Welcome to Incremental Social! Learn more about this project here!
Check out lemmyverse to find more communities to join from here!

AtariDump ,
DarkGamer ,
@DarkGamer@kbin.social avatar

More like, "we've invented a cure for cancer, but only people who have cancer right now can get it. People in the future are fucked once again and won't get the cure."

Loan forgiveness without making education affordable going forward doesn't solve the problem. It's pulling up the ladder.

NekoKamiGuru ,
@NekoKamiGuru@kbin.social avatar

Exactly , rather than only forgiving existing loans that should make education free and also forgive existing loans , and perhaps give people who have already paid off their loan some kind of stimulus check as a kind of recognition that their struggle was just as hard as everyone else's and they deserve a break too.

MotoAsh ,

What about those of us that didn't go outright because we couldn't afford it nor get the loans?

... I'd still be more than happy if education was made free, but there are A LOT of people the system has fucked and Democrats barely even want to glance at the lowest hanging fruit.

Daft_ish ,

Again. No one who is for student loan forgiveness is outright against assistance for low wage earners. They are not linked. If its who gets the bite at the apple first than do every thing you can to remove the GOP from power.

MotoAsh ,

"They are not linked", exactly, they're choosing to leave some people behind.

Daft_ish ,

They are not chosing anything. They are politically cornered.

MotoAsh ,

Keep buying the excuses while you're given crumbs. It really makes it look like you understand just how little you're being offered...

Daft_ish ,

It isn't an excuse. It's plain as day that the Republicans will do nothing on both matters and they keep getting elected.

MotoAsh ,

Yea, keep wondering why while pretending Democrats aren't still a lesser evil. Notice how "lesser evil" is still evil. It doesn't matter how much you screech about which is better. Some don't like voting for anything evil.

Ignore a basic fact of reality at your own peril.

Daft_ish ,

Peril? Ominous. Please do expand on your revelry.

Resonosity ,

Scare tactics. Nice. Glad we have devolved. Means the debate is most likely over.

MotoAsh ,

I'm not scaring you to do anything but realize you have no saviors to choose from. Do not view the Dems as a WIN, but as merely staving off destruction.

Pretending we are in any kind of good shape is pure foolishness.

Daft_ish ,

Kinda like chosing the lesser of two evils? Would you say?

MotoAsh ,

Pretending the lesser evil is a good choice is pure stupidity. Do better.

Daft_ish , (edited )

I'm not fucking happy about it at all and I've said so since 2020. Quit it with the angst and lashing out. This all ends when we collectively say it ends. Until then it's fuck fuck games of protecting the innocent.

trebuchet ,

Isn't the lowest hanging fruit exactly what they're targeting, i.e. the people who currently have loans, and the higher hanging fruit all the other circumstances people are mentioning here like already paid off their loans or future student who will get loans or in your case people who forewent becoming a student due to the loans?

MotoAsh ,

Yew, my point is they are ONLY targeting the lowest hanging fruit.

I bring it up NOT to just poopoo on Democrats, but to offer perspective. An inflatable life raft should NEVER be viewed as a fully functioning, sea-worthy vessel, and inflatable rafts is all Democrats ever offer, let alone fight for.

Yes, that's better than the sabotaged canoe Republicans offer, but again, it's about perspective. Some people are not OK with celebrating a dingy like it's a ship.

givesomefucks ,

What I don't get, is that what moderates keep saying...

You know, the people that constantly shit on progressives and claim we don't want anything unless it's everything.

Isn't the whole moderate mission to take what we can get now and keep working for more? I'm not saying that's what they actually do, that's just their excuse for not fighting for more.

So shouldn't the ones pushing for loan forgiveness now and fixing the underlying issue later be the moderates?

Instead they say if we can't 100% fix the problem in perpetuity, we can't do anything.

jballs ,
@jballs@sh.itjust.works avatar

Exactly. Arguing that you're against helping people now because it doesn't go far enough is ridiculous. Help people now. Then continue helping people. Don't let perfect be the enemy of progress.

jumjummy ,

Those unrealistic idealists are so frustrating to argue with. Is this a great first step? YES! Can we do more? Also YES.

Take the win, and use that momentum to drive mode change. Trying to go from 0 to 100 in one step is just not realistic.

givesomefucks ,

Take the win, and use that momentum to drive mode change.

There's a difference between a start and means testing tho...

