A quarter of parents using retirement funds to pay for college tuition
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Yet another sign of how the troubled economy is forcing Americans to make tough choices:
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A new study shows almost a quarter of parents plan to raid their own retirement accounts in order to pay for their kids' college education.
The Sallie Mae survey, conducted by Gallup, shows 24 percent of parents say they plan to save for college by dipping into accounts like 401(k)s, IRAs and pension plans.
Twenty-four percent. This is the money that people have set aside for their golden years.
Experts call the trend disturbing and a "desperation move." And it can be risky. That's because there are tax penalties and other fees if you withdraw money from these accounts early. There also are restrictions on how quickly you must pay back money you borrow from a retirement plan.
Financial experts point out that there are other options - like 529 college savings plans - that can be spent tax-free on college education.
Nonetheless, the survey finds that despite the shaky economy, education is still a priority for Americans. Sixty percent of parents say they're saving for their children's college education. By the time their children are ready for college, most parents will have saved close to $50,000.
The most common way parents say they're saving for college are CDs or saving accounts, followed by investments like stocks, mutual funds and money market accounts.
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Better for candidate to stay off campaign trail or risk a mistake?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It's being called the "year of the missing candidate."
Politico reports how with only a month to go before the midterms, candidates in some key statewide races are missing in action on the campaign trail.
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They're skipping debates, ducking out on public events, refusing to publicize the ones they hold and opting out of national television interviews all together.
This includes everyone from newcomers like Christine O'Donnell in Delaware and Rand Paul in Kentucky to incumbents like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid or Texas Governor Rick Perry.
The reason why: these candidates are worried that if they do step out in public, they'll do or say something stupid that will come back to haunt them.
They're gambling that in the long run it's better to get some bad press for staying away from the campaign trail than to be caught on tape in some "gotcha" moment.
Political observers are stunned at the lengths to which some candidates are going, like refusing to release public schedules to local reporters or running away from cameras and shouted questions. Some wonder if going forward, candidates in state races will be as tightly guarded as presidential candidates.
Then again - you can't totally blame these politicians when you take into account the rise of what's called the "tracker culture." Opponents send staffers with camcorders to their events to record every single word a candidate utters. Make a mistake and you turn up in your opponent's campaign ad to be seen over and over again.
Here’s my question to you: Is it better for a candidate to stay off the campaign trail or risk making a mistake?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Would you like to see Donald Trump run for president?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Could real estate magnate Donald Trump have his eye on the White House?
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Time magazine has quite a scoop: New Hampshire voters were polled on their feelings about Trump and 2012. The mysterious poll's callers asked people about several potential Republican candidates and matchups. It included about 30 questions on Trump.
Voters were reportedly asked if they had heard that Trump had donated to Democrats in the past and if they thought his appearances on TV would help or hurt in a political race. Time doesn't know who paid for the poll.
Trump tells CNN he's never heard of this poll but is "anxious to find out what it says." He says he didn't commission it, nor does he know who did.
Trump goes on to say that he really likes the people of New Hampshire because they're "strong and intelligent people" and they know what's happening in the U.S. is wrong. Sounds kinda like a politician, doesn't he?
Trump insists he's not considering a run, but he adds that "somebody has to do something or this country is not going to be a very great country for long."
Experts point out that the Republican field in 2012 is wide open, with no clear frontrunner. They say if Trump simply made a couple of trips to New Hampshire and ran some ads, he could become a player pretty quickly.
Just last month, Trump was in the CNN Situation Room talking about how President Obama is in trouble. He said he doesn't know if Obama can win re-election, and that he's never seen the current levels of animosity toward our government.
Here’s my question to you: Would you like to see Donald Trump run for president?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Hillary Clinton vs. Pres. Obama in 2012?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The first match was good… the rematch could be even better.
Imagine that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton decides to challenge President Obama for the Democratic nomination in 2012.
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Gallup is out with an interesting poll looking at that very hypothetical match up. 37 percent of Democrats say they would back Clinton - while 52 percent say they would support President Obama.
The poll shows President Obama does better with college graduates and liberals, while Clinton has a strong showing among less well-educated Democrats. She also scores higher than the president among conservatives and does slightly better among women than men.
History shows presidents with relatively low job approval ratings headed into re-election are more vulnerable to challenges from within their own party. It's what happened when Ronald Reagan challenged Gerald Ford - and when Ted Kennedy and Jerry Brown challenged Jimmy Carter.
Right now, President Obama's approval rating is in the mid-40s, but there's still two years to go before the election. And two years in politics is a long time. Depending on the economy and the president's policies... it's possible his approval rating could sink further.
As for Clinton, it's not likely she would challenge the president. She's on the record saying she's "absolutely not interested" in running again for president... although she has suggested that she doesn't envision serving as Secretary of State in a second Obama term.
Here’s my question to you: If Hillary Clinton challenges Pres. Obama for the Democratic nomination in 2012, whom would you support?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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