Student debtors refuse to pay back loans: 'I'm not gonna feed this monster anymore'

[Demovictory9]

https://nypost.com/2022/11/19/four-student-debtors-tell-why-they-refuse-to-pay-back-loans/


Halted at the beginning of the pandemic, monthly loan bills are set to resume in January unless the pause is extended for a ninth time. But current and former students, including one who owes a staggering $118,000, said the looming payments are simply above their pay grades, especially in post-pandemic America.


_____


Yazan Alswaeer, 38, of New Castle, Pennsylvania
Total debt: $118,000

Occupation: IT system administrator

Education: Pittsburgh Technical College; Capella University

Prior monthly payment: n/a


Alswaeer expects to receive his master’s degree in information technology in December, some nine years after the Jordanian native arrived in the United States. The proposed $20,000 relief would’ve been a drop in the single father’s debt bucket, but now he’s desperately emailing the White House for help. “I have no plan,” Alswaeer told The Post. “My plan is I am not going to make payments.” Biden’s campaign promise to forgive tuition-related federal student debt was the “only reason” Alswaeer voted for the Democrat.

“With the school debt that I have, there’s no way I will ever think about buying a house or settling down,” he said. “It hurts seeing many Americans suffering financially while a great country such as ours has the resources it needs to make every American live a decent life.”


_______


Nicholas Linkey, 31, of Providence, Utah
Total debt: $25,000

Occupation: Unemployed

Education: Utah State University; University of the People

Prior monthly payment: $300

Linkey said he’s “had enough” of the whirlwind debt rigmarole and says Biden could easily cancel the total debt using executive action granted in the Higher Education Act of 1965, but “never really intended” to do so, he said. Linkey also wants to see loans fully dischargeable in all bankruptcy cases rather than in cases where borrowers can prove their payments cause undue hardship.

“Absolutely not,” Linkey said when asked if he’ll buck up and pay. “I’m not gonna feed this monster anymore. I’m done. This loan thing is done.”

[krawhitham]

1. Bet it doesn't end well for them

[jimfields33]

2. What a bunch of entitled people.

They act like it was forced on them. They filled out the forms. they got the money. time to pay the piper. Millions of people have paid off their loans. Its time for these two to stand up and do the same.

[EYESORE 9001]

5. Going into default on a federal student loan gets the balance doubled

Credit score disappears into a financial black hole and wage garnishment is a real possibility unless arrangements are made.

[Mosby]

26. The can't garnish his wages in Jordan.

[Orrex]

53. I didn't even think of that.

Road trip!

[Srkdqltr]

3. These people went to college to get an education to be able to get a high paying job.

Why are they not ? Seems like they were sold the college education fib. A degree does not get a high paying job?
An IT system administrator should be able to pay off a 118,000 loan.
Why is the other one with the 25,000 loan not working?

I'm not criticizing, there seems to be a problem between education and job availability??

[GoodRaisin]

17. Incurring $118K in student debt to become an IT Administrator seems like a scam in itself.

Or, perhaps stupidity.

Seriously? With IT education available at community colleges?

[MichMan]

36. Borrowing $118K to be an IT Administrator makes me think the person wasn't very smart to begin with

[Demanchor]

4. Yazan Alswaeer said

“ tuition-related federal student debt was the “only reason” Alswaeer voted for the Democrat.” If he has voted Republican until now it’s partially his fault the judges who are preventing this were selected. I’m glad he voted correctly once. His disregard for who’s actually at fault right now shows he has no understanding of how our government works. It also looks as if he’s not willing to learn.

Republicans want debtors prison back en vogue. I wonder if this man understands how a person from Jordon will be treated if he continues to vote Republican while not paying his debt.

[MichMan]

6. Even if he got the $10k or $20k forgiveness, he says he won't pay back any of it.

In his view, all $118k should be forgiven and he is responsible for none of it.

I dont recall the president ever promising that 100% of all student loan debt would be forgiven.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

8. State college was free in the 70's

The republicans dont want an educated population they want them ignorant and in debt up to thier eyebrows.

Tuition has become price gouging.

What if all the college students refused to pay thier debts at the same time. Cant arrest everybody.. it might actually make college affordable.

Kind of like what if they called a war and nobody came.


