Posted on 03/28/2021 3:04:55 AM PDT by Kaslin
An injustice against our military and veterans' communities is being prepared in the halls of Congress at the same time the men and women of the National Guard stand post outside the Capitol building to protect lawmakers from an unexplained threat.
Senator Chuck Schumer is demanding the President forgive up to $50,000 of student debt for some 43 million Americans who borrowed for college beyond their means. More than nine million Americans have defaulted on their education loans, and an estimated one-third of those who borrowed federal money for college never completed their course of study.
President Biden is willing to reward the failures of these students by forgiving up to $10,000 of their loans. He may even up the ante after he and Schumer agree on just how much to put toward this baccalaureate bailout.
It's bad policy, and morally tone deaf considering the sacrifices others have made for federal education assistance. Originally known as the Serviceman's Readjustment Act of 1944, the G.I. Bill was enacted to provide veterans with health care, low-interest mortgages, as well as farm and business loans. But it was the educational benefits that defined the World War II and subsequent versions of the bill.
In short, the G.I. Bill was enacted to help those who served and sacrificed for our country. When the troops returned from World War I – more than half of whom were drafted – little consideration was given to the combat scars they carried in their hearts and minds. Known then as shellshock, today it is referred to as Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) which produces anxiety, stress, isolation, and creates an appetite for dangerous vices.
In crafting the G.I. Bill, the American Legion led the effort to ensure the veterans of WWII were better cared for than those who came home from “The War to End All Wars.” Whether it was through persuasion or conscription, the government's call to service produced hardship for veterans. There was a moral obligation to care for those who were seriously injured. But the G.I. Bill also implicitly recognized a "contractual" obligation to compensate veterans for lost opportunity or new adversities that resulted from their service.
In the January 1969 American Legion magazine, R.B. Pitkin wrote a detailed account of how the G.I. Bill came to be and why it was needed.
Upon completion of their military service, Pitkin explained, veterans "found the world changed, while those who hadn't gone to war were ahead of them in wealth, training, careers and social advancement." He noted an account from David Camelon of the Hearst newspapers who described "a shocking, incredible story of disabled men…their minds twisted, bodies torn in battle – shunted out of hospitals, out of the armed forces into a world of callous reality, of heartbreaking delay and neglect." The G.I. Bill attempted to financially reimburse this difficult reality.
Today's average college student, for whom loans may soon be forgiven, has made no such sacrifice.
But Brandi Anderson has. She graduated in 2019 at the top of her class from Stetson University in Florida and qualified for the Post 9-11 G.I. Bill’s Fry Scholarship because her father, Michael, was killed in Al Anbar province in Iraq on May 2, 2004. Brandi was seven years old at the time. The provision is named for John David Fry, a Marine Gunnery Sergeant who died in Iraq as he attempted to disarm an explosive to save the lives of his fellow Marines. It provides education assistance to the children and surviving spouses of service-members who died in the line of duty after September 10, 2001.
"I don't think it's fair," Brandi told me referring to Schumer’s proposal to broadly erase college debt. "I lost my father, and my mother lost her husband. I have friends who also lost their fathers. I'm grateful for the assistance I received, but it resulted from a loss that still causes great pain," she said. To ensure she graduated debt-free, Brandi also studied long hours to receive an academic scholarship from Stetson and worked her senior year and summers.
The Post 9-11 G.I. Bill also helps returning veterans, as previous versions did dating back to WWII. To qualify, an individual must have served at least 36 months of active duty; served and been discharged with a service-connected disability; or received a Purple Heart, i.e., been wounded or killed by an enemy action. That is how veterans qualify for the kind of assistance Senator Schumer wants to provide for tens of millions of borrowers who never served.
When he signed the original G.I. Bill, President Franklin Roosevelt said veterans "have been compelled to make greater economic sacrifice and every other kind of sacrifice than the rest of us, and are entitled to definite action to help take care of their special problems."
Chuck Schumer’s proposal insults the sacrifice of millions of veterans and children of fallen heroes.
Tom Kilgannon is the President of Freedom Alliance, a nonprofit organization that provides support to America’s military families and advocates for a strong national defense.
Schumer is such a vile piece of scum. I wouldn’t doubt if he’s trying to reward Antifa as most of that terror group is made up of college kids.
I remember back in 2008 when gas prices were high Chuck Schumer gave a press conferences in front of some mom and pop gas station warning them about price gouging. Same with Covid last year, giving a press conference warning mom and pop stores about prices gouging hand sanitizers, masks.
But will he do the same about colleges price gouging TUITION? NO, because he’s a rat bastard hypocritical schmuck. WHO the hell keeps electing this idiot?
$50,000 x 43,000,000 = $2,150,000,000,000
Isn’t this kind of like making your house payment with your MasterCard?
He isn’t forgiving anything he is making taxpayers pay off the debt and buying votes.
