OsoCoreyell said:
WS6bear said:
This idea that student loans or forgiveness is buying votes is incredibly lazy and stupid. It's an investment in your population. Completing higher education leads to higher paying jobs, more competitive work environment, healthier families and kids, longer lives, etc. Combine all that and the end result is a stronger economy, stronger global leadership, less government spending on healthcare and other entitlements, less of the population reliant on social security and welfare, and countless other benefits. These things are proven.
Are there people gaming the system? Of course. Are they people getting pointless degrees with no job prospects? Totally. That doesn't change the fact that a large majority of those completing secondary education are contributing much more to the country than those who do not - including those who complete community college, trade schools, and even apprenticeships.
You've set up a false choice. The student loan system is the MAIN driver of increased tuition and an utter lack of competitiveness between institutions of higher learning. Why compete when the government will continue to write as many checks as are needed to pay the tuition of anyone that wants it for any "degree" at all?
Agree that the cost has gone up with access.
But, Student Loans have given millions access that would not have been able to afford school and definitely not top quality schools.
Millions have either paid their off, met requirements for programs that helped pay them off, getting rid of the whole program is not productive for the Nation.
We are already in a competition with several nations with more people and a higher commitment to education. Both India and China can educate 1/4 of their populations and have more trained people and do it cheaper. We need to look for ways to make them better, not cut for the sake of cutting if we are going to compete because we can't by the numbers.
Too much talk of just cutting things without knowing what the outcome will be or the next steps.