Getting a degree has diminished in its value via crippling debt.

Some times you have defy the laws to make things change.

We have been playing capitalism and this old zero sum game for far too long.It is now threatening our existance. End the some has more than 100 lifetimes of money and others have none.

No one deserves to be rich,also no one deserve crippling debts.
No more lucky sperm club.

Not paying tuition gets colleges attention like nothing else.

The rich have been at war against us forever.
Why cant we fight back against rich peoples oppressive class war?
Because thats what it is class warfare.
The rich started it.

[Fullduplexxx]

9. It wasn't free

[debm55]

16. I went to Penn State--it wasn't free. I went from 1973 -1978.However, tuition was lower and there

Last edited Mon Nov 21, 2022, 11:55 PM - Edit history (1)

were opportunities to get grants and workstudy programs. Also, college loans for teachers were forgiven for every you taught in a low income school.But the cost of living was different--min wage. 2.40.hour.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

24. Community collages

Were free my sister went to harford
community college free and so did my sister.In the 70's. It was not a college that gave you advanced degrees.
You needed to go to a bigger college and pay the college if you wanted a masters or Ph.d.
My sister has a masters in biology.
My other sister has a bachelor's degree.
Me,I got mycoplasma incognito and I got so sick I couldn't attend class for like 2 months. I never got my degree.

However by time I went to community college I needed a pell grant. That was in the 80's

Maybe it was only maryland that offered it. I dunno.

[MichMan]

35. You said State Colleges were all free, not Community Colleges

State colleges like University of Maryland, University of Baltimore, Towson, and St Mary's were not free in the 70's, were they?

[I_UndergroundPanther]

42. No I made a

Mistake putting in state colleges
I originally meant community colleges.

Nowadays there is tuition for community colleges.

[debm55]

46. Depending an Associates Degree or Bachelors Degree, Community Colleges in PA were never free. They

were for 2 year programs or 2 years and switch to a local college that would accept the credits. Maybe Different states have different policies on their Community collages. Does anyone know the community college in your state. I know at one time in California, some 4 year schools were free.

[Genki Hikari]

54. It was very much cheaper

Because, essentially, GOVERNMENT GAVE COLLEGE STUDENTS A HANDOUT by directing lots of tax dollars to allay the costs (TUITION) of higher education.

You got government money for school without even having to ask for it, and now you want to deny these young people what was literally handed to you.

The hypocrisy is astounding.

[debm55]

67. Genki, nothing was handed to me Everything was paid by me-tuition ,housing,books.etc and worked 40

Last edited Tue Nov 22, 2022, 12:17 AM - Edit history (1)

hours a week while going full time to college,I went looking for money.-me-not my parents. Your hypocrisy is also. Did you go to college in the 70's we paid. When professors were tenured the cost went up.

[MichMan]

11. Gas, grocery and housing prices are ridiculous too

What if everybody said they weren't going to pay for gas, and just filled up and drove off without paying ?

What if people revolted against high food prices by filling up their carts and skipping the checkouts ?

What if everyone decided they were no longer going to pay mortgages, rent, and property taxes ?

[I_UndergroundPanther]

25. That would sure get their attention

Remember 3 or so days after 9/11 Bush got on tv telling everyone to go out and shop ?

We together have awesome power over the rich parasites we could end this shit. In a matter of days. By simply not shopping
For 2 or 3 days.

[MichMan]

32. What would happen on the 4th day?

[I_UndergroundPanther]

43. Our demands

Might be done. After a week it could be more.2 weeks they'd go on tv like bush did begging us to go out and buy stuff.
And there could be lots of changes we want,done.

Ultimately the rich are dependant on us.
We have forgotten the magnitude of our collective power.

[GoodRaisin]

19. I doubt he's voted at all until he thought he might get something for himself.

Doubt he’s the civic minded type. He doesn’t seem to be particularly interested in anything except that which benefits himself. Nine years of school for an IT degree costing $118K of loans he’s never intended to repay kind of speaks to his character. He could have gotten an IT education at a 2 year community college and then worked his way up.

It sounds like he and his predatory lender were meant to dance together.