We are a nation of grifters these days. When we see fights over who gets what from the federal larder, it probably means neither deserves a penny.
The real heros are the ones who thanklessly pay the bills outside of gilded government “service”
What "dangerous vices"? Other than drinking a lot when we first get back - what other vices were we prone to? For the greatest part of us, we lived our lives quietly and productively and accommodated those parts of our bodies and our lives that we lost going to war. There were no "Vets going crazy" incidents as portrayed by dozens, even hundreds of TV shows and movies after our war. The only visible effect of PTS is the careful adherence to home security steps each evening before bed.
The little bit of help the GI Bill gave me was a small amount of my tuition for a state college but I still had to work full time to support my family and to pay the rest of the tuition, books and materials to graduate. It wasn't a great "gravy train" to make me afford higher education, it was only a partial contribution.
The Democrats only want this payout to reward their faithful followers and to secure the next generation of Leftists for their influence and their continued backing, a massive bribe to buy their support.
Had to point out my cost was low because I paid premiums in advance in the Fulda Gap, Korean DMZ, Egyptian desert, and a quaint little town called al Khafji.
I paid for 4 years of my daughters college. She just finished her Master’s degree...worked plenty of overtime- now debt forgiveness for all....this is evil.
BINGO
Nor do they even care about the sacrifice of those veterans for them.
Hubby served 20 yrs in USN Avionics/Instructor, 1958-78, Blue Water Vietnam Veteran. Used his GI bill for a ED degree, taught Jr Tech School, Same Math, Electronics, Computers, (future SICCO teachers.). Ret after 20 yrs as head of the Department.
Makes less in 2 Pensions, SS than old Schumer will when he retirees. Add in my SS, we would still make less than a 1 term congress-critter, after the IRS gets their cut.
“He isn’t forgiving anything he is making taxpayers pay off the debt and buying votes.”
Schumer is buying votes. That’s what democrats do. Obama started this by federalizing student loans in 2009. Buying votes. College costs skyrocketed. College ge costs have climbed way higher than the rate of inflation. Government money grows on trees. College administrators have increased in number and salary. Deans are so overplayed it is outrageous.
Schumer does not address this. He Continues the issue. Government is here to help.
Colleges must be held responsible for charging a kid tens of thousands then letting the kid wander off without a job
Job placement services must be included and guaranteed for the Obama cost.
Administrative salaries and positions must be examined. Locally, a particular dean pulls in five million annually. Look up the average salary. Public info. Another local dean yearly salary is 1.5 million. hat seems like too much for someone charging kids 40 k per year then letting them go without a job.
For that salary he could have a service that provides examination of choices for majors.
I know a kid who owes 68 k for a history major. No real job. She’s teaching second grade at a local parochial school. That’s about 30 k per year. She can’t pay back that loan on that. She doesn’t want to teach second grade. Who let Her do that? Her parents cant gee a hard headed 17 year old to choose better. Why did the college not tell her no. You’re not going to pay 60 k for a history degree. The answer is because they are not held accountable
Schumer’s mot addressing any of this
I paid 1000 per semester in the State University of New York system for a degree which still serves me well. Had an internship and a job the school provided. That was in the 80s. The same SUNY school is now about 40k per year.
Schumer knows that. He is not addressing that. He’s not going after the schools using goveryloan system to rip off our future generation of slaves to student loans and out of control government debt
Btw. $50 grand he’s talking about is a drop in the bucket to most.
Chuckie Schumer insults America and ALL Americans solely by being in the US Senate!
Yep, so is this border nonsense. All these foreign nationals that the Biden occupation is illegally assisting clearly violating 18 U.S. Code 3 - Accessory after the fact, WHAT is happening to the people who are trying to LEGALLY enter the USA? Are they being kicked to the curb to make way for these criminals?
I absolutely detest the Republican party and their extreme cowardice. The Democrats impeached Trump at the drop of a hat and here we have this guy Biden openly violating the law and they do NOTHING.
You cannot believe how angry this makes a friend of mine who came here legally and went through so much work to do so, to see this utter lack of respect for this country by this pig currently in office is infuriating.
“Today’s average college student, for whom loans may soon be forgiven, has made no such sacrifice.”
Buh, buh, but they endured mean words, and watched Dumbo and Bambi as children.
/Sarc
“You cannot believe how angry this makes a friend of mine who came here legally and went through so much work to do so, to see this utter lack of respect for this country by this pig currently in office is infuriating.”
My great grandparents took several years of going back and forth, working long hours to support themselves and build up a nest egg. Then at night they would stay up to learn our language, history, and customs. When their visa was up, they returned to Italy to start the process all over again.
Yet these human cockroaches coming across the southern border have zero expectation to be self sufficient, to learn our language and culture. They are all a burden on our society.
“Buh, buh, but they endured mean words, and watched Dumbo and Bambi as children.”
No, I think todays average college student was was watching Beavis and Butthead as children.
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