Hey Pandas, What Do You Think About Student Loan Forgiveness?

I am wondering if there is a middle ground on this topic. If you offer up your opinion and it's not forgive all student Debt, then you are some how selfish. How do we come together on this topic without further dividing us?

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Education should be free. If knowledge were easier for everyone to access, there would be fewer people who don’t contribute to society and much less ignorance/misinformation. More people with well-paying jobs means more money flowing into the economy and less government financial assistance.

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5points

Potato

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I never had to take out any student loans but my husband did to go to culinary school. He wasn’t able to finish because the school shut down. We have always thought it was ridiculous he’d have to have to pay for an education he didn’t even get in full. The loan forgiveness will take care of that.

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4points

Mrs.King0315

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The people in England that brought in university fees had already enjoyed their own free education. I think there should be some fees but not the extortionate amount the youngster have to pay these days. On the other hand there are also a lot of useless or poorly chosen degrees that tax payers shouldn’t be paying for

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3points

Jono

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Amazing idea. We already charge too much for college. Some colleges can cost 75k per semester.

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3points

The Red Panda (she/her)

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I tried to find a middle ground and see both sides but was told I should be grateful for those who got to go to school or grad school and want and need to be free of debt. I graduated without debt in 1993 but could not afford grad school so I passed on it, I would have liked to have gone and had some one pay my debts, but that wasn't an option.

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2points

Brian Brehmer

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I have mixed feelings on this. So most college grads have undergraduate degrees (associates, bachelor's, etc.) And they make up most of the lower to middle income households. That is the group that, I personally feel, is almost singled out; they "make too much" to get any kind of assistance, yet don't make enough or BARELY make enough to get by. Then you have your high earners making more than $150K a year (your graduates, doctors, surgeons, etc.) that you know took out more than $100K in loans who, again my personal opinion, most likely make more than enough to "get by" and own their expensive yachts, houses, etc. But then you have those that went to school and got degrees that don't really do a whole lot (art, etc.) And who, naturally, most likely aren't using that degree at all and paying their loans back OR defaulting. So, in my opinion, there are 3 classes to this topic: useless degrees; undergraduate degrees; graduate degrees/high earners. While I feel the first 2 classes should have the debt addressed, I also feel it's giving the wrong signals to those with useless degrees that their debt could have the chance at getting erased again, HOWEVER at the same time, giving them a second chance to go back to school. So I think the first 2 classes would have a few bad apples (then again that's how everything seems to work around the world), but would benefit the most. Then I think, at the same time, yeah, it is a little unfair that those who paid off their loans didn't get that break. THEN AGAIN, chances are those that already paid their debt off went to school when the cost was not nearly as high as it is today. So I really have some mixed feelings on this and don't really know HOW to feel. I didn't mean to offend anyone; just stating how I feel and my opinions, and you know what they say about opinions.......

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2points

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Crystal Schaeffer (Submission author) 2 years ago

That's true. It's hard for me to explicitly say exactly what I feel about it, I guess because I have such mixed feelings on it. I try to look at it from many different sides and am open to other viewpoints.

1point

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It always kills me how people get mad and try to say that others should be denied much needed help because they themselves did not receive that help.

I don't have kids... but you don't hear me griping about paying taxes that go to public schools. If college became publicly funded or loans interest free, you wouldn't hear me griping about that either... because - despite having exorbitant amounts of debt from college (and an average interest rate of 6.95% to keep it continually growing out of reach) - I wouldn't wish that on future generations.

If we ourselves find something unjust when done to us (or if we, ourselves, found these struggles to be incredibly burdensome), how is it right to wish that same suffering upon others? It's impossible to build a new life when you finally get out of school and find that you essentially have to pay a second mortgage for the next 20 years. That's not how life is meant to be.

Whether or not a change would benefit me, I would still fully support seeing it happen for others. Yes, it would still suck for me If I was unaffected suck change. But, no, I am not so bitter that I would wish that same struggle on others just because I had to endure it.

