Biden's already eliminated a ton of it. I'm glad to see he's still going on this despite the Supreme Court ruling, and I don't even have student loans.
I have a good job and paid mine off already and I'd still vote like hell to get other's forgiven.
As opposed to the conservative/regressive approach: "I suffered, therefore you should too. Fuck trying to make things better for people who aren't me."
I'm not American and have no student loans and even I'm glad he's doing it. There might be a common stereotype internationally that Americans are fat lazy assholes, but to tell you the truth, the Americans I know or have met have been the absolute nicest people I know. The ones I work with regularly are also crazy hard workers. There's a lot of potential for good in the US, but oppressive economic systems get in the way for a lot of people and it's just heartbreaking to see.
I myself would love to live in the US, I'd live a very comfortable life as a software engineer, but I just couldn't do it to my future children (there's one well on the way) - the knowledge that they might have to go into debt for medical or education reasons is just too much for me. And while I have a good career, I'll probably never be truly financially independent to the point I could just handle any unexpected expense regardless of magnitude.
Don't think of it as either-or. I doubt I will ever retire but if I do it won't be in the States. I hope my kids go to higher ed and if that happens I am most likely going to push them to go to Germany for it. I have to get dental surgery so the next time I am abroad is when I am going to get it done.
He never stopped. As soon as the SC struck the original plan down he started the longer process. It’s been in motion the whole time.
IIRC a lot of it was already in motion before SCOTUS ruled on it, as a backstop.
Mine will likely never be eliminated unless it all goes away because I make too much, and that’s totally fine by me. I want as many people to get relief as possible! Public colleges and universities should be free, and student debt should not be a thing. At least not the way it is now.
I feel happy when someone in this position can say this instead of the ol' "I did it so you should suffer too" to type logic haha
Like you will be paying it off forever? Or unlikely to be forgiven? Because those both suck but one is unacceptable
I think it's really worth noting that in the end, the most egregious abuse is the usury. Having to pay multiple values of the principle is the trap most people fall into.
Hey, Y'all Qaeda. Why aren't you focused on that sin against Gaaaaaaawd?
Interest on student loans is crazy to begin with
If I go to college and get a better job, then the country is already benefitting from a larger tax base from me having a better job than I would otherwise.
So not only am I getting taxed on a larger tax base, but I'm also paying interest on a loan to get the better job lol
I don't know how many times exactly the Republicans have tried to repeal Obamacare but it's at least 70, so yeah I have no problem with Biden hammering on this issue for as long as it takes to get it done.
They'll complain about it until Obama becomes white in 2008. I'm cool with Biden continuing to hammer this issue.
I definitely sympathize with people in college debt, but this feels like just temporary wins and doesn't address the real problems. This won't solve the overpriced cost of education. Forgive debt now, a new crop of students will just go into debt next, right?
We need universities to be completely free, universal single payer health care, drastically cheaper housing to rent and own, etc.
When someone is having a heart attack you don't give them a lecture on the importance of diet and exercise.
There is a problem now, solve it. Fix the root cause next.
Fact.
Also called kicking the can down the road.
If a house starts burning do you try to put it out, or kick the can down the road and let it burn so you can build a new one?
Bad analogy
We let these half measures go through and nothing gets done later because just enough was done to shut the masses up.
Be happy with your bandages. 🤷
Also called solving a problem instead of being a lazy self-entitled fuck
I agree but that would require Congress to do something. Trying to accomplish this through executive actions alone might not actually work, but it at least shows voters clearly which party is willing to take action on this issue, and hopefully we will end up with a Congress that is more in line with the will of the people.
I think this might be my key takeaway. He is wiling to address exactly this problem and might continue in the future. Even if you don't benefit from it, it shows a clear path he is willing to take.
Why do you want free universities for degrees that actually give a net benefit?
And the reason housing is so expensive is directly due to government intervention in housing.
because I'm not a piece of shit and want to see my fellow Americans do better. a rising tide lifts all boats.
I am also a piece of shit who thinks good things are good even if someone else gets a bit more good than I get.
How does useless degrees lift all boats?
Wow TIL all degrees are useless.
What'd you get your degree in? Maybe you got a useless one.
Where did I say all degrees are useless? I got my degrees in engineering and science.
Dude you must think they get their degrees in feminist dance or some boogeyman degree. News flash you want some people to get good jobs with that "useless" feminist dance degree. Because if not, they're going to crowd into degrees like engineering and greater numbers of engineering grads creates greater competition for engineering jobs... which drives down the pay that most engineers get, plus it reduces the odds of actually getting a starter engineering job. Supply & demand.
Signed,
100% NOT a feminist.
The market pretty much tells us what are useful and useless degrees. The issue with your theory is that people do crowd into engineering and then the joke is after they fail they do business.
So when they shipped computer engineering jobs overseas the market was saying computer engineering is useless? Man you really know a lot of things that simply aren't true.
Its probably much more complicated than you are implying it is. Are people with computer engineering unable to get jobs? If the answer is no, then the supply of computer engineers is probably not enough in america or it could be something completely different and could be related to manufacturing.
For the most part computer engineers cannot get jobs in America. Though as a result of that there are now very few computer engineering grads in America. The point is that even very important college majors don't get jobs because they outsourced them overseas. Meaning, it was your statement that was lacking in nuance and complexity.
Of course it lacked nuance and complexity it was one or two sentences.
And the reason housing is so expensive is directly due to government intervention in housing.
Fuck off you conservative dipshit, try your incredibly wrong talking points somewhere people aren't gonna see right through it
While it is certainly not the only reason, government intervention via zoning laws is definitely a factor in the house crisis. If mixed use zoning was more universally a thing, then that would be the government not intervening in the housing market.
And that's absolutely not what they mean
It's even more so due to the ultra-low interest rates that were the "temporary" "solution" to the post 2008 crash recession (only they weren't all that temporary and didn't really solve the problem, more pushed it along).
There is a lot of info out there about how such monetary policy pushed money up the yield-scale out of Treasuries and Bonds and into things like Stocks and Realestate.
Another point is the wealth concentration we're seeing: as a bigger and bigger fraction of GDP ends up in the hands of the already very wealthy the fraction of GDP that's seeking investment opportunities (rather than being spent: poorer people spend all or most of their income, whilst rich people spend but a tiny fraction and the rest they invest) exploded and all that has to go somewhere and Realestate is perceived as safe (especially if governments will do all they can to not let prices fall) and has a lot more yield than treasuries.
This shit goes all the way back to Obama, and was just as much pushed by Republicans as by Democracts.
Oh please. None of that even PALES in comparison to the outright supply crunch being caused by housing investors. It doesn't even compare to the damage being done by the rampant construction of expensive luxury/multifamily homes.
It explains why there are so many house investors now when there were way less about a decade or so ago.
It also explains the record-setting stockmarket valuations even though most people feel things have gone backwards.
Yup! Housing investors >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> zoning laws or all the other narratives about government interference.
Why do you want free universities for degrees that actually give a net benefit?
It is in your sentence. I want things that offer a net benefit. That's why I like fire departments for example. We all benefit from not having uncontrolled fire about.
That's 100 percent, certified bullshit.
Government could fix housing SUPER fast. Tax rental payments on single-family homes at 100% to make SFR build-to-rent impossible.
Sorry dude, but that is not how that works.
I work in municipal development.
100% of new single-family developments approaching the city over the last 2 years have been for build-to-rent exclusively. The existing SFR homes are being bought up at massively inflated prices to convert them into rentals.
The only reliable way to buy a home for your family to live in within 50 miles of the city is to buy empty land and have a custom million+ dollar house built, because the existing inventory is being grabbed up by rental investors and new inventory isn't even being made available for sale.
If that is true then your area is very different than the rest of everywhere, because SFH are terrible investments. And taxing them is just going to make housing more expensive and fix nothing.
You could really use some of that free education because this take is absolutely moronic
Wow, that was such a clever statement, you must have so many degrees!
Care to explain the logic behind the housing comment?
Sure, in short housing is too difficult and too expensive to build to keep up with demand. All this is due to government requirements on housing which adds over $100k on average per single family house, as well as it just being a general headeache. And this doesnt even get into the currency manipulation issue.
What requirements though?
And the government doesn’t control monetary policy, so can you expand on that too?
There are probably 1000 different requirements for each small town and then add the state and national ones to that. The requirements will be things like getting an engineering report if you remove more than 10 yards of dirt, or add a roof element that makes the house look good.
The government does control the supply of money via the Federal Reserve. If you are interested I can tell you how it directly makes the rich richer and takes the wealth of the middle class and poor.
The fed is independent. If you’d like, I can give you a primer on how that works
Let me get this straight, the US controls and funds all kinds of governments around the world but they wouldnt control the fed? "But its a private company!!!" Sure it is, its totally not completely controlled by the government...
It’s not and they have proven as much every single election cycle by not giving into political pressure.
Thats funny because both sides are EXACTLY THE SAME with regards to the fed, and its robbing from the poor and middle class. Literally only a couple people in the two main parties even say anything about how bad the fed is. If you dont know anything about a subject, it would be best to learn about it, but at least dont argue like you know about it.
Instead of reinforcing bloated college tuition, why not say fuck it and put a ceiling on all tuition?
Are you talking about Biden's efforts specifically or more generally? Because Biden is constrained by:
Having to act in the framework of what existing laws let him do as Congress won't pass anything.
Most colleges are regulated by individual states and the federal government's power to regulate them is very limited.
You’re not wrong. But there are still tools available at the federal level. States also have control over their legal drinking age, but if they want federal assistance for maintaining their roads it has to be 21.
