, we were not this deep in debt,” said sociology major Errica Carter. “It seems like the surplus went to the rich, and all [Bush] can do is laugh on national television.”

Tuition at four-year universities increased by 35 percent from 2000-2001 to the 2003-2004 school years.

“On Monday, Ralph Nader showed us figures that taxing the richest two percent will create a surplus,” said 21-year-old Green. “[Former President Bill] Clinton did the same thing: [tax the rich].”

President Bush proposes to increase financial aid by $25.9 billion, compared to 2001. He also requests $12.9 billion for the Pell Grant, according to his website.

"Bush has done relatively well for this country considering what he inherited," said Finarelli. "The economy was on a downfall when Bush began."

This is not a new democratic ideology; President Clinton proposed noteworthy advancements in the realm of education. He raised the Pell Grant Award and initiated the Hope Scholarship while in office.

“My goal is simple: we want education at a community college to be as universal by the end of the century as a high school diploma is today,” said Clinton at a 1998 Texas community college, according to cnn.com.

"I think Kerry's tuition tax breaks are just an empty promise," said Finarelli.

Although Sen. Kerry stated firmly that he will tax the rich, SF State political science professor Robert C. Smith finds the plan to be an overstatement.

"I suppose [tuition tax breaks] could work," said Smith. "If Kerry wins the election, it is very unlikely that the Democrats will have control of both houses."

Smith explained that Democrats could be the majority in the Senate, but Republicans will definitely control the House of Representatives. He predicted that a Republican-dominated House of Representatives would not pass a bill taxing the rich.

"I can see how this tax break could attract young peoples' votes and possibly their parents," said Smith. "But I do not think it has much appeal to the black or Latino vote."