Without judging the merits, why is Student Debt Relief a civil rights issue?

[brooklynite]

Link to tweet

[dsc]

1. If it were to help close the racial wealth gap

then it would be a civil rights issue. I have to say, I am unconvinced of that premise.

[cinematicdiversions]

4. Well it will certainly do something to the racial wealthy gap.... NT

[bucolic_frolic]

2. I remain opposed to the whole idea

Unless or until they gift equal amounts to all those who didn't get a high priced college degree, and the benefits it delivers. Debt relief? Yes. Stretch it out, raise it in peak earning years, lower it early in life and late in life. But gifting that type of asset is just a pure giveaway, and it benefits the best and the brightest.

[Budi]

6. Biden on question of forgiving $50,000 student loan debt.

Link to tweet

The gaslighting question & the honest truthful reply.
He never said he'd forgive 50 grand. So why do they keep trying to hold him to it?

Because that's the game.

[helpisontheway]

14. He did say that he supported $10,000 relief. Nt

[Budi]

22. Yes he did! So why are they holding him to $50,000 now instead?

Its never enough.
They'll threaten to withold their vote if he doesn't meet their demands.
Now it's 50 grand or else?

Truth is, they'll withold their vote for the next failed populist promise of free stuff..and the next and the next.
Its never going to be gratitude & recognition for the man who they never advocated for in the 1st place. And never will, no matter what he gives them.
That's not their game plan.
Its about opposition.

[arlyellowdog]

7. I agree. It pisses people off

I’m trying to keep all my kids Democratic voters. They worked during college, took community college courses during the summer, and paid off college loans for their state schools. My son, especially, is annoyed some of his friends want their loans cancelled. I think the interest rate should be lowered instead. But this is the type of issue that Biden knows will result in resentment and loss of votes.

[ret5hd]

8. Think how unfair it is...

that people died of Covid before the vaccine! No one should get the vaccine before those people are answered to!

See how that sounds?

[cinematicdiversions]

3. Because it effects mostly white woman? NT

[JanMichael]

12. It impacts one group much worse than white women

https://www.equityinhighered.org/resources/ideas-and-insights/student-debt-the-unique-circumstances-of-african-american-students/

[VarryOn]

5. Not really enthused on this...

Worked my you-know-what to pay off mine, my wife's, and felt obligated to take care of son's. I'm good on giving people extra time, lower rates, or whatever.

[Act_of_Reparation]

10. i GoT mInE

[Effete Snob]

18. Paid mine and all my kids

And I don’t hate other people as much as some do, I guess.

My choices were my choices and I don’t begrudge anyone else getting a break.

How do you feel about people who win money on game shows?

[VarryOn]

24. Are game shows taxpayer supported?

If not, I have no issue with them.

[Effete Snob]

32. No, but your future social security is

And so is mine. And it depends on young people competing in a global economy and paying THEIR taxes which are going to support your ass and mine.

Sick of everyone thinking they live in a libertarian bubble. No other civilized country does this to its college students. None.

I’ll bet I pay more taxes than you do, too.

[VarryOn]

36. If you pay more in taxes than me, we're both in great shape for retirement...

I've maxed out my 401(k) contribution for most of my career, and even though I max out social security deductions each year, too, the 401(k) will far and away be my primary source of income. Social security will be a nice little add-on. After seeing my grandparents rely solely on social security, I vowed to never fall into that trap.

[tenderfoot]

23. I'm glad you got your degree when college was affordable back in 1970s

[VarryOn]

25. I was post-1970s...

That means after the 1970's.

But, still, point taken. It's much more expensive nowadays.

If the taxpayer is going to bear the burden, then they should have a say in what's being studied. Pay for STEM and education degrees and a few business ones. Useful majors. Cap the number of sociology, political science, art, etc majors. Want to major in philosophy? That's on your dime.

[marie999]

9. Pay down student debt by a form of community service.

For example, if you are a teacher, teach in the inner cities. So much of your debt is canceled each year.

[JanMichael]

11. Because of disproportionately impacts one group of people?

https://www.equityinhighered.org/resources/ideas-and-insights/student-debt-the-unique-circumstances-of-african-american-students/

So now you tell me is this a Civil Rights issue?

[NYC Liberal]

13. I would support forgiving an amount equal to the average cost

of 4 year in-state tuition at a public college in each person’s state. If you chose to go to a higher cost private school, you can pay the difference.

[Torchlight]

15. Is the ACLU arguing this as such in court?

Or is it just an editorial? I think the actual and substantive answer you're looking for lies in that difference.

[leftstreet]

26. No n/t

[maxsolomon]

16. He HAS delivered, where he could.

It's hard to be more "broad" without legislation. He's not a dictator.

