Because I attended college while the dinosaurs roamed the Earth my student load debt was only $7K which equalled my first years starting salary at United Bank on Pearl Street in Hartford. It took me 5 years to pay it off and due to my ignorance I lost some interest forgiveness as I did not start paying it off per the fine print. I FULLY support debt forgiveness especially after reading your column today AND Heather Cox Richardson's column today that illustrates how the country is run by the top 1% who have reaped tremendous wealth as the rest of us struggle with this game of life!
Yeah, why do we think that primary and secondary education should be taxpayer funded but that university (and trade schools for that matter) should not? It's a pretty good economic deal in the sense that university educated people are something like twice as productive as high-school diploma holders. They will ultimately pay way more than twice as much in taxes since our tax system is progressive. For sure college-educated individuals are less likely to be a drag on the economy by needing public assistance or contributing to crime, which is extremely costly.
The Nordic countries, Germany and now 5 states including New York State all offer publicly funded four-year college educations under certain conditions. Several other states offer two-year college educations under certain conditions. They want to build and keep skilled workforces.
I started college right out of high school but didn’t have any financial or even moral support. I could be one of those against loan forgiveness because I had to make it on my own. For me that’s all the more reason I support it.
Exactly. Many of the whiners who declare, “It’s not fair; I paid off my loan,” did so under very different circumstances than those facing students today. Yet one more political issue reduced to one talking point, stirred up by a party that has plenty of talking points but no solutions.
Just part of transforming our politico-economic regime into a corporate feudalism. Goes great with depressed wages and salaries for nearly all workers!
Right? Pump money out of the pockets of people who don't have it -- who are trying to better themselves -- and then put a big rock of debt on their backs and send them out into the world.
I'm for this, in some form that helps those that need help. However, I have to say, something more needs to be done to reduce the cost higher education. Higher ed/vocational training opens the door to higher income, i.e. a living wage. It should not be financially prohibitive to acquire it. Sure, fix the result. Fix the cause, too. It'll save us all money to have a more skilled & educated society.
I think that part of what's going on among the antis is seizing that most delicious and non-market of pleasures-- Sitting Firmly in the Role of Lord Judge, and Denigrating Others in a Lordly Way. Which is of course also one of the non-fungible delights of owning your own business, when you have an employee or employees.
This is Romney and other republicans telling regular folks to “know your place”, a term generally associated with race. It’s frustrating that so many on the right, white voters who claim to be forgotten, don’t understand he means them too.
I fully agree! My two are saddled with debt. Both working for the public/teaching and nonprofit jobs. Praying that their ten year forgiveness will help. My daughter has both public and private loans and there’s no help for the private ones.
Yet we hope their generation will someday be able to afford a house or condo.
When I was laid off in 2008 I was paying $400 a month. I paid 20,000 off my 19,000 original loan. The rest is interest-and they charged me 9 percent-so Sallie Mae is the devil.
I had parents who could not afford to help me with college, it was all up to me. I started at a community college and hated it. I went part time at night. It was not for me either. At the time I graduated from High school, there was not a lot of scholarships. I decided to join the Military as they said they would pay for school. I signed up for the Air Force and decided on the National Guard so I could go to college. I went to school and it took several years as I took time off for basic training and Air Force school. I also received an associates for the US Air force, they don't seem to accept those degrees that I know of, why not?. They paid some of my loan and then when I had to get out of my unit due to harassment. I tired to move to the Reserves and they made it very difficult for me and that didn't happen. I finished my time and waited for them to finish paying the loans, they never did and ever since I have been trying to get help to get them paid since 1992, in the mean time the interest was added ? I have gone to the VA a few times with no luck. I owe over 100,000.00 now. Why is the interest on students loans over 1%? It should be low or none at all. In the meantime, I was always getting laid off or not offered a good paying job, I took what I had to and paid some of the loan not sure how much, then laid off and several recessions later, here I am. I feel cheated, I want to go to college neither parent did and I wanted a great career, where is it? I was told go to college you will get a good job etc, I wanted the American Dream, here we are years later and I am still struggling, I finally have a nice job with a great boss however it is not my chosen field and I make under 20.00 an hour and cant even afford rent. I have to live with my mother? It is way past time to forgive the loans, it seems to have been a marketing ploy. The military changed the way they pay now, so it is different for others, however I need to get this burden gone, I have even tried to contact Congress reps about this and their offices have not been helpful either. It is time to forgive Student loans and fix the system!!
Because I attended college while the dinosaurs roamed the Earth my student load debt was only $7K which equalled my first years starting salary at United Bank on Pearl Street in Hartford. It took me 5 years to pay it off and due to my ignorance I lost some interest forgiveness as I did not start paying it off per the fine print. I FULLY support debt forgiveness especially after reading your column today AND Heather Cox Richardson's column today that illustrates how the country is run by the top 1% who have reaped tremendous wealth as the rest of us struggle with this game of life!