[debm55]

61. I agree. He is in Beaver County and can go the Community Collage of Beaver county. There are at

4 in each county. I looked it up , price for books, room and board ( which he wouldn't need ) is between 7.000 and 9,000 per year. Add that it is a two year program(which I also looked up. And he should be talking about 20,000-25.000 total. I am not living in the past. Capalla is a sham school, ITT is a sham school. He was taken.

[TexasBushwhacker]

37. My guess is that most of his debt is from PRIVATE Capella University

An IT administrator should be able to make substantial payments on the student loans. So should an MD. But like any other kind of loan, you have to make paying it off a priority. You can't just make minimum payments.

I graduated with my BSEd in 1981 with about $5K of student loan debt because I took 5 years to complete my degree and my parents would only pay for 4. $5K is the equivalent of about $16K now. My 1st year teaching salary was $15,200. I had a part time job at a department store that I had worked at every summer when I was in college. Minimum wage was $3.35, but I made $5 an hour because of my experience. I worked 2 nights a week and a full shift on Saturdays. I worked full time in the summer. I got my loan paid off in 5 years. You just have to do what you have to do.

[debm55]

48. Texas, PennState had and still has Branch campuses throughout the state. Since my parents refused to

pay anything, I went to the branch campus. I paid the same tutition as those at University Park, but did not have the cost of housing. The longest you could go to a branch campus was 2 years depending on your Major. As a nursing student I was a student at PSU Allegheny for 1 and a half years. What bothers me the most about the guy from PA is that all counties in PA have there own community colleges. I live about 2 miles from CCAC Community College of Allegheny County. There is CCWC -Community Clollege of Washington County etc. Sounds like he saw way too many commercials for Capella.
By the way, I switched from nursing to teaching. So it also took me 5 years total. When I graduated in 1978, my first teaching job paid me 4,000 a year. BSED and was applying for Food Stamps. I was turned down because I made too much money.

[Genki Hikari]

56. Are you aware of the costs of colleges now

Even if you live at home?

Two years of community college will still cost $6,000 or more in tuition alone, never mind the fees and books that get piled on top of that. Then there's the expense of supplies you need to take classes, transportation, and so on.

All in all, a two-year community college education will typically cost around $14,000.

And that's BEFORE transferring to a (much more expensive) 4-year school. The tuition there will usually cost $11,000 per year at even the cheapest of state universities. And again, that's before adding in fees and books and all the rest. You can expect the last two years of a bachelor's degree to cost a minimum of $40,000--and that's if you live at home with your parents.

$54K is the lowball price of a bachelor's degree these days for someone living with their parents throughout college.

And that's IF they're lucky enough to live someplace that has a community college AND a four-year university. Not everyone does, you know.

Those kids who live in education deserts have to pay even more for their educations, to cover room and board. Care to guess what their costs look like? Since many community colleges today don't have dorms or the like, they usually have to go to a four-year campus. That's when your degree can easily cost $27,750, at even a low-cost state university.

PER YEAR.

That's $111,000 to get a bachelor's.

You cannot compare what it cost to go to school in your day to what it costs now. The two experiences aren't even remotely in the same ballpark.

[Mosby]

58. None of what you wrote is true.

You're just making up numbers.

[Genki Hikari]

62. Yes, it is.

Costs of a community college education at Alamo Community Colleges:

https://www.alamo.edu/admission--aid/paying-for-college/tuition-and-fees/cost-of-attendance/

That was for last year. This next year will be more. I saw the updated figure in a printed data sheet from the college, but I can't find it online.

Costs of ONE YEAR's education at University of Texas San Antonio:

https://onestop.utsa.edu/financialaid/cost-of-attendance/2022-2023-cost-of-attendance/

These are the colleges my son and/or his future wife attended.

I do know what I'm talking about here.

[Mariana]

87. I noticed the poster who said you were lying hasn't bothered to apologize.

Thank you for providing those links.

[debm55]

68. Community college runs in Beaver county runs between 7,000 and 9,000 per year.they have a 2 year

program for IT That is 2 years long

[TexasBushwhacker]

74. He did not go to Penn State. He went to Pittsburgh Technical College

It turns out, like Capella, it is PRIVATE and tuition is higher than a state supported school. I don't know why he chose these schools, but I still maintain that an IT Administrator should be able to make payments on his debt.