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2points

Ladedah

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Ladedah (Submission author) 2 years ago (edited)

Damn it! Autocorrect again! "Yes, it would still suck for me if I was unaffected by said change." 🤣

1point

I worked three jobs during college and full time every summer. I also got a couple loans. It took me a few years but I got the loans paid off. I resent the fact that A. Students are amassing such a huge amount of debt for schooling and then complaining about how much they owe. What were they thinking??? Did they not even notice how large a debt they were accumulating? Didn’t they notice the amount vs how much they would actually earn? You don’t have to go to a prestigious school! B. I resent that I worked so hard during my college years and scrimped and saved to pay off my loans.

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Mistletoe

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Ladedah 2 years ago (edited)

"What were they thinking?" This is your response? Seriously? If you want to have any kind of career (outside of customer service and manual labor, obviously), it requires a college education. People (like you) depend on the services provided by these people with suposedly poor judgement that led to such college-educated positions. Don't necessarily think any of them can help the fact that the cost of education has skyrocketed. As a nurse, my position has enabled me to save hundreds of lives (especially when my unit became the primary covid unit at our level 1 trauma). Then again, maybe I should have thought about staying in customer service (as you have more or less suggested)... it would probably be much easier than working in nursing... after all, we are so short staffed these days that i risk my hard earned license just by showing up anyway 🙄. I guess I'm just saying, think about the big picture before you get all disgruntled and make comments about people's decisions.

0points

Kim Contreras (Submission author) 2 years ago

I worked three minimum wage jobs while I was IN college so that I could get an education. I got that degree and became a teacher. I may not have saved lives but I am sure I changed some. If you go to a two year college to get your basics and transfer to a state university your education will not cost you what people are accruing in debt. I am not disgruntled as you put it. I'm just saying you do not have to owe a zillion dollars to get a decent degree.

0points

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Brian Brehmer 2 years ago

I agree with you completely. I like others sacrificed and went without, so that others who didn't, get help or forgiveness.

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I stayed home and went to school. I worked full time while going to school. Easily could’ve gone away to school and had a real college experience; but didn’t want saddled with debt after graduation.

Still, I support the student loan forgiveness. College is outrageous now and it’s a total scam. The students shouldn’t be saddled with debt just because they wanted to go to college.

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Anna Robey

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#10

I think that helps wipe out or at least reduce some burden off of people's shoulders. To those who say it shouldn't apply to people who choose 'bad degrees', well, what about when the US government bailed out banks and car companies several years ago? Or when Trump gave massive tax breaks to the wealthy? If people are being blamed for choosing 'bad degrees', we can blame those banks and companies for making bad business decisions and blame the ultra rich for depriving the country of a massive source of income.

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Mama Penguin

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#11

NOT LOAN FORGIVENESS IS ANOTHER NAME FOR CLIMATE CHANGE NO NO NO NO LET THEM PAY I DIDNT GO BECAUSE MY PATENTS COULDNT AFFORD & I COULDNT EITHER !!!! YOU SEE IN THE 70'S COLLEGE LOANS ONLY WENT TO POC NO WHITES APPLIED SO I DIDNT GO TO COLLEGE WHITE PEOPLE DIDNT GET SCHOLARSHIPS

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italiangirl1441

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#12

In 1990 after registering at the local job agency I received a call asking if I thought about going to college. I said yes but I can't afford it. They informed me that I could get an associates degree for free through the Job Training Partner Act (JTPA) if I wanted to. So I took the opportunity and earned an A.S. at WVIT while having my tuition and fees covered by the JTPA. I had to provide for my room and board.

From there I decided to continue my education and study Human Resources and Marketing. This time however the only assistance I received was a Pell Grant which wasn't much so I also did "work study" to help pay for my education. I also got a job at a sub shop to supplement my expenses. When these did not cover the cost of getting an education I had to apply for a student loan or drop out. I opted for the loan thinking that job opportunities after graduation would be enough to repay the loans. I was wrong!

I was horribly and profoundly wrong. The cost of living while in college is wildly different than in college. This led to loan defaults and deferment which led to having more than one job. This debt however left me cash strapped and unable to enjoy life.

I think the loan forgiveness is a wonderful treat. This should help ease their burden.

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The Mom

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Hey Pandas, What Do You Think About Student Loan Forgiveness?

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