I graduated with $9k in debt, and for my last two years, I went out of state. I worked hard and paid it off early and yes. Forgive this debt.
Yeah, why do we think that primary and secondary education should be taxpayer funded but that university (and trade schools for that matter) should not? It's a pretty good economic deal in the sense that university educated people are something like twice as productive as high-school diploma holders. They will ultimately pay way more than twice as much in taxes since our tax system is progressive. For sure college-educated individuals are less likely to be a drag on the economy by needing public assistance or contributing to crime, which is extremely costly.
The Nordic countries, Germany and now 5 states including New York State all offer publicly funded four-year college educations under certain conditions. Several other states offer two-year college educations under certain conditions. They want to build and keep skilled workforces.
Because they have seen the future and they want a skilled workforce.
I started college right out of high school but didn’t have any financial or even moral support. I could be one of those against loan forgiveness because I had to make it on my own. For me that’s all the more reason I support it.
Exactly. Many of the whiners who declare, “It’s not fair; I paid off my loan,” did so under very different circumstances than those facing students today. Yet one more political issue reduced to one talking point, stirred up by a party that has plenty of talking points but no solutions.
I would be one of those. Paid my entire college tuition myself, but it was $10K/year. It would have been impossible for my sons to do this.
They’re looking at tens of thousands of dollars and more. Who does it serve to bury them under that debt?
Just part of transforming our politico-economic regime into a corporate feudalism. Goes great with depressed wages and salaries for nearly all workers!
Right? Pump money out of the pockets of people who don't have it -- who are trying to better themselves -- and then put a big rock of debt on their backs and send them out into the world.
my response would be times change, but also make prior debt debt repayment deductible up to the level of instate tuition
I'm for this, in some form that helps those that need help. However, I have to say, something more needs to be done to reduce the cost higher education. Higher ed/vocational training opens the door to higher income, i.e. a living wage. It should not be financially prohibitive to acquire it. Sure, fix the result. Fix the cause, too. It'll save us all money to have a more skilled & educated society.
Right. This is dealing with a symptom, not a cure.
I think that part of what's going on among the antis is seizing that most delicious and non-market of pleasures-- Sitting Firmly in the Role of Lord Judge, and Denigrating Others in a Lordly Way. Which is of course also one of the non-fungible delights of owning your own business, when you have an employee or employees.
So just for the purposes of judging and obstructing for others? That's why they oppose this?
"I walked to school five miles each way, 10 miles when it was snowing. My kids should, too. In fact, they should walk further."
Weird, right?
This is Romney and other republicans telling regular folks to “know your place”, a term generally associated with race. It’s frustrating that so many on the right, white voters who claim to be forgotten, don’t understand he means them too.
Once again, I have the pleasure of recommending "Dear Hunting With Jesus," by Joe Bageant. He does a great job explaining this.
You had me at “Forgiveness”.
I fully agree! My two are saddled with debt. Both working for the public/teaching and nonprofit jobs. Praying that their ten year forgiveness will help. My daughter has both public and private loans and there’s no help for the private ones.
Yet we hope their generation will someday be able to afford a house or condo.
When I was laid off in 2008 I was paying $400 a month. I paid 20,000 off my 19,000 original loan. The rest is interest-and they charged me 9 percent-so Sallie Mae is the devil.
I had parents who could not afford to help me with college, it was all up to me. I started at a community college and hated it. I went part time at night. It was not for me either. At the time I graduated from High school, there was not a lot of scholarships. I decided to join the Military as they said they would pay for school. I signed up for the Air Force and decided on the National Guard so I could go to college. I went to school and it took several years as I took time off for basic training and Air Force school. I also received an associates for the US Air force, they don't seem to accept those degrees that I know of, why not?. They paid some of my loan and then when I had to get out of my unit due to harassment. I tired to move to the Reserves and they made it very difficult for me and that didn't happen. I finished my time and waited for them to finish paying the loans, they never did and ever since I have been trying to get help to get them paid since 1992, in the mean time the interest was added ? I have gone to the VA a few times with no luck. I owe over 100,000.00 now. Why is the interest on students loans over 1%? It should be low or none at all. In the meantime, I was always getting laid off or not offered a good paying job, I took what I had to and paid some of the loan not sure how much, then laid off and several recessions later, here I am. I feel cheated, I want to go to college neither parent did and I wanted a great career, where is it? I was told go to college you will get a good job etc, I wanted the American Dream, here we are years later and I am still struggling, I finally have a nice job with a great boss however it is not my chosen field and I make under 20.00 an hour and cant even afford rent. I have to live with my mother? It is way past time to forgive the loans, it seems to have been a marketing ploy. The military changed the way they pay now, so it is different for others, however I need to get this burden gone, I have even tried to contact Congress reps about this and their offices have not been helpful either. It is time to forgive Student loans and fix the system!!