Those same moderates like to use means testing to erode away support for more, and to get the people who don't make the cut to vote against it.

It's how moderates have been opposing universal healthcare for over 80 years.

Social Security was supposed to be a temporary compromise to help the neediest while the government worked out the wrinkles for universal healthcare that was for everyone.

nickwitha_k ,

It's because moderates are what conservatives claim to be. They are pro-status quo and keeping change as show as possible (as opposed to conservatives that just want hierarchical power structures that let them exercise power over others, no matter what changes are required).

Welt ,

Well observed. Conservatives in the US are reactionary but those described as moderates are basically NIMBYs standing in the way of those who want to tear down what's left of the country.

teejay ,

Loan forgiveness without making education affordable going forward doesn't solve the problem. It's pulling up the ladder.

You're 100% correct. But be careful, these folks don't take kindly to shining a light on their hypocrisy. They signed their names to a legally-binding contract, spent the money, but now don't like paying it back under the terms they agreed to.

College tuition is far too high. But without fixing the root cause, tuition loan forgiveness does nothing for everyone before and after, and it actually makes the whole problem worse.

my_hat_stinks ,

Blaming the people taking the loans is kind of absurd, for many it's their only option if they want to continue their education. It's not like they're taking out loans they don't need and burning the money.

"Legally-binding contract" is meaningless too, would you make the same argument against people who signed away their lives before slavery was abolished? Just because it's legal now doesn't mean it always will be, or that it must be enforced indefinitely.

You're absolutely right that reducing tuition is the right move. Tuition is free where I am and some of the costs I see elsewhere are crazy. However, the options are not necessarily mutually exclusive; you can reduce tuition and help people that have already been shafted by the existing system.

Riven ,
@Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Especially cause a lot of 'legally binding' stuff isn't even actually legally binding. For a recent example look at non competes, a lot of judges don't even enforce them cause they're ridiculous and they actually just made them illegal for the little people.

Natanael ,

Also, given the age and social pressure of the people taking student loans it's not that straightforward to just say it's their own fault

Daft_ish , (edited )

No one (BESIDES THE GOP) is against fixing it through legislation. That is a strawman.

Steve ,

Unfair terms they didn’t fully understand and were pressured to accept.

Daft_ish ,

Don't get distracted. That argument is already fraught. They straight up lead their argument with a fallacy.

trebuchet ,

Could you walk me through what you see as these folks' hypocrisy? I don't get it.

Is somebody arguing that loan forgiveness should be a one time thing and no one after them should get it?

TooLazyDidntName ,

Could also be "but we might give the cure to people who have cancer in the future, but nobody knows if the government will allow it"

Daft_ish ,

So the people who could get relief should abstain because the door is shut on any legislation as long as the GOP are in power?

Awfully compassionate of you.

DarkGamer ,
@DarkGamer@kbin.social avatar

No. That's mighty presumptive of you. Play the game as the rules are. I'm suggesting loan forgiveness is a half-measure and it never should have been offered by politicians without solving the problem of unaffordable education. Otherwise, this isn't a solution, it's just a band-aid on a gaping still-bleeding wound that needs stitches. It doesn't solve the problem, but it does create inequity.

Daft_ish ,

Cute analogy but here's one for you. It's not a bandaid it's a tourniquet for a massive wound prior to needing full amputation.

Politics isn't a zero sum game. You need to cash in on the political goodwill before it evaporates.

The relief isn't being offered on the other side. The same side giving relief wants to legislate. Both actions are working towards a common goal.

catsarebadpeople ,

Lol you really couldn't help yourself. Just one reply and you reveal that you're actually just a selfish piece of shit. Maybe just shut up while you're ahead next time. You're a garbage person but people don't have to know on the Internet if you don't make it so abundantly clear.

jose1324 ,

He's right though

Welt ,

No YOU are the piece of shit. Why can't we debate without unwarranted ad hominems any more? This place is supposed to be better than reddit, but that asks that its users be better. Your post is an indictment - take a look in the mirror before being so vile on the fediverse.

