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Little common ground in Florida governor debate

By WTOP Staff

BRENDAN FARRINGTON
AP Political Writer

MIRAMAR, Fla. (AP) — Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Republican-turned-Democrat former Gov. Charlie Crist agreed during a debate Friday that Ebola would be bad for Florida — and they disagreed about nearly everything else.

In a contentious debate that reflected the negative tone of the campaign, Scott and Crist took opposite sides on issues including health care, the minimum wage, Cuba policy, gay marriage and medical marijuana.

No matter the question, Scott repeatedly pointed out that 832,000 jobs were lost during Crist’s term and that a bill he signed as governor allowed universities to raise tuition by up to 15 percent annually. Scott also called Crist a do-nothing governor.

“He’ll talk a big game, but there is no action,” Scott said during the debate, hosted by Spanish-language station Telemundo 51. The debate was to be broadcast Friday night in Spanish and will be important for a critical constituency in Florida. Latinos make up 14.4 percent of registered voters, with nearly 40 percent registered as Democrats and 27 percent as Republicans.

Crist attacked Scott and said the governor has hurt the middle class, doesn’t believe in climate change, and can’t be trusted after running a hospital chain that paid that $1.7 billion in fines for Medicare fraud.

“Can you believe him? Can you trust him? Who knows?” Crist said.

Crist also noted that Scott invoked his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination during a civil lawsuit involving the hospital chain, Columbia/HCA.

Scott used the opportunity to point out that Crist took campaign contributions from Scott Rothstein, who was later convicted of running a Ponzi scheme, and had ties to Jim Greer, the former state GOP chairman who pleaded guilty to stealing money from the party.

“Here’s the big difference between Charlie and me. I’ll take responsibility and Charlie never will,” Scott said. “I will take responsibility for the actions while I was a CEO. In contrast, Charlie has never taken responsibility for anything.”

Crist said that just as he can’t be blamed for the state’s downturn during a global recession, Scott can’t take credit for Florida’s recovery as the economy improves nationwide.

Crist tried to make Scott, a multimillionaire who spent $75 million of his and his family’s money in campaigning four years ago, seem out of touch.

“People are suffering, and they’re struggling,” Crist said. “For people who maybe have a private jet, like the governor does, and a mansion on the waterfront, things seem OK.”

The two came close to an agreement on gay marriage, with both saying the courts will decide whether Florida’s ban is constitutional. But Scott said he supports traditional marriage while Crist said he believes government shouldn’t interfere with personal decisions.

On the issue of minimum wage, Crist supports a raise to $10.10 an hour, which Scott opposes.

“If we raise the minimum wage the way Charlie wants to do it, we would lose 500,000 jobs,” Scott said.

Crist said a raise would help the economy.

“People need it,” Crist said. “If more people have more money in their pocket, they have more disposable income to go shopping.”

The candidates also took opposing sides on a ballot question asking voters to legalize medical marijuana. Crist supports the idea, mentioning that his sister has brain cancer and that marijuana is an alternative to powerful pain pills. Scott opposes it and cited a history of alcoholism in his family.

“I’ve watched family members deal with drug abuse, so it scares the living daylights out of me,” Scott said.

In another disagreement, Crist said he supports lifting the Cuban embargo. He said that it hasn’t worked and that the U.S. needs a new approach, while Scott said it should be kept in place.

“I believe in the embargo and here’s why: The Castro brothers are terrorists,” Scott said, referring to Cuban President Raul Castro and brother Fidel.

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Associated Press Writer Laura Wides-Munoz contributed to this report.

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Follow Brendan Farrington on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bsfarrington

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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