There are MDs, dentists, chiropractors that have student loan debt, sometimes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. You can see a list here:

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/10/05/2021-21648/list-of-borrowers-who-have-defaulted-on-their-health-education-assistance-loans

[debm55]

76. Right he did and the Pittsburgh Technical College is a rip of college. He could have gotten the same

Last edited Mon Nov 21, 2022, 11:46 PM - Edit history (1)

training at a CCBC Community College of Beaver County for 2 years training for 20,000. Why did he go to a private school. And the other goes to the People' s College. WTH. I brougth up Penn State because it was brought up that bommers got free turition. I did not. I wanted to go to college and I picked the one that was going to be in my price range., I picked that had a satellite college close to me, so my Scholarship paid for the first year. I wanted to go to Pratt. Too expensive. So I went to PSU and worked my ass off. Bummers were not handed anything by the government. I resent posters saying they did. I paid off my loans in a year making 4,000 a year, not month. People need to look at the cost of living back then too--my workstudy job paid me 2.40 an hour. The only people who got free tution were the Vets. Excuse me for ranting, but those two examples in the OP did not make wise choices.

[Genki Hikari]

63. Look up your college's cost of attendance today

I think you'll learn that someone racking up well over $50K in student loans won't be unusual. Or that most of them won't be able to work to pay for school. It won't happen.

Y'all really don't understand how expensive a college education is now, even at a state university.

Here, take a look at the current yearly cost of attendance at my DIL's alma mater--for a BACHELOR's degree:

https://onestop.utsa.edu/financialaid/cost-of-attendance/2022-2023-cost-of-attendance/

Very few people can afford to pay that with even a full-time job while going to school. Hell, there are people working full-time who don't make what it costs to attend that college. And that's one of the cheaper four-year state universities.

[MichMan]

69. Tuition would drop if people decided they weren't going to go.

[treestar]

75. Yeah, as if had he not voted for him

Trump would have forgiven them? That is what is wrong with that kind of thinking.

I sympathize and think they all should be cancelled, but it is a big ask. The least they could do is not act so entitled!

[debm55]

77. Agree

[Celerity]

7. de rec Why are you posting the Murdoch RW rag NY Post with a RW-framed shitstir article?

What's next, Fox News?

[noahx]

27. It's a good article

Is true anything in it that you consider right wing propaganda?

[Celerity]

30. no it is not, it is a RW shit stir piece, hand selected outliers designed to produce maximal outrage

unbelievable Rupert Murdoch is being given a voice and now defended here




welcome to DU, you have been here 3 days and you are already repping Murdoch

[KS Toronado]

72. I agree!

[Sympthsical]

28. No source too sus for instigating lawn evictions

When some people looked at Japan's demographic bomb and thought, "We should do that here!"

[roamer65]

10. Default on student loans is bad news for them.

The Dept of Education will garnish their wages and the default will trash their credit.

[leftyladyfrommo]

12. I was just going to say that not paying the debt is not a

good idea. Can't buck the system that way. You just get yourself into a world if hurt.

Write letters, carry signs.

[mackdaddy]

13. I think these School Loans are in the same class or worse than Payday Loans.

The Republicans under Bush 2 set these loan programs up. They are the only type of debt that you can never get out of through bankruptcy. Once you sign up for these things you are an basically an indentured servant for life. They will garnish your Social Security if you live that long for them. The interest rates are higher than mortgages and way higher than the bank prime rates. If you stop paying then the interest keeps accruing and your loan balance skyrockets. For life. With the interest the "student" will pay these institutions many times what they initially borrowed. And many if not most of these students were still teens or early 20's when they signed their life away for an "education".

I taught in a 2 year technical program from 2010 to 2012. The "state" college made it exceedingly easy for the students to sign up for these loans as the college got most of the money. Of course they were also getting money for their living expenses. Many of my students had 40 or 50 thousand dollars of loans from a two year program. My first degree was a two year technical degree in the 70s. I paid for it as I went with a minimum wage job. The state at that time paid 70% of the colleges budget and 30% came from tuition. Those numbers are flipped now.