DarkGamer ,
@DarkGamer@kbin.social avatar

You know adults can usually communicate their point without resorting to insulting those who have different opinions. You don't seem to have a point, just insults.

jose1324 ,

How is this down voted. You're speaking facts lol. It's a shitty bandaid solution

Honytawk ,

Because a half measure is better than no measure

jose1324 ,

Why not do both

BradleyUffner ,

We could do both, but you asked why it was being down voted. The down voted text says that politicians never should have offered loan forgiveness. They explicitly said we shouldn't do both.

jose1324 ,

I mean, i still agree. I rather have them put the same energy first in fixing the actual problem. And then the bandaid solution

BradleyUffner ,

Because it completely ignores the fact that it does solve the problem for a lot of people, and they don't want to do it because it doesn't help everyone.

SLVRDRGN ,

But if the rules of the game suck, perhaps the rules need to be changed, no?

xhieron ,
@xhieron@lemmy.world avatar

So we should just not let the people currently sick have the cure? 🤔

Even in your analogy, curing any cancer today, even if it doesn't extend to future sufferers, is an improvement over curing no one. Because fuck cancer, and fuck student loans.

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

thesporkeffect ,

I'm on board, as long as we forcefully agree that cancelling the loans is a good thing - it's just NOT ENOUGH

AtariDump ,
Phegan ,

We should still do good things even if we can't do all the good things.

AeonFelis ,

Declare that future student loans are also automatically forgiven. You take a student loan tomorrow? You don't have to pay it back. This, of course, will mean that no one will want to give student loans - which will force the tuition down.

DarkGamer ,
@DarkGamer@kbin.social avatar

At that point why not just cut out the lenders entirely and make college free/publicly funded for all students like they do in Germany? An educated population yields many returns for a society and it will pay for itself with the boost to our economy it would provide.

LifeInMultipleChoice ,

I thought the U.S. government already took all the loans. So wouldn't the lender be the U.S. government, and the interest goes to paying for the companies managing the loans I would assume. My interest rate on some of my loans went from 2.4% to 4.8% if I remember correctly (was sometime between 2008-2012 time period). I don't believe students can go to a bank and get private student loans unless there is some loopholes. That said, cancelling student loan debt would simply mean not paying themselves back. Student loans are tax deductible as well, so when you pay them it would essentially come out of your taxes income, so if you could magically pay 10k off one year, it should come off your highest taxes income bracket. I still owe some, but I'd be fine with at least making it free college for AS/AA and 0% interest on student loans past that for all new takers. If they could make it free for BS/BA I'm still fine with being stuck with mine so long as we can figure out how to fix it for the future generations.

DarkGamer ,
@DarkGamer@kbin.social avatar
LifeInMultipleChoice ,

Interesting wonder why they confiscated all of those back then. I looked it up and 7.2% are private and the other 92.8% are owned by the federal government. I didn't think those existed anymore. Mine were all through JP Morgan when I went to college and those all got taken by the government.

FlashMobOfOne ,
@FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world avatar

I spent five figures paying mine off two years ago.

Still 100% support my tax dollars paying for people's college. In fact, I'd love that instead of the nine wars my tax dollars are paying for instead.

DragonTypeWyvern ,

I'd settle for interest free loans tbh...

And then do it for personal homes, too.

uis ,
@uis@lemmy.world avatar

I'd settle for universal housing. And universal education. And universal healthcare.

trolololol ,

I don't understand why you need all of that. Let's say we agree, next you'll say people deserve clean water and steer the world away from climate disaster and genocide. You <insert group name> want it all!

uis ,
@uis@lemmy.world avatar

next you'll say people deserve clean water and steer the world away from climate disaster and genocide.

First falls both under housing and healthcare(utility and preventive healthcare + hygene), genocide is opposite of healthcare and we are already in climate disaster.

trolololol ,

Hey don't bring common sense to this conversation, this is the Internet

Socsa ,

This is all I care about. I was forced to refinance into private loans because the interest rates on the federal loans were fucking stupid. All I want is the loans to be more reasonable.

Bytemeister ,

I saw my wife's student loans last night. She took out 37,000 dollars in 2008. She's been paying her monthly amount for over 10 years, and she now only owes 43,000 dollars.

Cancel student debt. Most of us have already paid for college more than once.

Edit: also worth noting that up until now, only about 30% of PSLF applications are approved, and something like 37 (that's total, not percent) of loans are fulfilled using IDR plans.

Cancel student debt.

stergro ,

The Australian model is also interesting. After your degree you pay a certain percentage of your income to your university for a decade or so. But only if you earn more than the average person.