You could set a functional tuition cap by saying Federal Student Aid is only available if tuition is <$15k/year
If that happens, I believe there will be some idiots protest it. Something like "I paid for my full tuition, and so must you!".
More like a lot. The "fuck you, got mine" mindset is unfortunately a common outcome of the "rugged individualism" propaganda perpetuating America.
NYTimes is walled off. Can't access. Update: Someone posted the article in the comments below. Thanks!
JUST DO IT!
DON'T LET YOUR DREAMS BE DREAMS!
DO IT!
The only thing standing in his way in previous attempts was the Republicans.
I will maybe purchase a home before I’m dead. I don’t have a useless degree. In fact, it’s an in-demand field and the salary was considered respectable when I began. Cost of living increases have eaten away at that. But my other choice was to continue to be an assistant at poverty wage. So when the higher salaries and specialties are gatekept by a huge monetary sum you either get a bunch of people with some debt or only the privileged may access knowledge and a brighter future. We have to decide as a society which one we want and stop loathing our neighbors for the system they didn’t create.
Try harder if you want to win a second term. Your liberal base doesn't show up and you lose.
Please Mr.President get this passed before the orange man comes back
Trying is not enough sir
Pretty much all he can do when you have a far right court and congress
He's doing more than he really can, but I also feel this is his way of communicating that he is in fact trying. SCOTUS and the Department of Education has both said it is not within his power, and whether or not I agree, the SCOTUS will likely continue to prevent him from pushing this through.
Realistically our government should be doing much more in aiding people through higher education, but at this point it's like threading a needle.
I am totally for free college. If we can't agree on that, the price should at least be capped or seriously reduced. It seems kind of convienient that the topic is coming up again in an election year. The problem is that both parties are beholden to the military industrial complex. With military recruitment at an all time low, they can't afford to just "give it away" (give it away, give it away, give it away now). The Rethuglicans will use their bullshit "bootstrap" argument, because they only give a shit about a problem when it affects them directly. The Demohypocrites will wring their hands and pretend to try to do something while ceding ground to Repubs so they can make a show of it. It's the corporations that own both parties, and nothing is going to change until we kick these entrenched douchebags out on their asses.
Also, look how easy it is for Congress and POTUS to approve billions for war in Ukraine and billions in money and weapons to keep the genocide in Israel going (with all of the afforementioned hand-wringing, of course).
"Try."
Well, he has been very successful at it so far. Why doubt him this time around?
Because it's easier to rag on Biden than it is to actually educate oneself on what's been accomplished.
For me it's a case of "I'll believe it when I see it." Not ragging on Biden, I believe he's earnest in his desire to do something about student loan debt, but it's all the road blocks that are put in his way. A lot of people don't want student loan debt relief for whatever reason.
That's fair. I have experienced it 2nd hand through my wife, so I am believing it because I've seen it. That was a massive relief after she had faithfully paid her loan for 20 years, but due to dishonest loan advisers and refinancers, she was exactly one of the victims that John Oliver made an episode about.
Biden fixed it and forgave her loan, which was still substantial after 20 years.
Yeah, my ex is still paying hers after 20 years, but does not fit any of the categories Biden has been able to help. We expect her to finally pay it off in the next couple of years without help.
Of course we’re all for as many people as possible being helped, even if it’s not her.
Hey man, I'm happy for her. Sometimes things do work out. But again, until that balance is reduced through something other than my paycheck, I won't hold my breath
The problem is when it happens no one ever sees it.
Biden does all kinds of good stuff and the media ignores it.
Yeah, agreed. The Biden administration isn't great at banging it's chest and boasting. Take out a full page and in the NYT kind of stuff.
You’d rather he doesn’t?
I'd rather he not get credit for things he over-promises on and under-delivers.
Good. So you’re fine with what he’s doing. He promised exactly what he did. The supreme court killed his original plan which he did try to execute, so that’s on the court, not him.
Democrats "try" all sorts of shit they know has no chance of succeeding and then fumble golden opportunities. Joe Biden is a politician and a trash human being. He created the student debt problem.
The headline: "Biden passes new round of student loan forgiveness!"
The article: "Asian American rail workers earning between $5000 and $7000 per year, who are veterans of the Vietnam War and are currently experiencing homelessness, will now have their student loans forgiven under Biden's new sweeping legislation."
I am all for it. Just wish it didn’t take a genocide for his numbers to dip far enough to need the PR boost
He has been working on student loan forgiveness well before the Gaza conflict
Biden has been against it far longer than he's been for it. I'm voting for him, but let's not pretend he's a good guy here. He had his opportunities to do something and he refused, despite his fellow Democrats begging him to act. He refused to extend the time for the payback; him and no one else.
He has never stated that he's changed his position - he's just thrown out soundbites like he's done so far. No actual action has taken place other than what was already happening without him. He's sped up some already existing processes. Whoopee.
He literally forgave $146k from my wife's student loans, after predatory student loan advisors had her refinance her loans years ago, claiming she would qualify for 20 year forgiveness, but in reality didn't qualify. She just realized about 4-5years ago and got back on the right track, but it was going to be 20 years from then.
You hand wave the effect that his express actions have had on real, hard working and struggling citizens. I'm here to tell you that they have had a major affect on our lives, and have honored the spirit of the deal that she entered, and had been cheated out of. And there are many, many others.
And this is speaking as someone who was fortunate enough to have my parents pay for my education in full. I have never been burdened by student debt, and I view it is an absolutely wonderful and vital action to ensure that the US retains its status as one of the most highly educated work forces in the world.
I'm glad it worked out for you and your wife. There's a lot of people who don't have jobs deemed "righteous" enough to be worthy of "forgiveness" for the predatory costs of college, lending practices of the institutions, and restrictive legislation of the politicians that have created an indentured servitude for most of your fellow Americans.
She wasn't in a "righteous" job, she was self employed and qualified for some reduced income based program. I can't remember all of the details, but for many years she was paying around $1400/mo, and then went into some program to help reduce the payments after losing her condo in the recession.
The point I'm trying to make is that we need to support his efforts to absolve more people's loans. He's trying to do a lot more than he has already done, but he's fighting the GOP and even some from his own party. The wins he has gotten have helped people like my wife and I substantially, and if he continues to get the publics support, that gives him leverage to keep chipping away and widening the scope to hopefully include people like you and your loved ones as well.
Or those like me, who actively left one of the schools deemed predatory because I saw the writing on the wall.
Because I left before the place shut down (about a year before it did, woulda still been in school) I get nothing forgiven, I already applied and got denied.
I'm happy for those who got their loans forgiven, but I am incrddibly irate at how very specific it's been and how directly that's fucked me despite also being lied to and fucked around (for example I had to sign my onboarding documentation FIVE TIMES because of vague "oh you did this wrong do it again" and I'm 80% sure some numbers changed between the first and last one
Assuming correctness: 136000000000/1750000000000*100 = ~7.77%. While this is not nothing, boy it just doesn't sound like the student loan forgiveness he promised does it?
Which part of US leadership supports Israel, then? I mean, backing them at the UN, shipping weapons and stuff? Genuine question, just because from the outside looking in, it really seems like it's the US and only the US propping up Israel right now.
It's still bipartisan, sadly. 100% of the GOP are behind Israel, and maybe 50% of Dem leadership at this point.
Which Dem leadership is against sending weapons? Name them.
EDIT: Can't do it apparently.
EDIT 2: Names three people, two of which I've never seen referred to as "dem leadership", can't quantify how they're defining "dem leadership" because if you include Bernie and AOC it's nowhere near 50%.
EDIT: Can’t do it apparently.
I find it exceedingly strange that you made this edit 30 minutes after posting a response to a 6-hour old comment. Not sure what you think it proves.
Sanders, AOC, nearly any progressive in Congress; fuck, even Pelosi, who is certainly not a progressive, has gotten in on it. Opinions have changed rapidly. Sorry you haven't been paying attention, I guess.
Have fun sealioning.
I made the edit because three people came by to down vote but had no response. You'd have a point if nobody had seen the comment. Obviously that wasn't the case.
And since when is Sanders or AOC considered Dem leadership? And three examples isn't even close to "50%"
You’d have a point if nobody had seen the comment. Obviously that wasn’t the case.
... fucking what? How is that at all relevant?
Quite clearly you aren't interested in a serious conversation.
Lol buddy, you made an outrageous claim that you can't possibly back up and now you're trying real hard to deflect.
But don't worry, I suspect we'll run into each other again and I'll keep bringing this up. Either you can admit what you said is bullshit or you can prove your 50% claim. But what you're doing here is sad even for you.
This is obvious disinformation.
The fact that you put genocide in quotes says everything anyone needs to know about your non-existent morality.
Stupidest fucking thing I've read on lemmy.
But, that is to be expected from someone evil enough to put genocide in quotes.
Sounds like you know something Biden's campaign team doesn't.
If Democrats were as persistent in pursuing the policies they claim they support as Biden has been about this issue (and only this issue), we would have a living wage nationwide and universal healthcare.
Democrats are not a monolith. They are a mix of progressives, liberals, and common sense conservatives.
The party holds socialists as well, although you guys do treat us more as hostages sometimes, lol.
I see socialists as a subset of progressives. And you're not wrong. I wish the the two parties were progressives (including socialists) and liberals instead of normies and crazies.
Their results indicate that they are sufficiently monolithic that my comment holds true.
