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News & ArtsTuesday, March 24, 2009
Politics Questions for Obama
Posted by Eli Sanders on Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 1:28 PM
The new president is holding his second prime-time news conference tonight (at 5 p.m. Pacific), and everyone's soliciting questions.
Via Ben Smith, citizen-suggested queries that the White House Press Corps may or may not use can be found at The Arena, Ask the President, and, in 140 characters or less, @jaketapper.
The current most-popular question at Ask the President:
Instead of rewarding bad behavior by spending trillions of dollars to bail out the institutions responsible for the current crisis, would you consider supporting student loan forgiveness to stimulate our ailing economy? Doing so would have an immediate effect because the middle class student borrowers who actually drive 2/3 of our economy would have hundreds, if not thousands of extra dollars to spend PER MONTH, allowing the economy to begin to grow while helping real people with real struggles.
Which is not a bad question—though somehow I doubt it will get asked tonight.
1
But what about those of us who managed to graduate from college WITHOUT accumulating mountains of crushing debt? How is it fair to those of us who worked our asses off to get grants and scholarships, and worked long hours at low-wage jobs to pay for as much of our education as possible out-of-pocket?
Why should some 30-year old who owes a hundred grand to USC for six years and an American Studies degree get off without having to pay any of it back? How does that reward people who practiced personal fiscal responsibility during college?
Why should some 30-year old who owes a hundred grand to USC for six years and an American Studies degree get off without having to pay any of it back? How does that reward people who practiced personal fiscal responsibility during college?
3
@1 BECAUSE I MADE THE MISTAKE OF GOING TO FUCKING ART SCHOOL! and I promise to spend the $150 I sent Sallie Mae a month on something else--Cocaine, new shoes, pants, gas money, prints, beer, edible underwear...
4
Nationalize the fucking banks already and be done with it. Buying toxic assets will kill our economy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/opinio…
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/opinio…
5
@ 1: go fuck yourself. Seriously.
Also, I promise to spend my $209.74 a month on nothing but good ol American made goods. And weed (is CA still considered domestic?).
Also, I promise to spend my $209.74 a month on nothing but good ol American made goods. And weed (is CA still considered domestic?).
7
@1, I commend you, but do you honestly believe there is enough scholarship and grant money out there for everyone that wants to go to school? So, if I can't get that money should I just not try and get an education?
9
The White House is completely beholden to Wall Street. See the enthusiastic response to the proposed bank bailout, in which the US lends 6 dollars for every 1, puts no limits on investor profit or executive pay, and assumes almost all of the risk.
This is really horrifying. The scale of the economic failure and social catastrophe that Obama is setting us up for, because he fears pissing off right wing anti-government wingnuts who will always think he's a communist, is mind boggling.
This is really horrifying. The scale of the economic failure and social catastrophe that Obama is setting us up for, because he fears pissing off right wing anti-government wingnuts who will always think he's a communist, is mind boggling.
10
@1
Yours is the wrong side in this story. Debt forgiveness and renegotiation ALWAYS favors people who, you know, had the debt in the first place.
Your side is actually just a view that centers on your personal needs and makes no appeal to the logic of the situation as a whole, whereas the question posed does at least make an appeal to the bigger problems. So, sorry, but you need to rethink your side.
Yours is the wrong side in this story. Debt forgiveness and renegotiation ALWAYS favors people who, you know, had the debt in the first place.
Your side is actually just a view that centers on your personal needs and makes no appeal to the logic of the situation as a whole, whereas the question posed does at least make an appeal to the bigger problems. So, sorry, but you need to rethink your side.
11
Yeah, @1, how dare you be responsible? That's not the American way. Quit your job, rack up a ton of debt, and start doing crack, meth or heroin so Obama's welfare state can give you a free handout.
Geez, get with the program already, will you?
Geez, get with the program already, will you?
12
It's the same reason the government can't just forgive regular consumer debt, because consumer's don't give out loans. Sure, they might spend more money but large loans are what is needed, ala banking loans large enough for commerical construction, business expansion, and business payroll.
14
I think student loan debt forgiveness is worth considering - let's face it, many (most?) college graduates took out loans to help pay for their education.
As long as there is some sort of cap - as in, an individual could have up to "x" amount of student loan debt forgiveness, above which they're still responsible for paying off.
As long as there is some sort of cap - as in, an individual could have up to "x" amount of student loan debt forgiveness, above which they're still responsible for paying off.
15
Instead of rewarding only those who have incurred student debt, why not just award something to everyone who managed to graduate college--credit toward owed student loans for those who have it, and some sort of fat credit to those who didn't run up loans or who have sacrificed to pay them off early? That way, those who have refinanced their student loans into mortgages or whatever won't get the shaft, and neither will those who worked their asses off to pay back the loans.
Then again, it's probably a really bad idea to try to prop up the economy by removing a strong source of revenue from the very banks and lending institutions that are trying to stay afloat.
And @7, it's possible to get an education without student loans. It's not fun, but it's very possible. I didn't qualify for loans and didn't get assistance from my parents. I worked my way through school (2 PT jobs during the school year, plus an extra during the summer) and graduated in the standard 4 years. This was early 00s, by the way, not the 1970s when tuition was like $180 a quarter.
If you want an education, it can be gotten. And it's in everyone's best interest to have the most educated populace possible. You can do it!
Then again, it's probably a really bad idea to try to prop up the economy by removing a strong source of revenue from the very banks and lending institutions that are trying to stay afloat.
And @7, it's possible to get an education without student loans. It's not fun, but it's very possible. I didn't qualify for loans and didn't get assistance from my parents. I worked my way through school (2 PT jobs during the school year, plus an extra during the summer) and graduated in the standard 4 years. This was early 00s, by the way, not the 1970s when tuition was like $180 a quarter.
If you want an education, it can be gotten. And it's in everyone's best interest to have the most educated populace possible. You can do it!
16
So I went to a decent college. I paid off my debt. I got an OK job then I got laid off. Now I have no student loan debt, I never had the chance to buy a house and now I work and I can barely make ends meet. Where do I figure into anyone's bail out plan?
17
Seems like the government could do some sort of half measure. Cut a few points off the interest of government student loans and absorb some of the interest on private student loans. People still have to pay back what they borrowed, but will get some relief, especially from private loans that often have crushing interest rates.
But, this is the U.S., so neither option is likely to happen.
But, this is the U.S., so neither option is likely to happen.
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