This means a university gets more money when their students gets good job.

dan , (edited )
@dan@upvote.au avatar

Other points about the Australian system:

  • The cost of the university course is subsidised by the government. The government pays the majority of the cost, usually around 70-80%. For example, a Bachelor of Computer Science degree at the university I went to (Swinburne) is currently AU$9k/year (~US$5.8k) subsidised vs AU$39k/year (~US$25.4k) full price.
  • The loans for the amount you have to pay are through the government and are interest free. They're indexed for inflation once per year, but this is a much lower increase compared to interest from a bank loan.
  • You only have to pay it off once you earn over $51k/year, like you said. Repayments start at 1% of income and are paid as part of your income tax return.
  • They used to have a program where if you paid $500 or more of the loan upfront, you'd get a 10% discount (so e.g. if you paid $500, it'd reduce your loan balance by $550).

Note that this system only applies to citizens and permanent residents. International students still have to pay the full price. Having said that, Australian universities frequently advertise at college fairs in the USA, as even at the full price plus flights plus accomodation, studying in Australia can still end up cheaper than the USA, and Americans love Australia 🙂

uis , (edited )
@uis@lemmy.world avatar

Agreed. Tanks don't teach, don't heal, don't feed and don't pay pensions.

Fucking Putin

SupraMario ,

The problem is colleges just will keep charging more because they know people will just keep getting them knowing the gov will cover it eventually. The fix isn't to have the gov. Cover some loans, it should be to stop letting colleges be run like a private sector.

III ,

Jokes on you, they already keep charging more.

I bet if the government is footing the bill they will demand lower tuition. And unlike lowly poor people, the government is someone they will have to listen to.

You aren't wrong with your point. But both should be true.

TempermentalAnomaly ,

Medicare kinda works that way.

acetanilide ,

Should we call it Educare or Educaid?

Honytawk ,

Biducation

LemmyKnowsBest ,

colleges are charging more, and as a result, fewer students are attending.

College will once again be only for the wealthy.

But plenty of people have discovered college is not necessary to thrive in life anyway.

orrk ,

College will once again be only for the wealthy.

you make it sound like that isn't the point. welcome to the new cast system

LemmyKnowsBest ,
orrk ,

ya, phone typing is a bitch at times

Miaou ,

John Oliver covered this topic, and according to him, that's not the case at all.

There's sadly no big conspiracy to keep people uneducated. Only basic greed. Simple problem with a simple solution (this is rarely the case) but corporate America will never admit it.

phoneymouse ,

Same, but I want to be reimbursed. I don’t know how people who want their debt forgiven now don’t support me being reimbursed for mine. They seriously set my life back.

FlashMobOfOne ,
@FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world avatar

Believe me, I get it. I would definitely love to have that $16,000 back.

I'd like for it to be that way too, but I think it's unlikely. On a macro level though, it's just more important to eliminate debt for the indebted, I think.

LemmyKnowsBest ,

Only SIXTEEN THOUSAND?? When you said five figures, you had us thinking $99,999.

I'm on year three of six, paying back $63,000 by way of the IRS garnishing 100% of my disability benefits and tax refunds 🥺

FlashMobOfOne ,
@FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world avatar

Yep, only 16k. It hurt to drop that much all at once, but with the way the loans are structured and so little goes to pay down the principal, I think it was worth it in the end.

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Capitalism fucking sucks.

LemmyKnowsBest ,

You paid $16k all in one big payment? Wowza look at Mr Moneybags here 🤑

FlashMobOfOne ,
@FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world avatar

I was very lucky.

In March 2020 lots of oil stocks were dropping down to pennies. I bought a bunch on the cheap and it appreciated to a good price when the world reopened. Sold it all to pay off the debt. Sadly still working on my credit cards.

LemmyKnowsBest ,

Smart man! Nice leveraging oil stock prices

Welt ,

Which nine are you counting, out of interest?

JoMiran ,
@JoMiran@lemmy.ml avatar

I actually beat cancer. If they suddenly find a cure for cancer now I am going to be so fucking happy! This comment is about student loans...and fuck cancer.

MystikIncarnate ,

Congratulations! I also hope they find a cure for cancer and I would be so happy if they did. I've never been diagnosed with it so I have no bearing on this conversation. Fuck cancer.

This comment is also about student loans. (Which I've had and paid and still hope they grant loan forgiveness, tyvm).

RememberTheApollo_ ,

From the school of “I suffered through [x], so therefore everyone else should suffer, too, even if they don’t need to.”

