Discussion: Warren Unveils Sweeping Plan To Cancel Student Debt, Provide Free College

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I wonder how many people that have no business proceeding from high school to college would apply and attend, all because it was free?

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Okā€¦Iā€™ll be the first here to ask: under Watrenā€™s plan, would I get any sort of reimbursement for the onerous student loan debt that Iā€™ve paid off?

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Sorryā€¦Warren

No good debt repayment deed goes unpunished.

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The bill wouldnā€™t force colleges to take unqualified candidates.

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It would be nice if this got a lot of press. People are so demoralized with the orange stain in the office, it would be good for this country to hear there are people offering solutions, and not just campaign talk.

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ā€œWarrenā€™s plan would require the top 75,000 households to pay an annual tax of 2 percent on each dollar of their net worth above $50 million. It would rise to 3 percent on every dollar above $1 billion.ā€

Poverty doesnā€™t exist because thereā€™s not enough for the poor.

It exists because thereā€™s never enough for the rich.

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ā€œLike K-12 education, college is a basic need that should be available for free to everyone who wants to go,ā€ Warren states.

No, itā€™s not. You donā€™t need to go to college to have a full and productive life. The world still needs welders and electricians and tradespeople. A very considerable fraction of our societal student loan problem is people going to college because thatā€™s just the thing that you are supposed to do to get a good job, but who have no real idea of what it is theyā€™re trying to learn or achieve in higher education.

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Iā€™m adding you to my collection of inspirational quotes!

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Stealing this.

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About those people who ā€œhave no business proceeding from high school to college.ā€ What (fair) criteria do you suggest using to make that determination?

I would add that some financially strapped colleges and universities are currently admitting students who stand little chance of succeeding (i.e. graduating) simply because those institutions are desperate for the tuition revenue. Perhaps those are among the students who ā€œhave no business proceeding from high school to college.ā€

There are so many problems surrounding the economic state of higher education in this country. The supposed problem of free riders is not the first that jumps to my mind.

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So let me make sure I understandā€¦

Anyone who decided not to go to an expensive private institution where they were accepted but could not afford, and opted instead to go to a public institution that they could afford - tough luck sucka!

Anyone who worked their way through college, maybe even taking 5, 6, 7 years to complete their degree so that they could pay it off as they went - tough luck, sucka!

This is a ridiculously ill-advised policy. I get that some folks were screwed by an exploitative educational system. But penalizing hard work and responsible behavior is not the answer. In this progressiveā€™s opinion, Warren is excluded from consideration based on this.

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How about free technical/trade schools?

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If this went through (via Warren or another candidate), think of how much greater a difference it would make compared to the chump change people have gotten through the Trump/GOP ā€œtax break.ā€

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Knowledge is never wasted, and no work is too ā€˜lowā€™ to benefit from learning. E.g., life would be better if my mow&blow gardener had the opportunity to increase their knowledge of horticulture, native plants, conservation,ā€¦ etcā€¦

Also, education is about more than employment and earning $$. It is builds better citizens (who can read & understand TPM!), makes better parents & community members, and can increase personal satisfaction. All worthy goals in my book.

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Warren is in a bubble. I agreeā€¦ part of this approach should be shoring up the community colleges and trade schools, not just telling everyone they need to go to college to get a good job.
I got an estimate today from a plumber whoā€™s labor rate is $150 per hour. Thatā€™s getting up there.

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My wife and I, early on, began putting money into State tuition savings programs for our three children, and helped them with expenses while they were in college. However, we still had them take out reasonable amounts of student loans, so that they would have some skin in the game, and also to help them build credit. They all graduated college and are all paying off their student loans.

Just ā€œabsolvingā€ student loans is a really bad idea, as it just rewards those who made ill-informed choices, taking on huge levels of student loan debt without thinking about the consequences.

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Jesus, that doesnā€™t follow, at all. Unless youā€™re assuming that those with large student loan debt either were not working hard or were irresponsible. But that assumptionā€™s not justified.

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Her verbiage was rather careless, but I donā€™t think the goal is to do away with admissions standards as well. To be fair, community college is almost open door, but if weā€™re aiming at state universities too, thatā€™s a whole different ball game.

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