Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Guest Commentary: Who's At Fault For Student Loans?
WBUR ^ | August 11, 2016 | Bob Hildreth

Posted on 08/12/2016 8:22:16 AM PDT by george76

whom to blame for the student loan crisis; it’s big banks, big government and big corporations ... But if we are really honest, it is us, the citizens, who are to blame. We let our government enter into a crazy scheme of financing America’s colleges with debt.

As a taxpayer, you had the right to protest. At any time over the past 50 years, you could have elected leaders who would have replaced the federal student loan program. But you looked away. You accepted the indebted fate of your children.

...

Colleges responded by gulping up all the money they could get from the feds. .. tuitions exploded. Colleges operate like a cartel: Most increase tuition in lockstep with each other every year — by 3.5 percent, to be precise. And for this, the government rewarded them with $110 billion last year alone.

Who gets hurt? The students, of course

...

Over the years the liability to the taxpayer keeps on growing. Why? The students are not paying back their loans on time. Federal Reserve Bank of New York says 17 percent of student loans are delinquent, but if you add payments granted deferment and forbearance because students could not or would not pay on time, the number rises to 67 percent.

...

So, dear taxpayers, you have been floating on the good ship of student debt for decades. At first you were on a stream, then a river, and now you are on a really big river: $1.3 trillion in debt. It’s been pretty calm, right? But now the boat seems to be shaking a bit. Look downstream. See the white stuff? You are headed over Niagara Falls.

(Excerpt) Read more at wbur.org ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: academia; colleges; debt; education; finance; student; studentloans; taxpayers
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-67 next last

1 posted on 08/12/2016 8:22:17 AM PDT by george76
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: george76

How dare you say such a thing to parents who are victims of a crooked elite and a complicit MSM?


2 posted on 08/12/2016 8:26:11 AM PDT by amihow (l8)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76
It's all George Bush's fault.

Either that or The Rising Tide of Racism in Amerikkka.

3 posted on 08/12/2016 8:27:48 AM PDT by 17th Miss Regt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

Colleges designed this scheme so that “Gender Studies” professors could get six-figure salaries and gold-plated benefits, while producing NOTHING worthwhile.


4 posted on 08/12/2016 8:31:56 AM PDT by Fido969 (Maybe I';ve been posting for the last 10 years, and rather than spew cr@p you could look up my posts)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

Bull Hockey.

Democrats specifically designed this scam so that they could buy ONE election when they really needed it by floating a long forgiveness scheme..

That time appears to be now.


5 posted on 08/12/2016 8:32:05 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

6 posted on 08/12/2016 8:35:34 AM PDT by LostInBayport (When there are more people riding in the cart than there are pulling it, the cart stops moving...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

I knew this would happen when they first started student loans


7 posted on 08/12/2016 8:37:42 AM PDT by uncbob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: LostInBayport
Political reality is that some bailout is inevitable. A partial bailout in return for getting the government out of the loan business completely would be a bargain.

Logical Six Point solution to the student loan crisis:

  1. Write off 25%. This is a necessary concession to the debtors who, in many cases, were duped into taking out loans they couldn't afford.
  2. Return 75% to the institutions of origin for collection.
  3. Institutes get to keep 5% of the 75% for their trouble but must remit the 70% back to the government.
  4. They are free to hold up transcripts, cancel degrees and employ all the other measures they did to collect against the debtors as when they were students.
  5. If the institutions still cannot pay back the government within the normal loan times, the government is free to attach their endowments, real estate and other assets.
  6. Government gets completely out of the loan business and encourages the institutions to line up their own lenders. If a tiny college like Hillsdale (Michigan) can do it, then there is no reason anyone else can't do the same.

    Yes, the taxpayer takes a 30% hit up front to liquidate this crisis, but that is far better than continuing to grow this monster.


8 posted on 08/12/2016 8:42:25 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (ObaMao: Fake America, Fake Messiah, Fake Black man. How many fakes can you fit into one Zer0?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: george76

There is a super easy solution for future debt crises. It is called tactical math for self defense. If parents would read contracts when they buy cars or sign up for mortgages or co-sign for student loans, and LEARN WHAT INTEREST IS, there won’t be a problem in the future.