If it was a monolith, we'd have abortion rights federally and a livable minimum wage. Conservative Democrats have blocked a lot of that shit over the last 30 years. Not to mention that we'd have a much more progressive inflation reduction act. And do you not remember the whole Obama care fiasco?
I'm sorry you don't actually pay attention to politics. But maybe you should educate yourself instead of just getting angry at headlines.
Democrats always find enough no votes.
Conservative Democrats are the monolith.
We might literally have no more conservative Democrats in the Senate for the first time maybe ever. But go on with your deep state conspiracy theories. I'm sure you'll be happy when the Republicans win again.
There are always just enough conservative Democrats. They are the party.
This "everyone to my left is all the way to my right" shit is old. Do better.
I didn't say you were to the right. But you're supporting them with your bullshit. Do better.
If Democrats ever stop finding the no votes to kill what they ran on but never had any intention of passing, I'll stop pointing it out. Until then, they're useless on purpose. It's been going on too long.
And as long as people like you keep spouting conspiracies, and keep ignoring the progress that the Democratic Party has made in getting more progressive, I'm going to keep saying you're only helping Republicans.
I'm not going to cheer for deliberate failure just because you like it.
Lol
Not really a great analogy though, is it, since Biden wasn't the one who pulled the football up the first time. His administration has also been working constantly, using every way they can, to forgive as much student loan debt as possible. That's after the SCOTUS ruling.
Say what you will about him, but Biden has shown that, at least on this issue, he's doing everything in his power to get rid of as much as possible. And he's already changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of borrowers... Again, after his plan got shot down.
I wouldn't be surprised if they get this done in time for the election... They will try to get the timing right though so it motivates people to vote.
He did pull the football. He campaigned on $50k forgiveness and then negotiated down to $10k after he was elected.
No, he did what he said he would do, and the Supreme Court stopped it from going into effect. The conservative establishment sued the government to stop it from happening.
MOHELA, one of the apparent plaintiffs on the lawsuit, is on record prior to the court case saying that they had no interest in suing and that they don't know why this lawsuit was being brought in their name. There was no standing whatsoever, the case shouldn't even have been heard.
Regardless, no, Biden didn't pull the football. In fact, his efforts to forgive tens of millions of dollars since the SCOTUS ruling, in addition to this article, indicate that he's still planning on following through on that campaign promise.
I'm glad he didn't just give up after he SCOTUS ruling. Every other President that's been in office during my lifetime would 100% have given up after losing that case. Especially given that the benefits tend to skew younger, and a more cynical, real politik person would cut their losses, claim they tried, and move onto sometime that they think will net them more votes.
Let me break this down for the simple minded:
Biden proposes $50k in student debt forgiveness.
Republicans fight him to make it $0.
Supreme Court sides with Republicans.
They force Biden to make it $10k just so it will pass.
"Biden pulled a Lucy on his voters!"
Yeah... I can't tell the difference anymore between conservative idiots and actual real tankies. That's how close many of their talking points have gotten.. I guess if one thing has been consistent throughout modern history, it's that political groups on the left will always sabotage their own success with infighting on petty minutiae and making perfect the enemy of good. Yes, I know the Democrats aren't "on the left" etc. etc. etc.. I've made my point. We're always our own worst enemy.
That's simply NOT true. When the Republicans are bulldozed out of the way, Democrats go full speed ahead. Look at California. Newsom has gone absolute gangbusters with the GOP helpless in his path. We're a bullet train of progress here!
Note: So to briefly pause here: I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I may have gotten a little carried away with this comment, it just kind of wrote itself and I couldn't stop. I'm not even sure how much it pertains to your comment lol sorry. It's long, so I wouldn't fault anyone for skipping the rest. That said, I do think it makes some important, albeit possibly already well known points.
What did I say that's not true? There is a long and storied history of leftists failing to accomplish meaningful change on a large scale due to petty infighting (for example, New Jersey exists) and self-imposed purity tests...
My comment assumes that the one I'm replying to is sincere and arguing in good faith. This is the internet, so you never know. Either way, this comment isn't just for him, it's for anyone who may see this thread and are curious about whether or not Democrats are progressive or vice-versa. So who knows, maybe someone else will read this and learn something new lol you never know...
My initial thought was that you seem to be making the mistake of conflating "progressive" with "democrat". Are there progressives that caucus with the Democratic party? Sure (though begrudgingly). And why do you think they do that, rather than starting a third party of their own? After all, these neo-libs are just as bad as conservatives in their minds. Why do you think that progressive politicians in the US choose to caucus with the 'dem like 98% of the time? And leftists just cannot help themselves. We have some compulsion to zero-in on that often arbitrary 2% difference, Ultimate gatekeeping. Rather than celebrating the 98% of views we agree on, it is decided that cooperation is impossible.
It wasn't always just Bernie out there on a limb; Some of us are old enough to remember people like Dennis Kucinich (and his disproportionately hot and cool wife lol), Mike Gravel, and last, but absolutely not least: Howard Dean, a "progressive-adjacent Democrat who was set to potentially win the nomination. And I can hear it already/again: "he's not a true progressive because xyz, so he doesn't count as a one!"
In all seriousness I truly believe Howard Dean's career was deliberately assassinated because at the time, he was running the DNC like a well-oiled machine— his 'fifty-state strategy' was showing very real results. The GOP saw a future where they're fighting for their lives in just about every state, knowing full well that they have no actual policy to run on. Republicans were threatened by this already, and the thought of him becoming President absolutely terrified them. So they assassinated his career for the dumbest reason ever (with the media and center-left complicit, of course),
What we need are more progressive politicians who are willing to actively caucus with the Democratic party. Once you get a large enough contingent, they will begin having actual power in the party's policies.
So to get to my original main point before this comment transformed into something entirely different:
Given we must accept reality as it is, and given that that the reality is that we only have two parties is this country, we really have no choice:
a lukewarm neo-liberal party that has had no real choice but to follow the Overton Window (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window) further and further right or face extinction and ultimately cede power to the other party. Have you see what the "opposition party" looks like in places like Russia, and or,
literal racist, bigoted, homophobic, transphobic, fascists (their dumbasses don't need to know the definition of something to be it) who are working tirelessly to take away basic rights
I am aware of Israel/Palestine, and I am 100% against Netanyahu's campaign of genocide. Which is why voting for Donald Trump, who wants to give Netanyahu carte blanche (literally told him to "get it done faster" in contrast to everyone else in the world telling him to chill the fuck out).
If you give a single shit about the plea of the Palestinian people, and haven't just latched onto a cause for attention or whatever, then you would understand why you need to vote for Joe Biden.
I must emphasize, THIS IS HOW THE SITUATION IS AT THIS MOMENT. That is, until young progressives recognize that perfect is the enemy of the good, and that they are able to collectively change the ethos and platform of the Democratic party. And that's how you get a progressive party in a two party system. Problem is, young people don't vote.
Again, apologies for the crazy long comment, this wasn't planned. I hope at least someone reads it. Cheers!
I'm gonna break down my response simply: I'm a Democrat who voted for Bernie in the primaries and Clinton/Biden in the general. Never sacrifice the good for unreachable perfection.
“I do think in this moment of economic pain and strain that we should be eliminating interest on the debts that are accumulated, No. 1. And No. 2, I’m prepared to write off the $10,000 debt, but not [$50,000],” Biden said, saying he doesn’t believe it can be done with presidential action.
Emphasis mine.
Yes. He negotiated down.
Assuming you actually believe what you're saying here, then you've got a lot to learn about how the world works.
I know enough about how democracy works to know I'm not voting for the guy again. We're not fucking around here. Make material compromises with leftists or progressives or lose to MAGA. Make a choice.
We’re not fucking around here.
Lol how old are you? This your first election? Maybe Democrats will make concessions to progressives when we (and young people in general) fucking show up to vote consistently. And not only in presidential races.
Until then, you're naive if you think you can make ultimatums like that... It's laughable.
What I was referring to about learning how the world works, was learning how things actually get done in reality, not in your books on poli sci theory.
First off, Biden isn't a king. The president does not have carte blanche to just eliminate hundreds of billions of dollars in personal debt with the swipe of a pen. Frankly, I would not want that power vested in one person. If he were more authoritarian-inclined, he might try (though authoritarians seem to never use that power to help anyone buy themselves and their buddies), and there are several potential outcomes of that, and none of them end with him getting the thing he originally wanted... Nothing happens in this kind of system without compromise (which is why we see the Republicans' obstructionism works), so yes, $50k becomes $10k.
There is also this thing called "political capital"... I'm not going to waste any more of my time when you probably won't even read this far...
The president does not have carte blanche to just eliminate hundreds of billions of dollars in personal debt with the swipe of a pen.
yes, he does. the supreme court has no enforcement mechanism. they're the only ones who said he couldn't do it.
Lol how old are you? This your first election? Maybe Democrats will make concessions to progressives when we (and young people in general) fucking show up to vote consistently. And not only in presidential races.
I will be showing up to vote for a 3rd party. So if what you're saying is true moderates, liberals and establishment Democrats will go "Oh shit. Look at all these reliable voters to the left we're not reaching."
Until then, you’re naive if you think you can make ultimatums like that… It’s laughable.
Moderate and liberal voters make these ultimatums every day and you just act like it's normal.
I know I'm voting for Biden to stop MAGA.
Biden won't stop MAGA. Liberal politics are incapable of stopping MAGA.
Biden can't do it by himself. But we who dumped Trump the first time - minorities and women - will.
Regardless, the United States is doomed to collapse and Balkanize. I'd rather see that than live under a white patriarchal theocratic ethnostate. And I'm not the only one. You'd best take that seriously. You will live to see the USA end. Mark that.