There’s always going to be a cutoff point where someone has it harder or easier than those that came before. That’s just life. As long as the change wasn’t malicious, just feel good (or whatever is appropriate) for those that benefit from it.

I work in a highly contract-controlled industry, and when things improve there’s always a segment of the group that might be close to retirement or something and gets all pissed that they didn’t won’t realize the benefits of a change that will apply mostly to those that will have longer under the change. They’re the same ones that bitch that new employees didn’t suffer under whatever crappy work rules that might have existed before, too.

So yeah…people that paid off their loans, or guys that I work with that paid for some/all of their kid’s college, bitch about people catching a break on their loans. STFU and be happy that someone else caught a break.

TankovayaDiviziya ,

I'm glad I was taught not to begrudge and feel envy of other. I learned later in life that there are some insecure tw@ts who'd like to drag others down.

RagingRobot ,

Making things better for the next generation should always be the goal not the exception

Walican132 ,

This also needs to go into the cancer he beat is dramaticly easier to overcome than cancer in the future.

intensely_human ,

“What do you mean? Just get a part time job. I waited tables and paid my way through college.”

“How much was your tuition?”

“$500 a semester. Why? How much is yours?”

“$19,000 a semester”

Walican132 ,

Yes exactly. They just don’t get it.

isles ,

US student finance is for sure broken. I really hate comparing biological ills to social, though. Nobody graduates high school and says "I'm going to go sign up for cancer". Nobody says "well, if I knew cancer was going to be cured, I would have got it instead of being a plumber!" This metaphor is breaking down rapidly.

Stovetop , (edited )

Nobody graduates high school and says "I'm going to go sign up for cancer".

Maybe not in a literal sense, but there are plenty of people who apply for jobs which pose inherent danger to health, including increased risks of cancers, because they need the money.

No one signs up for college to take on all that student debt just because they enjoy it, it's seen as an investment in better job prospects to have a degree despite the financial risk of debt. This is at least somewhat similar to how more dangerous jobs pay more, because you take on a risk. You've got physical danger and financial danger to consider based on your choice. Sometimes both.

clay830 ,

This comic is based on pretty childish thinking. Repaying student loans isn't a cure. It's making everyone else pay the price (either through inflation, through rising education costs, or through direct tax later).

Second, cancer isn't a choice--student loans are.

More accurately would be: I'm going to be so upset if I have to suffer even a little again to help everyone else make up for their bad decisions.

Gabu ,

Imagine being this brainwashed. You know where higher education is free? Pretty much the entire civilized world. Guess whether 'murican taxes compare favorably or unfavorably against that?

skullgiver , (edited )
@skullgiver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl avatar

[Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

  • Loading...
  • Gabu ,

    Your egocentrism is showing, USAian. I don't even know where to begin dismantling your bullshit from how awefully absurd it is.

    tuition for prestigious education out of reach of the common person

    "Prestigious private education"? Are you joking? The people who take private higher education are effectively ridiculed, not to mention how private schools/colleges are always lacking – e.g. back in the day, when I compared my curriculum (actually prestigious public university) with all relevent private alternatives, they'd always be one year or more behind, which also means they'd finish their course with a huge gap in knowledge.

    in many countries there’s a modest fee the government will pay out

    Here in Brazil you can get upwards of two minimum wages. How is it that Brazil can afford this, but apparently the US couldn't? Besides that, yes, you may need a side job – that's what non-abusive internship/trainee positions are for. You work a few hours per day at a relevant position to your minor/major to get cash and relevant experience.

    They come back at you in the form of decades of tax rates.

    Except those decades of taxes ALSO pay for my healthcare (excellent, btw), bicycle infrastructure, to maintain parks, to protect local fauna and flora, for libraries, etc etc

    skullgiver , (edited )
    @skullgiver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl avatar

    [Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

  • Loading...
  • Gabu ,

    First, your formatting is completely broken.

    Second:

    The places where real power concentrates, where the old royalty gathers. Not the best in terms of scientific endeavours, but that’s not what those places are about anyway. It’s all about making connections.

    I.E. completely irrelevant. Got it.