These loans are basically a scam and the Republican states fighting Biden's forgiveness program are claiming it is depriving the banks of all of the interest they would be making. I think that these loans should be given the same interest rates that the banks pay the fed.

Oh and by the way a certain former president declared bankruptcy 6 times to get out of his debts, and dozens of politicians and corporations had their PPP Covid loans just forgiven. But hey they are special and above the laws of commoners.

[MichMan]

14. The Federal government took over student loan program in 2010 as direct lenders as part of the ACA.

You should probably take a look at who voted for the Affordable Care Act before you call them scammers

[mackdaddy]

15. But it is a complicated web of loan and payment processors.

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/081216/who-actually-owns-student-loan-debt.asp

[I_UndergroundPanther]

31. Correct.

Orange bloat is too stupid and sociopathic to go to college. He had daddy's money so he afford to live an opulent lifestyle without needing to earn more money via a college degree. He used grifting blackmail, predatory capitalistic methods ,crime and bullying to get money,still does
it to get more money to this day.

[Mariana]

33. Often it's the parents manipulating the students into taking out the loans.

I've seen that happen with some of my daughters' friends. The kids are pressured first into choosing an expensive school (so the parents can brag), and then the parents demand that the students take out loans to help pay for it.

[debm55]

79. I took out a regular bank loan. I paid for it all, parents not a cent.

Looking back, I followed my dream, went to the college I wanted, paid for it, and am proud of myself.

[Lucid Dreamer]

81. Damn toot'n. You should be proud. A big pat on the back for you. n/t

[debm55]

83. . I worked 40 hrs a week and went to college full time. Yea a big pat on the

Last edited Tue Nov 22, 2022, 02:20 PM - Edit history (1)

back for me. Did you go to college? Asking for a friend.Sorry, tuition when up when profesors got tenure and everyoune wanted to go..I am not mad, thank you for the apology. Also, was running from a physical and sexual house, so I would have done anything to leave and make a new for myself.

[Lucid Dreamer]

85. My apology, deb.

Perhaps I worded my "pat on the back" poorly.
My intent was to compliment you.
Sorry.

[debm55]

86. Lucid, thank you very much for the apology.-

I came a toxic, physically and sexually abusive family. I would sold my soul away and work my ass off to get away from them.

[Samrob]

18. Trump and his cult gave us all a master class in how to ignore the law. nt

[Takket]

20. employers are short staffed everywhere.

they can not pay if they want but they are only going to make their finances worse by not doing so. if you signed the papers you pay it back.

i won't argue that the cost of college is INSANE now because universities just charge whatever they want but if you willingly sign up for "INSANE", you made that choice.

[Orrex]

21. When I had trouble with my loans, the lender was very helpful

They said "you can pay X per month, or we'll take X from your paycheck each month."

These dissenters have my sympathy, but they're fooling themselves if they think that this effort will accomplish anything. Unless the borrowers are lucky enough to die or be permanently & totally disabled, then the usurious lenders will get paid.

Having finally paid off my student loans after repaying the borrowed sum several times over, I'm disappointed to see fellow Progressives chanting the rightward mantra about "you took out the loan, you have to repay it." That sentiment totally ignores the reality of the multi-billion dollar predatory student loan industry and punishes teenagers for failing to accurately predict the job market ten years in the future--when professional prognosticators can't predict more than four or five weeks in advance, at best.

Nothing would please me more than to see massive loan forgiveness across the board, even though I wouldn't personally benefit from such amnesty.

[SlimJimmy]

22. I must respectfully disagree.

Massive loan forgiveness is not free. Who would actually pay for it? Even though you and I have paid off our loans (years ago I presume), why should we now be on the hook, as taxpayers, for another person's debt? That's not a RW talking point, it's a common sense question. Remember that the "loan industry" will just continue to raise rates if they think they will get government largesse in the end.

Nothing would please me more than to see massive loan forgiveness across the board, even though I wouldn't personally benefit from such amnesty.

[Orrex]

23. Those are indeed the exact criticisms that Biden has had to fend off from the Right

Don't like forgiveness? Ok, then let's do the following:

1. Lenders must publish amortization schedules when they make the loans, so that the victim can see how a $10,000 loan can bloat into $70,000 or more.

