Matt Lieberman, the oldest son of Al Gore’s running mate Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, spoke to about 50 Story County citizens Thursday about the Democratic presidential slate’s plans to keep higher education affordable. “[The increases] make essential learning very difficult to afford for many people,” Lieberman said during his noon presentation at Catt Hall. “[Gore and Lieberman] have a very detailed plan to keep down the cost of college.” The three-point plan is aimed to keep college accessible to students, he said. Gore and Lieberman plan to encourage college savings through various tax credits and educational-savings plans. “They also have a new proposal to make college tuition tax-deductible,” Lieberman said. “This will promote lifelong learning and make a difference for a lot of people to get the education they need to compete in this economy.” Finally, the Democratic executive candidates want to ease the burden after college by keeping interest down on student loans. “That is a big burden people carry out of college,” Lieberman said. Promoting higher education is part of the slate’s project called the innovation agenda, under which they hope to create new high-skill jobs to keep the U.S. economy healthy. “Basically, we know this area is an area we need to keep nurturing and keep people a part of,” he said. “The Democrat Party is now clearly the party of economic growth.” In light of recent student-leader battles with Iowa legislators and the Board of Regents over university funding and tuition, Lieberman said students’ efforts are not going unnoticed by elected officials. “The more organized and thoughtful the student protest is, the more it will be taken into account,” he said. “Politicians are tuned in to what people are talking about. They can’t help but listen.” Lieberman said he hopes the Democrats’ outreach efforts to young voters will wipe out their disillusionment in politics and draw more college students to the voting booths in November. “It takes an effort to really believe that something can happen,” he said. “To participate as a student, start getting yourself involved and drag people along with you. That’s how things get started in a democracy.” To spark interest among younger voters, Al Gore’s eldest daughter, Karenna Gore Schiff, launched a project called Gorenet. According to the Gorenet Web site, “Gorenet has expanded to become an effective vehicle for getting young people involved in the Gore 2000 campaign.” Jeff Happe, sophomore in political science, is getting involved through an internship at the Story County Democratic Headquarters. “As a college student, I am still making up my mind,” he said. “Getting involved gives me a different perspective.” Lieberman said his father, who has broken barriers as the first Jewish-American executive candidate, is pleased with the receptive response of the country. “It is very gratifying to my dad, obviously, that Al Gore has so much confidence in him,” he said. “It says a lot about the fairness and open-mindedness of the American people.” Lieberman’s visit was organized by the Story County Democrats and the ISU Democrats to generate some candidate recognition on campus, said Debbie Katterhorn, president of ISU Democrats. “It’s finally giving a name to Joe Lieberman because a lot of students don’t know who he is or much about him,” Katterhorn said. Lieberman stressed the vital role of student voting in the election to the crowd of community members, faculty and students. “This is an important state, a battleground state,” he said. “Students are a great campaign potential force. You have an important place in this election.” To learn more about the Gore campaign or Gorenet, visit the Web sites www.algore2000.com and www.algore.com/gorenet/index.html.