Posted on 06/24/2019 4:06:46 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Monday unveiled an ambitious proposal to cancel student loan debt, seeking to reinforce his progressive credentials days before the first debates.
For Sanders, an Independent senator from Vermont, the student debt plan is an opportunity to reestablish himself as the Democratic primary field’s progressive leader on the issue of college affordability.
The plan comes as Sanders finds himself facing an ascendant progressive rival in Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has set herself apart by releasing a steady stream of sweeping policy proposals.
“It’s smart on his part. It’s an extension on the 2016 campaign when he called for free college tuition in public universities,” said Mark Longabaugh, a top adviser to Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign.
“So I think this is just taking it a step further. Both the Warren and the Bernie plans are not only good public policy — good progressive policy — but good politics.”
Sanders said his plan would cancel about $1.6 trillion in student debt for about 45 million people and that all of the debt would be canceled within a six-month period.
His proposal to cancel the debt is part of a package that is also designed to make public colleges tuition-free and ensure that students can attend college debt-free. He proposes paying for the package with a tax on trades of stocks, bonds and derivatives.
During a press conference on Monday outside of the U.S. Capitol building, Sanders contrasted his proposal to the bank bailout that Congress passed during the 2008 financial crisis.
“Ten years ago, because of their greed and illegal behavior, Wall Street banks were on the verge of collapse, and the United States Congress with taxpayer assistance came to their aid,” he said. “Well now we got millions and millions of families in this country who are struggling with outrageous levels of student debt. And maybe instead of just worrying about Wall Street, we start worrying about those families and that generation, and give them a break.”
“This is for those families, this is for those young people, this is for the economy, and this is for justice,” he added.
The proposal comes at a crucial time for Sanders’s campaign. The first Democratic presidential primary debates are this week, and recent polls show Warren gaining momentum in the primary contest.
While Warren still trails Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden in most national surveys, she has significantly narrowed the gap, with some polls even showing her pulling ahead of Sanders.
Warren, who poses perhaps the most significant challenge to Sanders on the left, unveiled a plan earlier this year that would cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt for those earning less than $100,000 a year and eliminate tuition at public colleges.
Sell your dacha and your other houses, Bernie. Donate to this ridiculous cause. Creepy commie.
Maybe somebody can top Bernie by telling then the student debts will be paid and, and, they will be offered their first job thanks to the government
I’m all for it! Where do I sign up?
What a total idiot. Glad I do not live in Plattsburgh, NY like many years ago, as my grandfather’s camp overlooked Valcour Island plus the ferry went across to Burlington. This piece of trash never served one day to my knowledge. He is a damn freeloader.
Posted earlier on a different thread:
Congress is using repayment of student debt to finance the gold-plated federal retirement system. They can’t forgive student debt without cancelling the retirement system or raising taxes. They didn’t raise taxes to fund government retirement because few taxpayers have a fixed benefit retirement. Incidentally, this is why judges are forbidden to forgive student debt in bankruptcy. Government is a parasite sucking the life from students.
The delicious part is he has no intention of actually following through.
I propose that everyone between the ages of 21 and 30 gets a very thing for free. Even a car.
The Burn’s wife made Burlington College tuition free a couple of years ago....
Trying to get the millennial vote to turnout.
I guess part of the plan is that universities can no longer charge tuition and everything is free?
I swear it’s like listening to Junior High School class officers campaigning—”If I’m elected president, we’ll have ice cream sundaes every Tuesday and as much pizza as you can eat, and we’ll all go home right after lunch. And all the guys will get to date Emily Strudberg at least twice.”
And we thought that King George was mad?
They might as well go ahead and start handing out money at their campaign events
I think they should give a million dollars to everyone who’s ever taken a class in college.
Why not?
Is owning a car not yet a human right?
Whoa!
If that doesn’t demonstrate the contempt they have for the people I don’t know what does.
So if you are an African American Gay citizen with a big student debt you would hit the lottery in a Warren Presidency.
Until he runs out of other peoples money
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