2. Set tuition caps at all state universities & tie them to inflation, even if that means cutting the precious salaries of the basketball and football coaches

3. Make the loans subject to bankruptcy. Lenders would be less likely to prey on their victims if they knew that the victims had an escape route that doesn't involve death or total permanent disability.

4. If you balk at #3, then make the fees, penalties, and interest subject to bankruptcy. Let the victims repay the principle without being inescapably crushed under decades of debt that is, by design, unable to be repaid.

Ultimately, forgiveness is the answer, and honestly I don't give a hoot about "what about me" objections. If we lived in a developed nation, this wouldn't even be an issue because tuition would be free.

[SlimJimmy]

44. I agee with all your points. But prefer #4 over #3

4. If you balk at #3, then make the fees, penalties, and interest subject to bankruptcy. Let the victims repay the principle without being inescapably crushed under decades of debt that is, by design, unable to be repaid.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

29. Capitalism

By its nature is predatory and exploitative. Its a caste system people refuse to see is real and impacting our
lives. The people acting together in tandem these rich parasites would meet our demands because like addicts they'd be in money withdrawal

It would only take a few days of doing nothing and not shopping to actually change the system. And it would change pretty fast.

Remember when bush got on tv a few days after 9/11 telling people to go out and shop?

[brooklynite]

50. Do you have an alternative?

[MichMan]

34. The examples given don't seem to fit teenagers not being able to predict the job market.

"That sentiment totally ignores the reality of the multi-billion dollar predatory student loan industry and punishes teenagers for failing to accurately predict the job market ten years in the future--when professional prognosticators can't predict more than four or five weeks in advance, at best."

3 of the 4 are employed in the field they chose. One is an IT professional with a masters, one is working in Special Education, and the 3rd is a Business Analyst for state government.

As far as the one who is unemployed, there is no mention of what his field of study was/is. It would be one thing to be underemployed and working in lower skill jobs that don't relate to your chosen career path, but nothing ? In today's labor market I have no sympathy for someone of his age who claims they can't find a job at all. All I can figure is that he thinks working for a living like everyone else is beneath him.

There is no indication that the others can't pay, just that they have decided not to. They make it sound like if they don't receive the $10k forgiveness that they refuse to pay anything. I would love an explanation by the IT professional why he refuses to pay a dime on a $118k debt, but if it was reduced to $108K, he would?

[Orrex]

38. I'm discussing more than the people in the article.

Because the problem is much bigger than the people in the article.

The article's ultimate purpose, it seems, is to generate sympathy for the predatory lenders, and to that end it presents these particular borrowers as if they're representative of all borrowers, the vast majority of whom are not working in their chosen fields and are not able to repay.

For that matter, many who are working in their chosen field are making much less than they were led to believe they would. In addition to my recommendations above, I'd also say that state colleges and universities should be legally obligated to give realistic, verifiable income projections for the majors that they offer. And those colleges & universities should be required to have a fiduciary agent whose obligation is to protect the students' financial interests against the predatory industry.

"The students should research their majors first," those on the Right predictably object.

Hell, my advisor assured 17 year old me that a degree in English would put me on the fast track to wealth and prosperity.

It's not reasonable to expect minors with no financial training--from families whose members have no financial training-to make inescapable life-long financial decisions, even if the four in the article are in a position to pay back their loans.

[MichMan]

39. The vast majority of student loan borrowers are not working in their chosen field and unable to pay?

Where did you find those statistics ?

If that is the case, the only sensible thing to do is to end the student loan program entirely and only let people of means attend college.

You would think that people smart enough to graduate from our top universities would be able to research the average salaries for a given field of study in just a few minutes on the internet
I guess they're not all that bright after all.

I have sympathy for those who may have dropped out, but not those who claim they were somehow duped into borrowing for the major they choose. Makes more sense to figure out why college costs are so high to begin with vs. letting colleges charge whatever they want and lending people obscene amounts.

[Orrex]

40. Yeah, I've heard that response from a particular side of the aisle.

Of all the people I know whose degrees aren't in legal/technical/scientific fields, almost none are working in their chosen field, and quite a few with legal/technical/scientific degrees aren't either. And of those who *are* in their chosen fields, they're making substantially less than they were led to expect. If that doesn't satisfy you, then I'd suggest that you expand your social circle beyond those who simply confirm your assumptions.