    Double minimum wage in the USA is barely enough to cover rent in the cities

    The fix seems pretty obvious, eh?

    would add $553 billion

    I.E., even ignoring the fact that not all students would require this monetary assistance, less than the budget for the 'murican war machine. Seems fine to me.

    you’re quickly paying 85% of the $30k you’re receiving in tuition fees alone

    ???? Why would they be paying the tuition fees with free public education available?

    bus_factor ,

    I went to a top university in Norway. My tuition was about $80 per year. All in all various student discounts on everything from haircuts to car repairs to housing, my tuition was effectively negative. I spent a good chunk on books, but rarely used them, and honestly could have saved the money. Considering everyone gets a scholarship from the government for the first 7 years (would have been converted to a loan if I didn't pass enough credits worth of classes), I effectively got paid to study. I still had student loans, because they were interest free while I was a student and cheaper than a mortgage after. I spent some on food and housing, and saved the rest. Like most Norwegians I was not in a hurry to pay it down. Student debt is generally low priority for Norwegians to pay down due to the cheap interest.

    clay830 ,

    Besides your ad hominem attacks you changed the whole point of the discussion. "Free" is not the same as asking everyone to pay for anyone's college education.

    Gabu ,

    Usual 'murican take. Do you use roads? Do you use clean water? I would ask about public transit, but you're a 'murican, so I already know the answer to that is "no".

    Everyone already pays for the State to exist. Civilized countries use that money to benefit all citizens through free higher education, free healthcare, free public transportation, etc. The US uses that money to kill children in the middle east and to bail out huge corporations.

    clay830 ,

    It's a false assumption that because that is the way things are that it is the way things ought to be, and that they couldn't be arrived any other (much less any better way).

    This is a pretty typical response to any limitations on government--"but who will build the roads?"

    There are two basic problems

    1st: Your unwritten implication is that if government does these basic things then it must necessarily assert even bigger economic control--such as higher education--which is a false deduction.

    2nd: You imply that only the government can do these things or that government does it best. Also a false deduction. Practical experience says otherwise.

    Gabu ,

    Practical experience with what, shoveling bullshit around and expecting people to believe your nonsense? Get the fuck outta here with your corporate bootlicking.

    Kadaj21 ,

    I have to wonder if my generation [Millenial] had any effect on university enrollments yet. My kids aren’t quite the age to talk about education plans as I had kiddos later in life @30yo (40 now). I’ll be strongly discouraging uni unless it’s completely unavoidable to what they want to do.

    Passerby6497 ,

    Same, I'm going to push my kid to do everything they can local. Because even though I don't regret the experiences I had at university, it was a massive waste of money for me.

    intensely_human ,

    Yeah I look back fondly on the experiences, the conversations, the environment. But it was worse than a waste of time for me. It was, financially, the worst way I could have spent my first years out of high school.

    Kadaj21 ,

    Yeah I’d definitely rather have them go to one of the community colleges or maybe a more technical school depending on what they want to do. I just want to prevent them from having to live with what might be debt I deal with for the rest of my life. No big University unless they manage a full ride or something, lol. Mean from my mistakes.

    TheFonz ,

    Similar boat. Were lucky we were able to move to Europe so my kid has access through the Erasmus network to any college in Europe really. It's a different world over here.

    Kadaj21 ,

    I’ve joked with my wife about sending the kids to Germany as IIRC they have a really good system that is friendly to international students there. But this is me trying to remember stuff from 15-20 years ago lol

    NielsBohron ,
    @NielsBohron@lemmy.world avatar

    I'm approaching 40 and have three kids from 10yo to 1yo, and I'm still going to encourage them going to college, but in a way that makes sense for them. My wife and I both work at a community college, and there's no way our kids are going to go to a 4-year right out of high school (unless they get a full scholarship for something and already know exactly what they want to do).

    Too many students don't know what they want to study, don't value the education, and drive themselves into too much debt. While I highly value the education and skills gained in a bachelor's program, there's no need to be going into debt at a university to take first- and second-year courses when community colleges are effectively free (in CA, anyway)

    limelight79 ,

    Ship 'em off to Germany and get a free college education. I know a few people that have gone there for grad school for that reason. I wish I had known that was an option...I might still be there, honestly.

    uis ,
    @uis@lemmy.world avatar

    This... is sad. Both discouraging and why you discourage.

    Kadaj21 ,

    Yeah…I agree. I will say I hope I can at least mitigate the debt issue as much as I can because I won’t be able to help pay, and I’m sure by the time my oldest is ready I’ll make too much for him to qualify for much aid. Maybe community college first or a trade school depending on what their interested in.