Best of luck trying to eliminate the problem you helped create, Joe. Looks like you made a nice little dent in 2023!
Prior to 2020, that line has an r^2 of 1, so I'd say he's doing a great job at breaking the trend.
Wasn't there just an article on here about how the richest 1% of Americans (maybe it was globally) made 14.xx trillion in 2023? So 10% of that wealth from a single year could wipe out all student debt. I bet that's less than what they evade in tax liability.
He's doing a lot more than any Republican would ever do.
People in here really want us to give the guy a medal for making bare minimum fixes to a problem he created.
People in here really want to take in everything Biden has done and not just focus on shit from 3p years ago to be mad
Damn, sorry we're not single mindedly hate filled towards the guy
Nope, just single-mindedly hate-filled towards anyone who dares to criticize dear leader. Just look at the mindless downvotes, including for posts pointing out simple facts. The student loan problem was caused in large part by biden himself, he shouldn't be given a free pass for half-assedly attempting to barely scratch the surface of the problem he created.
It’s more than “pointing out simple facts”. It’s an onslaught of ‘he’s not doing enough’ or ‘yea but look at what he did before’ and absolutely ignoring the fact that what he’s doing now is in the right direction.
I’m sick of all of the ‘yea buts’ I keep seeing in the comments rather than credit where credit is due. I gave Trump credit when he did the right thing, and Biden is due the same. It’s ok, good even, to be critical, but this isn’t criticism, it’s cynicism.
this isn’t criticism, it’s cynicism.
🎯
Have you considered that biden is actually not doing enough and that he in fact is barely making a dent in problems that he himself created? Taking a hundred steps back and then taking half a step forward is technically "moving in the right direction now" but it's too little too late, especially when there's a cliff behind you. If someone blows up your house but then places a few of the bricks back to where they used to be, would you be giving credit where it's due? Just forget that they blew up your house, you're just being cynical! Hey, at least they're moving in the right direction!
posts pointing out simple facts.
I'm Just Asking Questions!
So biden wasn't key in creating the $1.7 trillion student loan debt problem? This time try responding without your brain short circuiting on key words that set off your canned response subroutine.
Blah blah blyat
Another canned response, you sure showed me! Have a le ebic updoot XD
You've unironically shown that he is making an impact. Since taking office the rate of increase slowed down to the point that actual debt has gone down.
Presidents can seldom make decisions that show immediate results and drop things instantly, especially if they don't also have Congress. Where you can see their effect is on the derivative of numbers like this, and that is a decidedly better graph.
Yeah, I showed that he barely made a dent. The problem is that most of that is forgiving loans for:
People who had already qualified for forgiveness under an existing program that biden is merely enforcing properly.
Saw a comment elsewhere on kbin saying he didn't care/doesn't want to do this and that anyone who believes it is brainwashed.
He’s done it? And will continue to do it. What someone thinks privately doesn’t matter as much as what they do, at least when it comes to politics
I guess my wife was brainwashed into thinking that the student loan that she had been paying for 20 years and was still well into 6 figures was forgiven because of Biden.
Get the fuck out of here with your bullshit. This policy is giving relief to real people.
Clearly Biden has an infinite money supply and could go around Congress at any moment. Why doesn't he just pay for all of it?
I don’t even get the logic here
Why is this college tuition money so hard for Biden to obtain when he is currently going over the head of a different branch of government to get large amounts of money. What's stopping him in this specific case? What works in the other case?
He literally tried to do this. He tried to push an executive order to go "over the head of different branch(es) of government".
"What's stopping him in this specific case?"
The Supreme Court stopped him. You know, the judicial branch. It is one of those different branches of government. How did you miss this? It was all over the news.
Not sure what you’re getting at. when did he go outside of the legislative branch to get money?
Edit: it's funny cuz it sounds familiar, hope he does but we'll see
It's okay, we understand you couldn't get into college to go into debt in the first place.
I just saw an ad for an industrial maintenance tech for $45/hr lmao.
Great job setting up your strawman, how would you like to position him next?
I wasn't making an argument, just a factual statement. You're welcome to infer from that whatever you wish.
So here's where I am.
I understand what you said was true, however, in my opinion it is not applicable to what was being discussed - ie attending college.
Yes. You do not need to go to college to have a well paying job.
However, there are jobs that do require college. Like being a doctor. Or molecular biologist. Or astronomer. Or engineer. Right?
Those are valid jubs, just like the job you've mentioned.
But just because you can get a job that doesn't require a degree, doesn't mean that jobs that do require a degree aren't worth getting.
And to get that degree - it costs too much money.
That's all I'm getting at.
Its not quite the right context yet, but I made this just in case.
I love that it looks like "biden" is the guy in the back and not the one shooting. Seems accurate for everyone blaming everything on Biden no matter what.
Also, that every single aspect of this gif is either opposite or irrelevant to the news. It's impressive.
Oh, just in time for another election...gee, what a coincidence.
And, if by some miracle, he doesn't lose to Trump, he'll be just fine and dandy when some "administrative/process complication" blocks it, just like last time.
You must have missed it. When he tried the first time, the Supreme Court stopped him. It wasn't a conspiracy by Biden's administration. And since then his administration has been successfully canceling student loan debt for certain subsections of the population.
That darn court, jeepers. If only Democrats had other levers of power at their disposal...gosh, just bad luck that they're always able to help out their donors, but just can't push through major legislation for the rest of us...
You mean the levers of power he's currently using? But I guess fuck Biden for doing exactly what your asking for. I swear like half this country has poo brains, and I'm not just talking about Republicans.
You clearly have no understanding of how the American political system works, and have not actually followed any actual domestic events.
I'm terrified that you have a right to vote. You're an idiot. Please go buy a gram of weed and bring it to your nearest police officer so you may be arrested and have your right to vote revoked. You do not deserve it.
I've probably worked on more campaigns than you've had election cycles. Both paid, and as a volunteer.
I'm not in the habit of sharing too many personal details online, but I will say that my background in statewide and national politics, specifically Democratic politics, made me actually laugh out loud when I read your comment.
Thanks for that.
This is a giant L take.
I hope you're young and this is your idealism talking, otherwise you're just delusional.
I've been through too many election cycles, and worked on enough campaigns, to see this as anything but the empty campaign rhetoric that it is.
But hey, please come back and rub this "L" in my face if that promised debt relief ever comes through.
Green Party US members, if elected in higher positions, could fight student debt even harder than Genocide Joe.
Shame the Green Party doesn't seem to care about any races other than President. Maybe a Green majority Congress could eliminate all debt, but having Congressional representation isn't a priority of theirs. It's rather telling.
Leave them alone, they're all Red Green colorblind.
"if" doing a lot of work here.
Making poor financial decisions should not be rewarded.
I agree. Then we should never bail out any industry without public ownership. Also having 2 part times to not pay benefits for one full time shouldn't be rewarded via public benefits for poor earners.
Until we do these things that affect the wealthier, we should get some more equity down here.
Edit: gosh I'm bad at wording this. Tldr: until we make a better plan to level the playing field: we need more and more equity.
I used to feel this way, until I heard how predatory the loans actually are. One woman on John Oliver's segment about it was paying a little over $700/month towards her student loans. Of that, only about $70 of it was actually going towards the principle of the loan, the rest was interest.
Another woman had paid $90k over ten years on her $80k in loans, and still owed $70k. That is just absolute horseshit, no other loan that I know of operates that way outside of payday loans, which an education loan should absolutely not be.
If he can't get the debts forgiven, they should at least cap the interest at no more than 2% so people can actually pay them off. Or make them dischargeable through bankruptcy, but something has to give. Until John Oliver's segment, I didn't realize how bad things were for a lot of people, and while I have no student loan debt (GI Bill for me, fortunately), I still feel for them.
Where is the utility in keeping people in a never ending cycle of student loan debt?
Come on now. Why won't somebody think of the economic parasites? :P
It does suck, but people who go to college know how much they're going to pay. If anything, they should consider starting at a community college. Specialized schools (e.g. nursing schools, pilot school, etc.) often come with higher costs, but people need to weigh the potential benefits against the expenses. Community colleges offer more affordable options for foundational coursework before transferring to a specialized school if needed. Also, a significant portion of students already recieve some form of financial aid.
We pressure teenagers as soon as they are old enough to take on debt to take a huge predatory loan, in a system where teaching personal finance is not a requirement of the education system. We tell kids growing up that their lives will be miserable if they don't go to college, and make them feel that there is no other rational choice but to take on debt.
The government backs this system that prohibits bankruptcy and traps young people in extreme debt before their adult lives have even begun, all so that lenders can make fortunes off of interest payments - lenders that include the government itself.
So, yes, you're right, terrible economic decisions like that should not be rewarded. Borrowers should be forgiven 100% and the lenders who created this mess should be kicked to the curb.
Biden's already eliminated a ton of it. I'm glad to see he's still going on this despite the Supreme Court ruling, and I don't even have student loans.
I have a good job and paid mine off already and I'd still vote like hell to get other's forgiven.
As opposed to the conservative/regressive approach: "I suffered, therefore you should too. Fuck trying to make things better for people who aren't me."
I'm not American and have no student loans and even I'm glad he's doing it. There might be a common stereotype internationally that Americans are fat lazy assholes, but to tell you the truth, the Americans I know or have met have been the absolute nicest people I know. The ones I work with regularly are also crazy hard workers. There's a lot of potential for good in the US, but oppressive economic systems get in the way for a lot of people and it's just heartbreaking to see.