If that is the case, the only sensible thing to do is to end the student loan program entirely and only let people of means attend college.

Well, if that's your view, then I'll waste no more time on you.

[MichMan]

41. I worked all day and attended Engineering classes at night while supporting myself

I had a friend who was considering Engineering (he never would have made it) and changed to Journalism because he told me that a journalist like Sam Donaldson made substantially more than an average Engineer. He ended up covering local city council meetings for a free newspaper and after leaving that job, eventually started a one man window washing business.

As you might guess, I'm not in favor of lending students whatever amount their dream college charges regardless of cost, with blanklet forgiveness. All that results in giving the colleges a blank check to charge whatever they like, and then sticking taxpayers with the bill.

[SlimJimmy]

45. It seems that when we want the borrower to repay the loan, then

we are parroting RW talking points. Like you, I worked full time and went to college at night. It was a bitch, to say the least.

[Genki Hikari]

59. When even the "cheap" higher education options

will cost you anywhere from $54,000-$111,000 to get a Bachelor's degree, there isn't a lot of "dream school" involved here, so knock off that BS accusation.

Maybe with the first two years at a community college you could work and afford school, too, but very few people will have the kind of jobs that enable them to afford even a cheap state university. Not with the costs of higher education running over $25K/year at a minimum. Do you realize how many people working full-time don't make that much at all? Do you think someone who is 19 or 20 is going to pull down college costs of today working full time at Best Buy or at Mickey Ds?

This is what all of you "i did it all myself back in the Dark Ages" types DO NOT UNDERSTAND about college costs today. The costs of college are far--FAR--higher than people can afford without loans, but too many jobs now require college degrees to get any kind of decent-paying job at all. Students today make a choice now based on, "well, let's hope I get a job that can enable me to pay the loans." Because the alternative of not going to college often means working at a $25K a year type of job for life. Opportunities for high paying jobs aren't often available to most people without college degrees, you know. Electricians, plumbers--yeah, but not everyone can do those jobs.

And never mind how hypocritical it is for people who were lucky enough to go to college when government largesse helped allay the costs of their tuition to begrudge kids today for wanting their government to help them allay the costs of their higher education.

A government handout, however indirect, was good enough for you, but these kids today can just suck it up and pay the predatory lenders, amirite?

[MichMan]

64. Drive the costs for college down then so they are more affordable

Instead people want to just let people borrow astronomical amounts of money to pay whatever the colleges want to charge.

Nobody seems to want to address the root cause of tuition increasing substantially above what is warranted by inflation. If anything, forgiveness just allows costs to go even higher.

I can't believe the number of people that support someone getting a masters degree in IT and likely making a great salary, just deciding he isn't going to pay back a dime of it. The Special Education teacher in the article said her payment was going to be $349 per month and she wasn't going to pay it. That's a whopping $80 per week or $11 per day. Does she truly believe her education wasn't worth $11 per day ?

[debm55]

78. Then they would be eligible for federal and state grants. I got my loan at my bank. why are they

going to predatory lenders? You are not taking into account that for many we were paid the minimum wage of 2.40 per hour. I understand where you are coming from. But in the 60's and 70's Our tutition was alot to me. But when I signed that that loan paper as a legal adult, I did it knowing I would pay it back. As stated earlier, I took the first teaching job I was offered/ Paid 4000 a year not month. And guess what I paid it back. Because I didn't want any creditors coming to my home. Tutition has gone up because people have been conditioned to believe college is a necessity. Hell, now for a teaching job, a Master's is a necessity. Students need to rethink their idea of entering college is the golden ring. It isn't. Never was and never will be. When colleges realize that students are not flocking to them in mass, they will change. The Art Institute in Pittsburgh closed it's doors a few years ago because of the lack of students for their high price.

[debm55]

80. Woodworking, masonry, electricians, plumbers, etc can be taught through an apprenticeship program or

or vocational school.Most are union jobs. Why are these students not using their regular banks or the credit union for loans?