    Socsa ,

    I mean the numbers still say that a bachelor's degree doubles or triples your lifetime earnings over a high school diploma. Moreover, an educated society benefits everyone. College is still the right move at every scale. What we need to do is make it a more equitable system.

    wieson ,

    I guess apprenticeships aren't that common yet in the US, but in many countries you can learn a profession not only at uni. In that case the high school diploma isn't the last/highest diploma one would get.

    intensely_human ,

    Maybe. Depends on how functional you are overall. Turns out I can pass college courses, but not keep a job so well.

    I’m really good at getting high paying jobs, but my executive function is terrible. I can’t keep the jobs.

    People with good executive function tend to not be aware of it as a factor. For them “getting that job” is the big uncertain hurdle on their path to success.

    Not once in my upbringing all the way through college graduation did anyone talk about keeping jobs. It was all about getting the job. I’ve gotten some pretty amazing jobs … and lost them.

    NielsBohron ,
    @NielsBohron@lemmy.world avatar

    Have you tried a job that works on a more cyclic nature? I struggle with executive function, too, and I tried grad school and I could pass the classes and do the work, but I couldn't finish my dissertation for my PhD program. I eventually realized I did better on an academic schedule and now I teach college classes, so I get to work on the same 12-week quarter system where I did well as a student.

    Kadaj21 ,

    Yeah crossing my fingers there’s some fixes in the works along side any debt forgiveness, but with this political environment and some folks attitude of “F you, I got mine “, I’m doubtful.

    intensely_human ,

    I generally encourage kids to just go live a normal life for a few years before college. That way they’re going for something specific they really want to do, and they have an experiential sense of what the dollar amounts mean.

    I’m pretty resentful that I had tens of thousands of loans offered to me, far beyond anything my credit would warrant, when I was a teenager, who had been propagandized to go to college for the past ten years of my life.

    I feel tricked. Perhaps not on purpose, but I feel like I was tricked.

    Kadaj21 ,

    Are you me? Though i don’t necessarily blame my parents, they just thought that they were encouraging me to do the right thing for my future. I can’t say that my degree was entirely useless but I’d like to think i could have gotten to spot similar to where i am now without the 100k in student loans.

    randon31415 ,
    Kadaj21 ,

    I wouldn’t be surprised if that were true. My coworker and I both got a certification last year. I received a promotion shortly after that, but he didn’t get his until much later. He was thinking it might have to do with me having a bachelor’s while he only has an associates degree. I hope that wasn’t it, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Some corpo stooge having to be convinced the technically senior co-worker with tons of tribal knowledge is fit for a step-up promo….sheesh.

    ColeSloth , (edited )

    Fuck y'all. I chose to not go to college and went with a lower paying career field as a trade off for lower earning potential. Using the tax dollars I've paid over the years to help eliminate the negative trade off everyone else chose to take on when they went to college is crap.

    explodicle ,

    Why didn't you go to public university?

    ColeSloth ,

    Because it would still be $60,000 plus interest, plus the other costs associated with going to college.

    If just going to public university and paying that is no big deal, then i guess no one needs their college debt wiped, since everyone had that same option.

    Caesium ,

    don't worry, your taxes aren't going into the education system! they're all being funneled into the military anyway

    Agnosis ,

    Cool story man. Let's all do the same thing. Let's hope we never need a doctor or a civil engineer

    ColeSloth ,

    Those jobs pay in reflection of college and it's debts. Time and costs in exchange for six figure salaries.

    CoolMatt , (edited )

    Hi I'm a fucking idiot, how can you beat cancer if there is no cure for it yet?

    I thought there was a cure but I guess not a very good one since some people don't make it

    Edit: Thank you for the answers, that really cleared it up for me, and I understand cancer a bit better now.

    Bolt ,

    A "cure" in this situation means an essentially guaranteed method of treatment. Cancers vary greatly, with some being benign, some being very treatable, and some being extremely deadly (at least with current technology).

    Digestive_Biscuit ,
    @Digestive_Biscuit@feddit.uk avatar

    Indeed. Beat it, but at what cost.

    My mum beat cancer. She lost parts of her body in the process and chemo changed her physically (her hair and nails never came back the same). It took three years of regular testing to finally be given the "you're officially cancer free" verdict. Three tense years.

    All that said she's incredibly lucky not only to have beat it but not to have to live with additional medication due to it. I know somebody who lost a lot more and while is alive now needs a lifetime of medication to "put in" what the partial removed organs no longer produce.