I myself would love to live in the US, I'd live a very comfortable life as a software engineer, but I just couldn't do it to my future children (there's one well on the way) - the knowledge that they might have to go into debt for medical or education reasons is just too much for me. And while I have a good career, I'll probably never be truly financially independent to the point I could just handle any unexpected expense regardless of magnitude.
Don't think of it as either-or. I doubt I will ever retire but if I do it won't be in the States. I hope my kids go to higher ed and if that happens I am most likely going to push them to go to Germany for it. I have to get dental surgery so the next time I am abroad is when I am going to get it done.
He never stopped. As soon as the SC struck the original plan down he started the longer process. It’s been in motion the whole time.
IIRC a lot of it was already in motion before SCOTUS ruled on it, as a backstop.
Mine will likely never be eliminated unless it all goes away because I make too much, and that’s totally fine by me. I want as many people to get relief as possible! Public colleges and universities should be free, and student debt should not be a thing. At least not the way it is now.
I feel happy when someone in this position can say this instead of the ol' "I did it so you should suffer too" to type logic haha
Like you will be paying it off forever? Or unlikely to be forgiven? Because those both suck but one is unacceptable
I think it's really worth noting that in the end, the most egregious abuse is the usury. Having to pay multiple values of the principle is the trap most people fall into.
Hey, Y'all Qaeda. Why aren't you focused on that sin against Gaaaaaaawd?
Interest on student loans is crazy to begin with
If I go to college and get a better job, then the country is already benefitting from a larger tax base from me having a better job than I would otherwise.
So not only am I getting taxed on a larger tax base, but I'm also paying interest on a loan to get the better job lol
I'm getting hit twice
Nobody expected prosperity theology!
Good. Keep taking advantage of those loopholes.
I don't know how many times exactly the Republicans have tried to repeal Obamacare but it's at least 70, so yeah I have no problem with Biden hammering on this issue for as long as it takes to get it done.
They'll complain about it until Obama becomes white in 2008. I'm cool with Biden continuing to hammer this issue.
I definitely sympathize with people in college debt, but this feels like just temporary wins and doesn't address the real problems. This won't solve the overpriced cost of education. Forgive debt now, a new crop of students will just go into debt next, right?
We need universities to be completely free, universal single payer health care, drastically cheaper housing to rent and own, etc.
When someone is having a heart attack you don't give them a lecture on the importance of diet and exercise.
There is a problem now, solve it. Fix the root cause next.
Fact.
Also called kicking the can down the road.
If a house starts burning do you try to put it out, or kick the can down the road and let it burn so you can build a new one?
Bad analogy
We let these half measures go through and nothing gets done later because just enough was done to shut the masses up.
Be happy with your bandages. 🤷
Also called solving a problem instead of being a lazy self-entitled fuck
I agree but that would require Congress to do something. Trying to accomplish this through executive actions alone might not actually work, but it at least shows voters clearly which party is willing to take action on this issue, and hopefully we will end up with a Congress that is more in line with the will of the people.
I think this might be my key takeaway. He is wiling to address exactly this problem and might continue in the future. Even if you don't benefit from it, it shows a clear path he is willing to take.
Why do you want free universities for degrees that actually give a net benefit?
And the reason housing is so expensive is directly due to government intervention in housing.
because I'm not a piece of shit and want to see my fellow Americans do better. a rising tide lifts all boats.
I am also a piece of shit who thinks good things are good even if someone else gets a bit more good than I get.
How does useless degrees lift all boats?
Wow TIL all degrees are useless.
What'd you get your degree in? Maybe you got a useless one.
Where did I say all degrees are useless? I got my degrees in engineering and science.
Dude you must think they get their degrees in feminist dance or some boogeyman degree. News flash you want some people to get good jobs with that "useless" feminist dance degree. Because if not, they're going to crowd into degrees like engineering and greater numbers of engineering grads creates greater competition for engineering jobs... which drives down the pay that most engineers get, plus it reduces the odds of actually getting a starter engineering job. Supply & demand.
Signed, 100% NOT a feminist.
The market pretty much tells us what are useful and useless degrees. The issue with your theory is that people do crowd into engineering and then the joke is after they fail they do business.
So when they shipped computer engineering jobs overseas the market was saying computer engineering is useless? Man you really know a lot of things that simply aren't true.
Its probably much more complicated than you are implying it is. Are people with computer engineering unable to get jobs? If the answer is no, then the supply of computer engineers is probably not enough in america or it could be something completely different and could be related to manufacturing.
For the most part computer engineers cannot get jobs in America. Though as a result of that there are now very few computer engineering grads in America. The point is that even very important college majors don't get jobs because they outsourced them overseas. Meaning, it was your statement that was lacking in nuance and complexity.
Of course it lacked nuance and complexity it was one or two sentences.
Fuck off you conservative dipshit, try your incredibly wrong talking points somewhere people aren't gonna see right through it
While it is certainly not the only reason, government intervention via zoning laws is definitely a factor in the house crisis. If mixed use zoning was more universally a thing, then that would be the government not intervening in the housing market.
And that's absolutely not what they mean
It's even more so due to the ultra-low interest rates that were the "temporary" "solution" to the post 2008 crash recession (only they weren't all that temporary and didn't really solve the problem, more pushed it along).
There is a lot of info out there about how such monetary policy pushed money up the yield-scale out of Treasuries and Bonds and into things like Stocks and Realestate.
Another point is the wealth concentration we're seeing: as a bigger and bigger fraction of GDP ends up in the hands of the already very wealthy the fraction of GDP that's seeking investment opportunities (rather than being spent: poorer people spend all or most of their income, whilst rich people spend but a tiny fraction and the rest they invest) exploded and all that has to go somewhere and Realestate is perceived as safe (especially if governments will do all they can to not let prices fall) and has a lot more yield than treasuries.
This shit goes all the way back to Obama, and was just as much pushed by Republicans as by Democracts.
Oh please. None of that even PALES in comparison to the outright supply crunch being caused by housing investors. It doesn't even compare to the damage being done by the rampant construction of expensive luxury/multifamily homes.
It explains why there are so many house investors now when there were way less about a decade or so ago.
It also explains the record-setting stockmarket valuations even though most people feel things have gone backwards.
Yup! Housing investors >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> zoning laws or all the other narratives about government interference.
It is in your sentence. I want things that offer a net benefit. That's why I like fire departments for example. We all benefit from not having uncontrolled fire about.
That's 100 percent, certified bullshit.
Government could fix housing SUPER fast. Tax rental payments on single-family homes at 100% to make SFR build-to-rent impossible.
Sorry dude, but that is not how that works.
I work in municipal development.
100% of new single-family developments approaching the city over the last 2 years have been for build-to-rent exclusively. The existing SFR homes are being bought up at massively inflated prices to convert them into rentals.
The only reliable way to buy a home for your family to live in within 50 miles of the city is to buy empty land and have a custom million+ dollar house built, because the existing inventory is being grabbed up by rental investors and new inventory isn't even being made available for sale.
If that is true then your area is very different than the rest of everywhere, because SFH are terrible investments. And taxing them is just going to make housing more expensive and fix nothing.
You could really use some of that free education because this take is absolutely moronic
Wow, that was such a clever statement, you must have so many degrees!
Care to explain the logic behind the housing comment?
Sure, in short housing is too difficult and too expensive to build to keep up with demand. All this is due to government requirements on housing which adds over $100k on average per single family house, as well as it just being a general headeache. And this doesnt even get into the currency manipulation issue.
What requirements though?
And the government doesn’t control monetary policy, so can you expand on that too?
There are probably 1000 different requirements for each small town and then add the state and national ones to that. The requirements will be things like getting an engineering report if you remove more than 10 yards of dirt, or add a roof element that makes the house look good.
The government does control the supply of money via the Federal Reserve. If you are interested I can tell you how it directly makes the rich richer and takes the wealth of the middle class and poor.
The fed is independent. If you’d like, I can give you a primer on how that works
Let me get this straight, the US controls and funds all kinds of governments around the world but they wouldnt control the fed? "But its a private company!!!" Sure it is, its totally not completely controlled by the government...
It’s not and they have proven as much every single election cycle by not giving into political pressure.
Thats funny because both sides are EXACTLY THE SAME with regards to the fed, and its robbing from the poor and middle class. Literally only a couple people in the two main parties even say anything about how bad the fed is. If you dont know anything about a subject, it would be best to learn about it, but at least dont argue like you know about it.
Classic conservative
Instead of reinforcing bloated college tuition, why not say fuck it and put a ceiling on all tuition?
Are you talking about Biden's efforts specifically or more generally? Because Biden is constrained by:
You’re not wrong. But there are still tools available at the federal level. States also have control over their legal drinking age, but if they want federal assistance for maintaining their roads it has to be 21.
You could set a functional tuition cap by saying Federal Student Aid is only available if tuition is <$15k/year
If that happens, I believe there will be some idiots protest it. Something like "I paid for my full tuition, and so must you!".
More like a lot. The "fuck you, got mine" mindset is unfortunately a common outcome of the "rugged individualism" propaganda perpetuating America.
NYTimes is walled off. Can't access. Update: Someone posted the article in the comments below. Thanks!
JUST DO IT!
DON'T LET YOUR DREAMS BE DREAMS!
DO IT!
The only thing standing in his way in previous attempts was the Republicans.