[debm55]

82. Why do you keep repeating that story about a government handout. It wasn't . Question , did you go

Last edited Tue Nov 22, 2022, 02:17 PM - Edit history (1)

to college in the 70's? If so , did you take advantage of the government handout that we were supposed to have gotten. I f not, please source the material you are referencing where college was free. Because it is not true. Tuition was lower but the wages were lower. I must of missed that handout, gee I wished I would have known.

[debm55]

89. Have you ever attended a college? I have asked before and gotten no response. Also, why is it that

you group up as old timers, Boomers, Dark Age people, Yes, I fell that college costs have gone up, but what is your alternative.should Harvard, Yale, and Cornell be the same price (free) as PSU, OSU, etc. I benifited ffrom a 3 year whip out of my loans by teaching in a low income area. One college for my Masters was associated with my school so I got half tuition. But i had to be teaching during the day. I favor the workstudy programs, community service work even while still in college. There are ways to work within the system. You say your DIL is a teacher, she can do away with the money owed by working in a low income area. Teachers make a lot more money now, then I did. As a Dark Ager I made 4.000 a year. I also don't like that you are grouping us older folks in ageism, when truth be told many of us worked hard.

[ck4829]

47. "will accomplish anything" - Maybe that isn't even the point

The jobs and careers from these expensive educations aren't manifesting, what a bachelor's degree got you a generation ago, employers are now demanding a PhD.

Maybe people are just getting tired of playing pretend with pretend money.

[Orrex]

52. Well, I meant that it won't accomplish anything even for themselves

At some point the lenders will simply go after these borrowers' wages, whether or not the borrowers decide to pay.

That's the nature of the predatory industry.

[brooklynite]

49. Maybe he'll set up a GOFUNDME to cover his legal costs?

[KentuckyWoman]

51. The Trump approach.

Borrow. Get what you want out of it. Then walk out on your creditors.

Which does not diminish the fact education costs are ridiculously out of hand, and wages have not kept up. It is in this country's best interest to have a well educated citizenry. The system is broken.

But you cannot just walk out on your creditors. One way or another, it is going to get paid.

[Genki Hikari]

60. Then pay it the way it was paid for the boomers

Use government money to pay it off. If it was okay for boomers to get cheap educations thanks to government covering the lion's share of their tuition, then it's good enough for everyone else.

[debm55]

73. But it wasn't paid for the boomers.. There are numerous posters on this thread that stated that. We

worked full time and went to school. I myself worked the 3rd shift and came home and got ready to attend classed for a whole year. No one even the government handed me anything. The remaining time, I worked 40 hours a week in the dinning hall. and still went to school full time. When I finally graduated, I received a book 3 inches wide to use the receipts inside when I paid my Bank loan off. I did get three years of from paying when I taught in a low income area. Maybe the government needs to bring back that program.

[debm55]

84. Have you gone to school in the 70"s I have asked you numerous times to post a link showing that

govenment paid for our tuition or even the lion's share. Where are your facts that this is true? Or is it hear say? Beccause it is not true that it was free. The only person I know who got free tuition at Pitt was my cousin, who became a dentist BUT had to give 3 years of service in the military afterwards.

[ZonkerHarris]

55. This is Rupert Murdoch's NY POST using the issue to attack Biden. This is GOP talking points

Thanks for doing their propaganda work for them

Thread trashed.

[Celerity]

57. +1

[ecstatic]

70. Yeah, the narratives that were posted in this OP

aren't going to garner much sympathy. Huh? You came to this country, racked up loans for God knows what and then claim you only voted for "the Democrat" to have your loans forgiven? How will the average person feel after reading that?

[Iggo]

71. Well, if they never get a real job, they're safe.

But if they do, I know how this ends…at least how it ended for me.

New job.
They find you.
Negotiate a payment plan. (Not much of a negotiation, if I remember correctly…lol.)
Pay that for a year.
Rehabilitate the loan.
Pay it off.

Or don’t, and see what happens.

[debm55]

88. It is not that I disagree that college prices have gone up. What I disagree with is saying that

those that attended in the 70's got it for free or had government handouts. There are many reasons for the price increase. And there are many solutions. However, as one who graduated in 1978, saying it was free is not what happened. As mentioned earlier, I taught in a low income area for 3 years which meant I had 3 years taken off of my loan.Maybe that could be a solution--using community service to lessen the loan. Just thinking.