[XRubicon]

17. "Student debt cancellation would help close the racial wealth gap"

"Student debt cancellation would help close the racial wealth gap"

[iemanja]

21. For one round

then the result would be future students would never be able to get loans because the banks won't be offering them.

[ret5hd]

33. I don't think you understand how this works...

or, possibly, i don’t.

The banks get paid. The loans aren’t defaulted on, they are paid.

[iemanja]

34. Oh, I didn't realize that.

[Xolodno]

19. Given that the loans can follow you to the grave,

it is a form of indentured servitude.

[mcar]

20. Have to say I'm wondering about that myself

[Mary in S. Carolina]

27. Women and People of Color have

much less opportunity and are paid much less on the dollar then their white male counterparts and the Federal Government has been well aware of this for years.

If, a women or person of color, is getting only 5% of the opportunity and paid 70 cents on the dollar compared to men, then yes this is a civil rights issue.

Women and persons of color should pay (5% x .7) x the cost of a white man's education. Biden needs to go ahead and explain this to the public and then relieve all college debt. Also, Jimmy Carter relieved student loan debt up to 50% and it was a "huge" success.

Note: Most of these discriminatory loans were guaranteed by the federal government

[brooklynite]

28. But that principle could apply to any economic policy being considered by the Federal Government.

None of which the ACLU has taken a position on.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

30. Just because the ACLU has not taken a position

does not mean it won't in the future and I would not be surprised if the NAACP takes a position. I understand that life is not fair, but most economics policies do not financially strap minorities, for life, like student loans.

In addition, if the self-proclaimed wealthiest, most educated, brightest and the best "Trump and Romney" can file bankruptcy, then why can't someone who signed a predatory loan when they were 18 years old? Student Loans are Predatory.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

29. The ACLU wrote a whole article about this issue, which you can read here:

https://www.aclu.org/news/racial-justice/student-debt-is-a-racial-justice-issue-heres-what-president-biden-can-do-to-help/

To understand the systemic issues rooted in the student debt crisis, we must start with its history. Though we have normalized the idea that students must take on debt for college, historically students benefited from broad public investment in higher education. However, not all students benefited equally: Black students had little access to GI Bill benefits and, even a decade after Brown v. Board of Education (1954), predominately white institutions (PWIs) in many states resisted integration and equal treatment. Further, state and federal governments continued to inadequately and inequitably fund historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) despite the high-quality opportunities they provided and the critical function they performed for Black students and communities. This created and cemented the racial wealth and resource gap in institutions of higher education.

It was in this context that Congress and President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Higher Education Act of 1965. Recognizing the value of broad higher education access, Johnson hoped the legislation would open the doors of opportunity to everyone, especially Black students and other students of color, through Pell Grants and other subsidies.

Yet by the end of the 20th century, just as Black and Brown students and women gained entry after decades-long legal battles and social struggles, reactionary policymakers shifted the significant costs of higher education from the public to individual families. What had been considered a public good when it was predominantly for white men, became a public burden to be shifted to families.

This shift away from public financing, which accelerated after the Great Recession, led to predictable and damaging results: Today the cost of higher education is beyond imagination. It is out of reach for most families, especially Black and Brown students, unless they agree to unsustainable debt. In effect, we are perpetuating the ugly legacy of redlining and housing discrimination by requiring the same Black families that were historically denied wealth to take on a greater debt burden than their white peers.

There are plenty of facts readily available as well, with a quick web search. Such as:

The racial disparity in student loan debt remains prevalent for Black people, based on research released in November 2019 by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The researchers found that people in Black-majority neighborhoods were more likely to pay for college through borrowing, with 23 percent of Black residents taking out student loans. However, that figure drops to 17 percent among people in Latino-majority neighborhoods and 14 percent in white-majority areas.

and

Black voters hold higher education in higher esteem than the public at large, according to the survey’s findings, “given the perception that it is a ladder to socioeconomic success and that Black families and households are less likely to inherit wealth.” But the impressions largely haven’t aligned with the outcomes for Black people, who have been exploited or shut out of many economic programs and opportunities due to the persistent impact of slavery, the Jim Crow era, redlining, predatory lending and banking discrimination.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

31. Thank you WhiskeyGrinder

Evidently the ACLU has taken a position.

[displacedtexan]

35. Predatory Lending has to be abolished.

Payday loans and a closely related product, auto title loans—both heavily advertised and marketed—offer fast cash or quick approval while downplaying the fact that the terms of these loans carry a hefty price. Not only are these types of loans far more expensive than most other financial products—charging interest rates 10 times to 20 times higher than a typical credit card—but rather than serving as a lifeline, they are often a leaky life vest drowning families in debt and sinking them into financial ruin.

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/how-predatory-debt-traps-threaten-vulnerable-families/