Obviously if kids would learn TACTICAL MATH FOR SELF DEFENSE, which is nothing more than the basics, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing without a calculator, they can figure out interest, but they also need to be real clear on how it affects them.


9 posted on 08/12/2016 8:50:59 AM PDT by finnsheep
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

No one forced these people to take loans.


10 posted on 08/12/2016 8:51:05 AM PDT by VanDeKoik
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

If the kids were so important could we abort them and sell their body parts for profits?

I don’t think so. :)


11 posted on 08/12/2016 8:52:18 AM PDT by Tzimisce
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: VanDeKoik

“No one forced these people to take loans.”

The beginning of getting back to personal responsibility can start here as well as anywhere.


12 posted on 08/12/2016 8:53:02 AM PDT by DonaldC (A nation cannot stand in the absence of religious principle.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: DonaldC

““No one forced these people to take loans.”

The beginning of getting back to personal responsibility can start here as well as anywhere.”

What yall said!

KYPD


13 posted on 08/12/2016 8:55:37 AM PDT by petro45acp (" It IS About Islam: exposing the truth about ISIS, Al Qaeda, Iran, and the caliphate" by Glenn Beck)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Buckeye McFrog

A little history to add to the conversation. Federal student loans began under the National Defense Education Act in 1958. This was an idea proposed by Milton Friedman. Federal loan guarantees began in 1965, in an era of other wonderful new beginnings under LBJ.

I attended college and earned a BS degree between 1975 and 1981. I took not one dime in student loans.


14 posted on 08/12/2016 8:56:58 AM PDT by SoCal Pubbie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: george76

There’s another aspect to this situation that I never hear discussed anywhere: When prices start to get out of hand in any other industry, the CEOs of the companies involved are called before a congressional committee and ask to justify the situation. Why is this never done with higher education? Why aren’t the university and college presidents called on the carpet and asked to justify the outrageous tuition, lab fees, book fees, etc. that they charge? Why aren’t they asked to explain why, for example, a student is forced to pay several hundred dollars for a single textbook, that was, surprise, surprise, written by the professor teaching the class? (Especially when a comparable book can be found in Barnes & Noble for about $40.00 - $50.00) This is nothing less than price gouging.


15 posted on 08/12/2016 9:00:56 AM PDT by GreenHornet
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: VanDeKoik

Exactly!

Scapegoats allover but the fact remains NO one put a gun to anyone’s head and said here, either your signature or your brains (small as they may be) go on the document.

The american public is frankly stupid when it comes to real life activities. Ask most of the dweebs whom is married to Brad Pitt and they know in a heart beat. Or who won the last super bowl and they probably know. Then ask them a simple history, math, or science question and you get a blank stare. When you get that stare, ask them how long they have voted for democraps and it will be their current age minus 18 in most cases.


16 posted on 08/12/2016 9:01:10 AM PDT by Mouton (The insurrection laws maintain the status quo now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: george76

Over the years the liability to the taxpayer keeps on growing.


As an individual who seems to always vote for the losing candidate, I’ve decided to take that statement into my own hands. To wit, for many years I’ve been shrinking my “taxable” income as much as possible while moving to a part of the US which is under the same blanket income tax, but with a dramatically lower cost of living.

The idea is that I’m working my way to no longer being a tax payer.


17 posted on 08/12/2016 9:03:02 AM PDT by Mr. Douglas (Today is your life. What are you going to do with it?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DonaldC; All

18 posted on 08/12/2016 9:03:27 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: george76

The bubble is bursting. Schools are going under.


19 posted on 08/12/2016 9:04:20 AM PDT by Mr. Douglas (Today is your life. What are you going to do with it?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

We (well, late Great Uncle mostly, who entrusted us with funds) funded our grandsons comm. college..didn’t want him to sign up for loans. He’s finished 2 yr degree...not sure where he’s going...so glad he’s not tied into student loan!!!


20 posted on 08/12/2016 9:04:34 AM PDT by goodnesswins (Alinsky.....it's what's for dinner: with Cloward Piven for Dessert)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-67 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson