Posted on 08/21/2019 4:44:02 PM PDT by SleeperCatcher
President Donald Trump will further ingratiate himself to America’s military veterans when he signs an executive order Wednesday wiping out all student loan debt for thousands who have been disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The action will be announced during a speech at the 75th annual American Veterans convention in Louisville, Ky., where he flew earlier today. The order directs the Department of Education to eliminate “every penny” of student loan debt for veterans who have been rated 100 percent disabled.
Currently, The Washington Times reports, there are some 40,000 vets nationwide who qualify for student loan debt forgiveness under actions taken by the Departments of Education and Veterans Affairs last year.
However, just a fraction of those eligible have taken advantage of the program and applied for the assistance.
In June, bipartisan legislation was introduced in Congress that would wipe out all federal student loan debt for eligible vets whether they applied for the program or not, the Times said.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3773435/posts
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This excerpt has more information.
Currently, The Washington Times reports, there are some 40,000 vets nationwide who qualify for student loan debt forgiveness under actions taken by the Departments of Education and Veterans Affairs last year.
However, just a fraction of those eligible have taken advantage of the program and applied for the assistance.
...
My guess is they had reasons for not applying.
This action looks like political theater on both sides.
That one has no information.
The VA has vocational rehab instead of the GI bill already. I used it. I don’t think this is necessary.
Very similar to what happens with Veteran's Courts...pride gets in the way.
I can’t imagine what reasons they might have had for not applying. I think Trump’s action is good, since of course disabled vets should actually have been spared the whole process.
And of course it’s theater, but this is a good kind of theater, because it shows who Trump and all of us support....not the unemployable soy boy who ran up hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt because he never really had any interest in anything and also never really thought he’d have to support himself, but the guy who has actually done something with his life and has ended up paying a price for it.
Your second point is true,and an important message. As for it being “theater”, I guess that can be said about most anything. Trump’s intention is sincere and changes the discussion to “You want free stuff? Serve your country first. You prefer to lay on your ass and suck down lattes for 4 years? Pay for your own college then”.
1) In the last ten years there appears to be a large amount of fraud in vet disability. Obama era questionable identity types enrolling for short term walking away with lifelong benefits.
2) And now bottom feeding lawyers looking for quick $$$ from ear damage to vets caused by bad ear plugs.
3) We have counties that give so called disabled vets free ride on property taxes.
I value those who have served but there is another flavor of vet today and more deep state giving away the store in lifelong, unchecked, benefits.
What’s wrong with being proud and not accepting a handout?
There’s far too little of that kind of pride today.
This is another instance where the remaining WWII, Korean and Viet Nam era Veterans get shafted, not more than handful might have this debt....
I already paid my loans back, but I don’t mind giving vets a hand
Not really, earlier vets got much better GI Bill than today’s vets. Disabled vets should get free education so if they accrued debt it’s the same to pay it off. But it should be truly disabled, not the 5 or 10 percenter with just tinnitus.
PS I am a “disabled” vet, 30%, but I don’t let that slow me down. I don’t use the VA system though I am qualified to. And my version of GI Bill sucked so bad I never used it and it expired so I am not milking off the system. I would still want t see anyone over 50% get full tuition and medical.
Many states give free tuition to NG members. Not room and board. Not lab fees. Not books.
In any event, a good number of people that “want” to go to college want the “college experience.” Read, drunken sex.
In any world where college is “free” it will be community college and state schools. No room and board. No books. No lab fees.
And graduate schools don’t get financial aid anyway (at least not traditional grad schools.)
And that same percent that want the “college experience” will still be in debt.
If I were running I would point this out. And I would get zero votes from the 18-25 age group.
In the case of disabled veterans, they paid their debts long in advance on the battlefield.
My Dad fought in Korea. His bunker was hit with ordinance that left him in a coma for 3 days. He had tinnitus till his dying day. I can still remember him wearing blast muffs to my sporting events because the noise was so painful, he would have to leave the area.
Just talkin about disabled vets here. Not folks looking for animal house. And I would be inclined to include books and labs, but not room and board. Get the schooling while living at home.
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