I will maybe purchase a home before I’m dead. I don’t have a useless degree. In fact, it’s an in-demand field and the salary was considered respectable when I began. Cost of living increases have eaten away at that. But my other choice was to continue to be an assistant at poverty wage. So when the higher salaries and specialties are gatekept by a huge monetary sum you either get a bunch of people with some debt or only the privileged may access knowledge and a brighter future. We have to decide as a society which one we want and stop loathing our neighbors for the system they didn’t create.
Try harder if you want to win a second term. Your liberal base doesn't show up and you lose.
Please Mr.President get this passed before the orange man comes back
Trying is not enough sir
Pretty much all he can do when you have a far right court and congress
He's doing more than he really can, but I also feel this is his way of communicating that he is in fact trying. SCOTUS and the Department of Education has both said it is not within his power, and whether or not I agree, the SCOTUS will likely continue to prevent him from pushing this through.
Realistically our government should be doing much more in aiding people through higher education, but at this point it's like threading a needle.
I am totally for free college. If we can't agree on that, the price should at least be capped or seriously reduced. It seems kind of convienient that the topic is coming up again in an election year. The problem is that both parties are beholden to the military industrial complex. With military recruitment at an all time low, they can't afford to just "give it away" (give it away, give it away, give it away now). The Rethuglicans will use their bullshit "bootstrap" argument, because they only give a shit about a problem when it affects them directly. The Demohypocrites will wring their hands and pretend to try to do something while ceding ground to Repubs so they can make a show of it. It's the corporations that own both parties, and nothing is going to change until we kick these entrenched douchebags out on their asses.
Also, look how easy it is for Congress and POTUS to approve billions for war in Ukraine and billions in money and weapons to keep the genocide in Israel going (with all of the afforementioned hand-wringing, of course).
"Try."
Well, he has been very successful at it so far. Why doubt him this time around?
Because it's easier to rag on Biden than it is to actually educate oneself on what's been accomplished.
For me it's a case of "I'll believe it when I see it." Not ragging on Biden, I believe he's earnest in his desire to do something about student loan debt, but it's all the road blocks that are put in his way. A lot of people don't want student loan debt relief for whatever reason.
That's fair. I have experienced it 2nd hand through my wife, so I am believing it because I've seen it. That was a massive relief after she had faithfully paid her loan for 20 years, but due to dishonest loan advisers and refinancers, she was exactly one of the victims that John Oliver made an episode about.
Biden fixed it and forgave her loan, which was still substantial after 20 years.
Yeah, my ex is still paying hers after 20 years, but does not fit any of the categories Biden has been able to help. We expect her to finally pay it off in the next couple of years without help.
Of course we’re all for as many people as possible being helped, even if it’s not her.
Hey man, I'm happy for her. Sometimes things do work out. But again, until that balance is reduced through something other than my paycheck, I won't hold my breath
The problem is when it happens no one ever sees it.
Biden does all kinds of good stuff and the media ignores it.
Yeah, agreed. The Biden administration isn't great at banging it's chest and boasting. Take out a full page and in the NYT kind of stuff.
You’d rather he doesn’t?
I'd rather he not get credit for things he over-promises on and under-delivers.
Good. So you’re fine with what he’s doing. He promised exactly what he did. The supreme court killed his original plan which he did try to execute, so that’s on the court, not him.
Democrats "try" all sorts of shit they know has no chance of succeeding and then fumble golden opportunities. Joe Biden is a politician and a trash human being. He created the student debt problem.
The headline: "Biden passes new round of student loan forgiveness!"
The article: "Asian American rail workers earning between $5000 and $7000 per year, who are veterans of the Vietnam War and are currently experiencing homelessness, will now have their student loans forgiven under Biden's new sweeping legislation."
I am all for it. Just wish it didn’t take a genocide for his numbers to dip far enough to need the PR boost
He has been working on student loan forgiveness well before the Gaza conflict
Not to mention plan b is still in the works
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/30/biden-revive-student-debt-relief-00104482
Biden has been against it far longer than he's been for it. I'm voting for him, but let's not pretend he's a good guy here. He had his opportunities to do something and he refused, despite his fellow Democrats begging him to act. He refused to extend the time for the payback; him and no one else.
He has never stated that he's changed his position - he's just thrown out soundbites like he's done so far. No actual action has taken place other than what was already happening without him. He's sped up some already existing processes. Whoopee.
He literally forgave $146k from my wife's student loans, after predatory student loan advisors had her refinance her loans years ago, claiming she would qualify for 20 year forgiveness, but in reality didn't qualify. She just realized about 4-5years ago and got back on the right track, but it was going to be 20 years from then.
You hand wave the effect that his express actions have had on real, hard working and struggling citizens. I'm here to tell you that they have had a major affect on our lives, and have honored the spirit of the deal that she entered, and had been cheated out of. And there are many, many others.
And this is speaking as someone who was fortunate enough to have my parents pay for my education in full. I have never been burdened by student debt, and I view it is an absolutely wonderful and vital action to ensure that the US retains its status as one of the most highly educated work forces in the world.
I'm glad it worked out for you and your wife. There's a lot of people who don't have jobs deemed "righteous" enough to be worthy of "forgiveness" for the predatory costs of college, lending practices of the institutions, and restrictive legislation of the politicians that have created an indentured servitude for most of your fellow Americans.
She wasn't in a "righteous" job, she was self employed and qualified for some reduced income based program. I can't remember all of the details, but for many years she was paying around $1400/mo, and then went into some program to help reduce the payments after losing her condo in the recession.
The point I'm trying to make is that we need to support his efforts to absolve more people's loans. He's trying to do a lot more than he has already done, but he's fighting the GOP and even some from his own party. The wins he has gotten have helped people like my wife and I substantially, and if he continues to get the publics support, that gives him leverage to keep chipping away and widening the scope to hopefully include people like you and your loved ones as well.
Or those like me, who actively left one of the schools deemed predatory because I saw the writing on the wall.
Because I left before the place shut down (about a year before it did, woulda still been in school) I get nothing forgiven, I already applied and got denied.
I'm happy for those who got their loans forgiven, but I am incrddibly irate at how very specific it's been and how directly that's fucked me despite also being lied to and fucked around (for example I had to sign my onboarding documentation FIVE TIMES because of vague "oh you did this wrong do it again" and I'm 80% sure some numbers changed between the first and last one
Aaaaaaaaaand where's he gotten with it?
About 136 billion forgiven so far
Assuming correctness: 136000000000/1750000000000*100 = ~7.77%. While this is not nothing, boy it just doesn't sound like the student loan forgiveness he promised does it?
Hence, try again, like the headline.
The "genocide" blame is bullshit, mostly from trolls and the deliberately uninformed. Biden has been all over Israel from the start to not react "over the top".
Which part of US leadership supports Israel, then? I mean, backing them at the UN, shipping weapons and stuff? Genuine question, just because from the outside looking in, it really seems like it's the US and only the US propping up Israel right now.
It's still bipartisan, sadly. 100% of the GOP are behind Israel, and maybe 50% of Dem leadership at this point.
Which Dem leadership is against sending weapons? Name them.
EDIT: Can't do it apparently.
EDIT 2: Names three people, two of which I've never seen referred to as "dem leadership", can't quantify how they're defining "dem leadership" because if you include Bernie and AOC it's nowhere near 50%.
I find it exceedingly strange that you made this edit 30 minutes after posting a response to a 6-hour old comment. Not sure what you think it proves.
Sanders, AOC, nearly any progressive in Congress; fuck, even Pelosi, who is certainly not a progressive, has gotten in on it. Opinions have changed rapidly. Sorry you haven't been paying attention, I guess.
Have fun sealioning.
I made the edit because three people came by to down vote but had no response. You'd have a point if nobody had seen the comment. Obviously that wasn't the case.
And since when is Sanders or AOC considered Dem leadership? And three examples isn't even close to "50%"
... fucking what? How is that at all relevant?
Quite clearly you aren't interested in a serious conversation.
Lol buddy, you made an outrageous claim that you can't possibly back up and now you're trying real hard to deflect.
But don't worry, I suspect we'll run into each other again and I'll keep bringing this up. Either you can admit what you said is bullshit or you can prove your 50% claim. But what you're doing here is sad even for you.
This is obvious disinformation.
The fact that you put genocide in quotes says everything anyone needs to know about your non-existent morality.
Stupidest fucking thing I've read on lemmy.
But, that is to be expected from someone evil enough to put genocide in quotes.
Biden has definitely been all over israel, as in all over kissing their ass for his entire career.
He's also wiping out tens of thousands of women and children in Palestine.
And yet those students don't vote
Sounds like you know something Biden's campaign team doesn't.
If Democrats were as persistent in pursuing the policies they claim they support as Biden has been about this issue (and only this issue), we would have a living wage nationwide and universal healthcare.
Democrats are not a monolith. They are a mix of progressives, liberals, and common sense conservatives.
The party holds socialists as well, although you guys do treat us more as hostages sometimes, lol.
I see socialists as a subset of progressives. And you're not wrong. I wish the the two parties were progressives (including socialists) and liberals instead of normies and crazies.
Their results indicate that they are sufficiently monolithic that my comment holds true.
If it was a monolith, we'd have abortion rights federally and a livable minimum wage. Conservative Democrats have blocked a lot of that shit over the last 30 years. Not to mention that we'd have a much more progressive inflation reduction act. And do you not remember the whole Obama care fiasco?
I'm sorry you don't actually pay attention to politics. But maybe you should educate yourself instead of just getting angry at headlines.
Democrats always find enough no votes.
Conservative Democrats are the monolith.
