Though it's not an issue that grabs national headlines, Democratic congressional candidate Christian Burridge figured student loan interest would be an issue of interest to a room full of college students.

Burridge spoke Wednesday at Utah Valley State College, saying that interest on federally guaranteed student loans should be capped at 4 percent.

He is trying to oust Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon from the 3rd District seat. Cannon is scheduled to speak at 10 a.m. today in Room LA 025 at UVSC.

Burridge, who left a law practice centered on bankruptcy and tax law to run for office, questioned why student lenders should make such a high rate of return on the practically no-risk loans. Debtors cannot use bankruptcy to get it out of them, he said, and the investment is also guaranteed by the U.S. government.

"Why should you make 6, 7, 8, 9 percentfi" he asked. "More and more, as tuition goes up, it's almost like the old days when we had indentured servitude."

He said he also supports raising the minimum wage and controlling government spending so that young people today won't be burdened with an excessive national debt in the future.

"My positions are in the economic interests of most college students," Burridge said. "When you decide to vote, vote what Adam Smith said. Act in your own interest."

He also was asked about immigration, an issue that's been at the center of the 3rd District race since the GOP primary.

The illegal immigration question, he said, is "about unregulated labor coming over the border" -- and the first step toward a solution is cracking down on those who employ those workers.

"There are many entities in this country that want to keep a broken system," Burridge said.

Eliminating the job supply for illegal labor would remove the incentive to enter the country illegally, he said, which in turn would reduce pressure on the borders.

He also called for improving the system for processing immigration applications to deal with illegal immigrants who are already in the country. They should be fined and required to get in line for legal status, Burridge said.

Generally, Burridge said he wanted to push policies that benefited middle- and low-income people; those, he said, that are struggling.

"In our country, we have an unfair economic system," he said. "People on the top are making more and more money, while wages are not keeping up with inflation."

He saw the effects of those struggles in his law practice, he said.

"When people have economic strife, it affects the family. When families are torn apart, it affects society," said Burridge.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B1.