Biden does not have the Authority to cancel student debt

probinson said:

I'm going to have to disagree with this as well. As I'm just at the beginning of the student loan process, I have sat in numerous informational financial aid meetings in my daughter's high school and college. They have explained in excruciating detail the difference between a subsidized loan and an unsubsidized loan. They've explained when interest begins accruing. They've emphasized that while you are not required to make payments until after graduation, interest will begin accruing from the date the loan is issued if the loan is unsubsidized.

Click to expand...

There are several factors at play here. I believe there has been an effort to improve messaging, and there have also been pushes to improve regulation on student loans. Your involvement as a parent isn't necessarily the norm either - there are still many 1st-generation college students, whose parents either aren't involved, or who lack understanding of the process. I know that I benefitted greatly from both of my parents' experiences with college and the financial aid system, and it sounds like your daughter is benefitting from yours.

probinson said:

Perhaps my experience is different than others, but I have to believe that in a lot of cases, people simply aren't accepting the personal responsibility that comes with understanding the terms of the loans they accept.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure that it's fair to expect 17- and 18-year-olds to be able to fully grasp the magnitude of what they're taking on. In many cases, the amount of debt they're being expected to assume is about the same as buying a house, and it's not like they're given any other real options - if the counselor is telling you that the only way to get a decent-paying job is to have a college degree, that's not something that I would expect a teenager to question as a matter of course.

I can think of several ways to deal with this issue. The best one would be to find ways to significantly reduce the cost of college (or make it free), such that students would not need to take on crippling levels of debt to attend. Second would be to push back the "normal" age to attend college - giving students more time to mature, figure out what they want to do in life, and understand the ramifications of debt. Third (which could be in conjunction with either of the two above) would be to put more emphasis - and less stigma - on alternative post-secondary education options such as vocational/trade schools and community college. When I was in high school, those were framed as "lesser" options for people who didn't have the intelligence to go to a 4-year university. I know better now, obviously, but that framing steered teenage me away from them. In retrospect, I think that I could have gotten a lot out of trade school or an apprenticeship.

RocksInMyHead said:

There are several factors at play here. I believe there has been an effort to improve messaging, and there have also been pushes to improve regulation on student loans. Your involvement as a parent isn't necessarily the norm either - there are still many 1st-generation college students, whose parents either aren't involved, or who lack understanding of the process. I know that I benefitted greatly from both of my parents' experiences with college and the financial aid system, and it sounds like your daughter is benefitting from yours.

I'm not sure that it's fair to expect 17- and 18-year-olds to be able to fully grasp the magnitude of what they're taking on. In many cases, the amount of debt they're being expected to assume is about the same as buying a house, and it's not like they're given any other real options - if the counselor is telling you that the only way to get a decent-paying job is to have a college degree, that's not something that I would expect a teenager to question as a matter of course.

Click to expand...

The last is not to be underestimated. By the time students are being graduated from high school, they and their parents have gotten 12 years of propaganda and indoctrination that lacking a college degree leads to a life of failure.

RocksInMyHead said:

I can think of several ways to deal with this issue. The best one would be to find ways to significantly reduce the cost of college (or make it free), such that students would not need to take on crippling levels of debt to attend. Second would be to push back the "normal" age to attend college - giving students more time to mature, figure out what they want to do in life, and understand the ramifications of debt. Third (which could be in conjunction with either of the two above) would be to put more emphasis - and less stigma - on alternative post-secondary education options such as vocational/trade schools and community college. When I was in high school, those were framed as "lesser" options for people who didn't have the intelligence to go to a 4-year university. I know better now, obviously, but that framing steered teenage me away from them. In retrospect, I think that I could have gotten a lot out of trade school or an apprenticeship.

Click to expand...

Something other industrialized nations have realized is that society doesn't need more than the percentage of bachelor degrees than we have--probably not more than 30%--if they are degrees in robust, socially significant studies. And I'm not dismissing liberal arts, either.

The problem is this: In the urgency to get everyone into college, it is necessary to reduce the vigor of the studies because everyone can't succeed in a robust study. Even sociology was not long ago much more robust than it is today, when now students just memorize the the ideology of the professor by rote.

What we need in the majority in this society is a nation of highly trained technicians: People who know how to build, how to maintain, how to analyze, and how to manage technology. If we were doing education right, most high schools would be tech-prep schools giving students rock-hard foundations in practical technology and the college-prep schools would be in the minority.

FAITH-IN-HIM said:

Anyone who believed that President Trump could decrease inflation should reconsider voting, as they may not understand how inflation works or the extent of the President's influence over it.

Similarly, anyone who thinks the President can change the US economy in one month should not discuss economics, as they lack basic understanding.

However, President Trump appears to be undermining his own economy. He is actively damaging the US economy and straining relationships with US allies. Unless President Trump changes his approach, the outlook does not appear optimistic.

Click to expand...

That only makes my point.

Danthemailman said:

It's going to take longer than a month to clean up the Biden administration's mess.

Click to expand...

Party supporters always easily blame the other side. That is all it really is. Messes are easily scattered on all sides. No support is really justified.

Whoa, this is such an old thread that Biden doesn't have any authority anymore.

RileyG said:

Those are not considered an entitlement, but the bare minimum of any education. Especially if it’s in a public school.

Hey- embarrassment on my part- I work as a cashier at Target, barely make $20K per year with full time work (if even), I have a college degree, graduated with honors- and it got me nowhere.

(Yes, I’m deeply embarrassed to admit that)

I already paid back my student loans, but I feel I wasted thousands upon thousands of dollars on a completely useless degree.

Just my two cents.

Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, what did you major in? I have a degree in journalism, and while I don't work as a journalist currently, I have done so from time to time, and I still write, so I don't consider my degree useless just because I'm not employed in that field. Learning is always valuable, even if it isn't specifically goal-oriented.

-- A2SG, and yeah, I know this is off topic, but since the topic isn't valid anymore....why not?

RileyG said:

Those are not considered an entitlement, but the bare minimum of any education. Especially if it’s in a public school.

Hey- embarrassment on my part- I work as a cashier at Target, barely make $20K per year with full time work (if even), I have a college degree, graduated with honors- and it got me nowhere.

(Yes, I’m deeply embarrassed to admit that)

I already paid back my student loans, but I feel I wasted thousands upon thousands of dollars on a completely useless degree.

Just my two cents.

Click to expand...

I daresay a fair number of people found out that college wasn’t really going to help them on their journey through life only after graduating.
There is no shame in this.

We live the lives we have and then are here no more.

RileyG said:

I was a double major in Psychology and religious studies and minor in Spanish- magna cum laude.

I’m sorry.

I’m just being bitter.

Oh well. It’s time to move on with life.

Click to expand...

Well, I don't know you or your career goals, but it does seem to me there could be some use for any of those skills, should you decide to pursue them, no matter what your career path may be. As I said, learning is always valuable. For myself, while I may not be a working journalist, I did meet my wife while working on my college newspaper, and I can help her now as she's a professional journalist and is currently starting her own online local news publication, perhaps even doing some freelance writing myself. Plus, learning how to write helps me write my own stuff, so there can always be side benefits to any set of knowledge or skills.

But, regardless, good luck with wherever you see yourself going.

-- A2SG, plus which, journalism also taught me how to fact check, a highly valuable skill in today's political landscape....