We might literally have no more conservative Democrats in the Senate for the first time maybe ever. But go on with your deep state conspiracy theories. I'm sure you'll be happy when the Republicans win again.
There are always just enough conservative Democrats. They are the party.
This "everyone to my left is all the way to my right" shit is old. Do better.
I didn't say you were to the right. But you're supporting them with your bullshit. Do better.
If Democrats ever stop finding the no votes to kill what they ran on but never had any intention of passing, I'll stop pointing it out. Until then, they're useless on purpose. It's been going on too long.
And as long as people like you keep spouting conspiracies, and keep ignoring the progress that the Democratic Party has made in getting more progressive, I'm going to keep saying you're only helping Republicans.
I'm not going to cheer for deliberate failure just because you like it.
Lol
Not really a great analogy though, is it, since Biden wasn't the one who pulled the football up the first time. His administration has also been working constantly, using every way they can, to forgive as much student loan debt as possible. That's after the SCOTUS ruling.
Say what you will about him, but Biden has shown that, at least on this issue, he's doing everything in his power to get rid of as much as possible. And he's already changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of borrowers... Again, after his plan got shot down.
I wouldn't be surprised if they get this done in time for the election... They will try to get the timing right though so it motivates people to vote.
He did pull the football. He campaigned on $50k forgiveness and then negotiated down to $10k after he was elected.
No, he did what he said he would do, and the Supreme Court stopped it from going into effect. The conservative establishment sued the government to stop it from happening.
MOHELA, one of the apparent plaintiffs on the lawsuit, is on record prior to the court case saying that they had no interest in suing and that they don't know why this lawsuit was being brought in their name. There was no standing whatsoever, the case shouldn't even have been heard.
Regardless, no, Biden didn't pull the football. In fact, his efforts to forgive tens of millions of dollars since the SCOTUS ruling, in addition to this article, indicate that he's still planning on following through on that campaign promise.
I'm glad he didn't just give up after he SCOTUS ruling. Every other President that's been in office during my lifetime would 100% have given up after losing that case. Especially given that the benefits tend to skew younger, and a more cynical, real politik person would cut their losses, claim they tried, and move onto sometime that they think will net them more votes.
Let me break this down for the simple minded:
Biden proposes $50k in student debt forgiveness.
Republicans fight him to make it $0.
Supreme Court sides with Republicans.
They force Biden to make it $10k just so it will pass.
"Biden pulled a Lucy on his voters!"
Yeah... I can't tell the difference anymore between conservative idiots and actual real tankies. That's how close many of their talking points have gotten.. I guess if one thing has been consistent throughout modern history, it's that political groups on the left will always sabotage their own success with infighting on petty minutiae and making perfect the enemy of good. Yes, I know the Democrats aren't "on the left" etc. etc. etc.. I've made my point. We're always our own worst enemy.
That's simply NOT true. When the Republicans are bulldozed out of the way, Democrats go full speed ahead. Look at California. Newsom has gone absolute gangbusters with the GOP helpless in his path. We're a bullet train of progress here!
Note: So to briefly pause here: I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I may have gotten a little carried away with this comment, it just kind of wrote itself and I couldn't stop. I'm not even sure how much it pertains to your comment lol sorry. It's long, so I wouldn't fault anyone for skipping the rest. That said, I do think it makes some important, albeit possibly already well known points.
What did I say that's not true? There is a long and storied history of leftists failing to accomplish meaningful change on a large scale due to petty infighting (for example, New Jersey exists) and self-imposed purity tests...
My comment assumes that the one I'm replying to is sincere and arguing in good faith. This is the internet, so you never know. Either way, this comment isn't just for him, it's for anyone who may see this thread and are curious about whether or not Democrats are progressive or vice-versa. So who knows, maybe someone else will read this and learn something new lol you never know...
My initial thought was that you seem to be making the mistake of conflating "progressive" with "democrat". Are there progressives that caucus with the Democratic party? Sure (though begrudgingly). And why do you think they do that, rather than starting a third party of their own? After all, these neo-libs are just as bad as conservatives in their minds. Why do you think that progressive politicians in the US choose to caucus with the 'dem like 98% of the time? And leftists just cannot help themselves. We have some compulsion to zero-in on that often arbitrary 2% difference, Ultimate gatekeeping. Rather than celebrating the 98% of views we agree on, it is decided that cooperation is impossible.
It wasn't always just Bernie out there on a limb; Some of us are old enough to remember people like Dennis Kucinich (and his disproportionately hot and cool wife lol), Mike Gravel, and last, but absolutely not least: Howard Dean, a "progressive-adjacent Democrat who was set to potentially win the nomination. And I can hear it already/again: "he's not a true progressive because xyz, so he doesn't count as a one!"
In all seriousness I truly believe Howard Dean's career was deliberately assassinated because at the time, he was running the DNC like a well-oiled machine— his 'fifty-state strategy' was showing very real results. The GOP saw a future where they're fighting for their lives in just about every state, knowing full well that they have no actual policy to run on. Republicans were threatened by this already, and the thought of him becoming President absolutely terrified them. So they assassinated his career for the dumbest reason ever (with the media and center-left complicit, of course),
What we need are more progressive politicians who are willing to actively caucus with the Democratic party. Once you get a large enough contingent, they will begin having actual power in the party's policies.
So to get to my original main point before this comment transformed into something entirely different:
Given we must accept reality as it is, and given that that the reality is that we only have two parties is this country, we really have no choice:
a lukewarm neo-liberal party that has had no real choice but to follow the Overton Window (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window) further and further right or face extinction and ultimately cede power to the other party. Have you see what the "opposition party" looks like in places like Russia, and or,
literal racist, bigoted, homophobic, transphobic, fascists (their dumbasses don't need to know the definition of something to be it) who are working tirelessly to take away basic rights
I am aware of Israel/Palestine, and I am 100% against Netanyahu's campaign of genocide. Which is why voting for Donald Trump, who wants to give Netanyahu carte blanche (literally told him to "get it done faster" in contrast to everyone else in the world telling him to chill the fuck out).
If you give a single shit about the plea of the Palestinian people, and haven't just latched onto a cause for attention or whatever, then you would understand why you need to vote for Joe Biden.
The reality of political party dynamics is incredibly complex and nuanced. The Democratic party in particular is so diverse not just of ethnicity, but of beliefs, opinions, etc. I mean look at this, I think the data speaks for itself: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/01/09/u-s-congress-continues-to-grow-in-racial-ethnic-diversity/
Here is my main point (I think):
I must emphasize, THIS IS HOW THE SITUATION IS AT THIS MOMENT. That is, until young progressives recognize that perfect is the enemy of the good, and that they are able to collectively change the ethos and platform of the Democratic party. And that's how you get a progressive party in a two party system. Problem is, young people don't vote.
Again, apologies for the crazy long comment, this wasn't planned. I hope at least someone reads it. Cheers!
I'm gonna break down my response simply: I'm a Democrat who voted for Bernie in the primaries and Clinton/Biden in the general. Never sacrifice the good for unreachable perfection.
Yes he did.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-student-loan-forgiveness-50000_n_602d49c6c5b67c32961aab8b
k
Not sure how the supreme Court is "negotiations" but sure
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-supreme-court-decide-fate-biden-student-loan-forgiveness-2023-06-30/
But he also was able to find other ways to forgive debt through other legal means
https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamminsky/2024/04/05/143-billion-in-student-loan-forgiveness-approved-as-biden-set-to-unveil-new-plan/?sh=92bc9243ed65
Here's Biden pulling the football.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/539139-biden-balks-at-50k-student-loan-forgiveness-plan/
“I do think in this moment of economic pain and strain that we should be eliminating interest on the debts that are accumulated, No. 1. And No. 2, I’m prepared to write off the $10,000 debt, but not [$50,000],” Biden said, saying he doesn’t believe it can be done with presidential action.
Emphasis mine.
Yes. He negotiated down.
Assuming you actually believe what you're saying here, then you've got a lot to learn about how the world works.
I know enough about how democracy works to know I'm not voting for the guy again. We're not fucking around here. Make material compromises with leftists or progressives or lose to MAGA. Make a choice.
Lol how old are you? This your first election? Maybe Democrats will make concessions to progressives when we (and young people in general) fucking show up to vote consistently. And not only in presidential races.
Until then, you're naive if you think you can make ultimatums like that... It's laughable.
What I was referring to about learning how the world works, was learning how things actually get done in reality, not in your books on poli sci theory.
First off, Biden isn't a king. The president does not have carte blanche to just eliminate hundreds of billions of dollars in personal debt with the swipe of a pen. Frankly, I would not want that power vested in one person. If he were more authoritarian-inclined, he might try (though authoritarians seem to never use that power to help anyone buy themselves and their buddies), and there are several potential outcomes of that, and none of them end with him getting the thing he originally wanted... Nothing happens in this kind of system without compromise (which is why we see the Republicans' obstructionism works), so yes, $50k becomes $10k.
There is also this thing called "political capital"... I'm not going to waste any more of my time when you probably won't even read this far...
yes, he does. the supreme court has no enforcement mechanism. they're the only ones who said he couldn't do it.
I will be showing up to vote for a 3rd party. So if what you're saying is true moderates, liberals and establishment Democrats will go "Oh shit. Look at all these reliable voters to the left we're not reaching."
Moderate and liberal voters make these ultimatums every day and you just act like it's normal.
I know I'm voting for Biden to stop MAGA.
Biden won't stop MAGA. Liberal politics are incapable of stopping MAGA.
Biden can't do it by himself. But we who dumped Trump the first time - minorities and women - will.
Regardless, the United States is doomed to collapse and Balkanize. I'd rather see that than live under a white patriarchal theocratic ethnostate. And I'm not the only one. You'd best take that seriously. You will live to see the USA end. Mark that.
https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-statistics
Best of luck trying to eliminate the problem you helped create, Joe. Looks like you made a nice little dent in 2023!
Prior to 2020, that line has an r^2 of 1, so I'd say he's doing a great job at breaking the trend.
Wasn't there just an article on here about how the richest 1% of Americans (maybe it was globally) made 14.xx trillion in 2023? So 10% of that wealth from a single year could wipe out all student debt. I bet that's less than what they evade in tax liability.
He's doing a lot more than any Republican would ever do.
He better, seeing as how he was a critical part of the problem: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/02/joe-biden-student-loan-debt-2005-act-2020
People in here really want us to give the guy a medal for making bare minimum fixes to a problem he created.
Damn, sorry we're not single mindedly hate filled towards the guy
Nope, just single-mindedly hate-filled towards anyone who dares to criticize dear leader. Just look at the mindless downvotes, including for posts pointing out simple facts. The student loan problem was caused in large part by biden himself, he shouldn't be given a free pass for half-assedly attempting to barely scratch the surface of the problem he created.
It’s more than “pointing out simple facts”. It’s an onslaught of ‘he’s not doing enough’ or ‘yea but look at what he did before’ and absolutely ignoring the fact that what he’s doing now is in the right direction.
I’m sick of all of the ‘yea buts’ I keep seeing in the comments rather than credit where credit is due. I gave Trump credit when he did the right thing, and Biden is due the same. It’s ok, good even, to be critical, but this isn’t criticism, it’s cynicism.
🎯
Have you considered that biden is actually not doing enough and that he in fact is barely making a dent in problems that he himself created? Taking a hundred steps back and then taking half a step forward is technically "moving in the right direction now" but it's too little too late, especially when there's a cliff behind you. If someone blows up your house but then places a few of the bricks back to where they used to be, would you be giving credit where it's due? Just forget that they blew up your house, you're just being cynical! Hey, at least they're moving in the right direction!
I'm Just Asking Questions!
So biden wasn't key in creating the $1.7 trillion student loan debt problem? This time try responding without your brain short circuiting on key words that set off your canned response subroutine.
Blah blah blyat
Another canned response, you sure showed me! Have a le ebic updoot XD
You've unironically shown that he is making an impact. Since taking office the rate of increase slowed down to the point that actual debt has gone down.
Presidents can seldom make decisions that show immediate results and drop things instantly, especially if they don't also have Congress. Where you can see their effect is on the derivative of numbers like this, and that is a decidedly better graph.
Yeah, I showed that he barely made a dent. The problem is that most of that is forgiving loans for:
So the low-hanging fruit is gone and this is the best we can expect of this trend. Reminder that it only got this bad because of biden in the first place: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/02/joe-biden-student-loan-debt-2005-act-2020
Saw a comment elsewhere on kbin saying he didn't care/doesn't want to do this and that anyone who believes it is brainwashed.
He’s done it? And will continue to do it. What someone thinks privately doesn’t matter as much as what they do, at least when it comes to politics
I guess my wife was brainwashed into thinking that the student loan that she had been paying for 20 years and was still well into 6 figures was forgiven because of Biden.
Get the fuck out of here with your bullshit. This policy is giving relief to real people.
Alright... Your point being?
"I saw it on kbin so it must be true" lol ok
It is kbin...
Clearly Biden has an infinite money supply and could go around Congress at any moment. Why doesn't he just pay for all of it?
I don’t even get the logic here
Why is this college tuition money so hard for Biden to obtain when he is currently going over the head of a different branch of government to get large amounts of money. What's stopping him in this specific case? What works in the other case?
He literally tried to do this. He tried to push an executive order to go "over the head of different branch(es) of government".
"What's stopping him in this specific case?" The Supreme Court stopped him. You know, the judicial branch. It is one of those different branches of government. How did you miss this? It was all over the news.
Not sure what you’re getting at. when did he go outside of the legislative branch to get money?
He has done it before.
https://apnews.com/article/israel-arms-transfer-congressional-oversight-biden-4de7597913abe75429f9ef48ace9bd88
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/the-biden-administration-once-again-bypasses-congress-on-an-emergency-weapons-sale-to-israel
Lmfao
Edit: it's funny cuz it sounds familiar, hope he does but we'll see
It's okay, we understand you couldn't get into college to go into debt in the first place.
I just saw an ad for an industrial maintenance tech for $45/hr lmao.
Great job setting up your strawman, how would you like to position him next?
I wasn't making an argument, just a factual statement. You're welcome to infer from that whatever you wish.
So here's where I am.
I understand what you said was true, however, in my opinion it is not applicable to what was being discussed - ie attending college.
Yes. You do not need to go to college to have a well paying job.
However, there are jobs that do require college. Like being a doctor. Or molecular biologist. Or astronomer. Or engineer. Right?
Those are valid jubs, just like the job you've mentioned.
But just because you can get a job that doesn't require a degree, doesn't mean that jobs that do require a degree aren't worth getting.
And to get that degree - it costs too much money.
That's all I'm getting at.
Its not quite the right context yet, but I made this just in case.
I love that it looks like "biden" is the guy in the back and not the one shooting. Seems accurate for everyone blaming everything on Biden no matter what.
Also, that every single aspect of this gif is either opposite or irrelevant to the news. It's impressive.
Oh, just in time for another election...gee, what a coincidence.
And, if by some miracle, he doesn't lose to Trump, he'll be just fine and dandy when some "administrative/process complication" blocks it, just like last time.
You must have missed it. When he tried the first time, the Supreme Court stopped him. It wasn't a conspiracy by Biden's administration. And since then his administration has been successfully canceling student loan debt for certain subsections of the population.
That darn court, jeepers. If only Democrats had other levers of power at their disposal...gosh, just bad luck that they're always able to help out their donors, but just can't push through major legislation for the rest of us...
You mean the levers of power he's currently using? But I guess fuck Biden for doing exactly what your asking for. I swear like half this country has poo brains, and I'm not just talking about Republicans.
You clearly have no understanding of how the American political system works, and have not actually followed any actual domestic events.
I'm terrified that you have a right to vote. You're an idiot. Please go buy a gram of weed and bring it to your nearest police officer so you may be arrested and have your right to vote revoked. You do not deserve it.
I've probably worked on more campaigns than you've had election cycles. Both paid, and as a volunteer.
I'm not in the habit of sharing too many personal details online, but I will say that my background in statewide and national politics, specifically Democratic politics, made me actually laugh out loud when I read your comment.
Thanks for that.
This is a giant L take.
I hope you're young and this is your idealism talking, otherwise you're just delusional.
I've been through too many election cycles, and worked on enough campaigns, to see this as anything but the empty campaign rhetoric that it is.
But hey, please come back and rub this "L" in my face if that promised debt relief ever comes through.
Did you forget he started another legal process that is underway and takes time to complete?
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/30/biden-revive-student-debt-relief-00104482
Green Party US members, if elected in higher positions, could fight student debt even harder than Genocide Joe.
Shame the Green Party doesn't seem to care about any races other than President. Maybe a Green majority Congress could eliminate all debt, but having Congressional representation isn't a priority of theirs. It's rather telling.
Leave them alone, they're all Red Green colorblind.
"if" doing a lot of work here.
Making poor financial decisions should not be rewarded.
I agree. Then we should never bail out any industry without public ownership. Also having 2 part times to not pay benefits for one full time shouldn't be rewarded via public benefits for poor earners.
Until we do these things that affect the wealthier, we should get some more equity down here.
Edit: gosh I'm bad at wording this. Tldr: until we make a better plan to level the playing field: we need more and more equity.
I used to feel this way, until I heard how predatory the loans actually are. One woman on John Oliver's segment about it was paying a little over $700/month towards her student loans. Of that, only about $70 of it was actually going towards the principle of the loan, the rest was interest.
Another woman had paid $90k over ten years on her $80k in loans, and still owed $70k. That is just absolute horseshit, no other loan that I know of operates that way outside of payday loans, which an education loan should absolutely not be.
If he can't get the debts forgiven, they should at least cap the interest at no more than 2% so people can actually pay them off. Or make them dischargeable through bankruptcy, but something has to give. Until John Oliver's segment, I didn't realize how bad things were for a lot of people, and while I have no student loan debt (GI Bill for me, fortunately), I still feel for them.
Where is the utility in keeping people in a never ending cycle of student loan debt?
Come on now. Why won't somebody think of the economic parasites? :P
It does suck, but people who go to college know how much they're going to pay. If anything, they should consider starting at a community college. Specialized schools (e.g. nursing schools, pilot school, etc.) often come with higher costs, but people need to weigh the potential benefits against the expenses. Community colleges offer more affordable options for foundational coursework before transferring to a specialized school if needed. Also, a significant portion of students already recieve some form of financial aid.
We pressure teenagers as soon as they are old enough to take on debt to take a huge predatory loan, in a system where teaching personal finance is not a requirement of the education system. We tell kids growing up that their lives will be miserable if they don't go to college, and make them feel that there is no other rational choice but to take on debt.
The government backs this system that prohibits bankruptcy and traps young people in extreme debt before their adult lives have even begun, all so that lenders can make fortunes off of interest payments - lenders that include the government itself.
So, yes, you're right, terrible economic decisions like that should not be rewarded. Borrowers should be forgiven 100% and the lenders who created this mess should be kicked to the curb.