    SatansMaggotyCumFart ,

    Did you know that you can cure your meat and beat it?

    Maybe not in that order.

    CoolMatt ,

    Thank you for the giggle, SatansMaggotyCumFart

    AnxiousOtter ,

    There are some treatments for some cancers with varying success rates. A cure would be a treatment for all cancers that always works.

    meliaesc ,

    Right now, the main option to "beat" cancer is to poison yourself until enough of the cancerous cells die, along with killing the normal healthy cells. Even then, that only works for certain types of cancer, and that's only if it is treated early enough.

    https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/cancer-survival-rates

    A cure would ideally work safely against all types and stages.

    Devi ,

    That's very simplistic, there's loads of cancer treatments, what you're describing is a kind of broad brush chemotherapy, but there's lots of more targeted versions, then loads of different pills and potions, immunotherapies, radiotherapies and the good old "cut the thing out" method.

    Cancer treatment is the best funded area of medicine and there's loooads of advances going on all the time.

    Kolanaki ,
    @Kolanaki@yiffit.net avatar

    He beat it with his fists.

    CoolMatt ,

    Boof, biff, pow!

    lugal ,

    You can cure pregnancy with a fist but not cancer

    TempermentalAnomaly ,

    Cancer, as far as I'm aware, goes into remission and isn't cured. Remission is when there isn't any detectable signs of a cancer mass or growth in your body. So imaging doesn't pick up any tumors, your blood work doesn't indicate any hormonal changes, and biopsies come back negative.

    A cure would be like say there is no cancer and it won't come back. Remission is more like we have no evidence of cancer and x% of maintain that state for x years.

    Fun fact: your body is constantly making cancerous cells, but you have the ability to detect and destroy them before they get out of hand. Keep that immune system strong.

    JCreazy ,

    This analogy doesn't really work though. Most people don't willingly receive cancer. I think the thought process is you chose to borrow that money now it's your responsibility to pay it back. If you worked an entire year to pay off your student loan debt and another person doesn't work and their loans are paid off, you worked an entire year for free. Essentially slave labor. Anyone would be grateful when someone beats cancer but watching everyone around you get free handouts while you did what you are supposed to, I can see why people aren't a fan of the idea. I paid off my student loans during COVID and I never expected any money back but I'd be lying if I said getting that money back now would not be extremely helpful in my life. I'm grateful that people are getting their loans forgiven. College shouldn't cost remotely what it does.

    Lmaydev ,

    When it's the only option for an education I would say willingly is a bit strong of a word.

    JCreazy ,

    While a higher education is really nice and it would be nice if everyone could have one. They aren't necessary.

    Lmaydev ,

    It is for a large number of jobs though. So its attempt to do what you want with your life or don't take the predatory loan. It's a shit situation all round.

    UnderpantsWeevil ,
    @UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

    Most people don’t willingly receive cancer.

    When I was a kid, my parents were able to set aside money for my benefit in advance so that when I started college I had enough for tuition, housing, and a car. When I graduated, I even had enough left over for a down payment on a starter home.

    I didn't get to choose this. It was decided for me the day I was born. It was given to me purely by dint of who my parents happened to be and where I lived. In other countries, everyone has access to this level of public health care cough excuse me cough higher education. But I had to rely on a private system that rewarded people with the means to accumulate financial surplus.

    Also, my mom smoked when she was younger. But when she started trying to get pregnant, she quit. If she'd continued smoking through the pregnancy, it would have significantly increased my chance to develop some form of childhood cancer. Again, this was not something I got to choose. It was purely a consequence of my parents' decisions.

    MystikIncarnate ,

    For me, during college, I got my first credit card. Between student loans and credit cards, I've been set up to fail at every turn. I have a crap ton of debt. My student loans? Paid in full. But the fact that I was paying them for nearly 15 years, and the money that took from me while I did it caused me to get deeper in debt from other sources of debt that has led me to be in a position where I'm still just as much in debt as I was when I graduated. The debt has shifted from student loans to mostly credit cards, but it hasn't gotten any smaller. I'm pretty sure I owe more now than I did when I graduated.

    Financial debt compounds. Not only on itself, but it creates deficiencies in other areas requiring more debt to maintain balance. It grows like a cancer.

    Sure, you can declare bankruptcy, and fuck yourself over for your ability to get any loans, but will that actually help? Does your income conver your expenses? Are you making a living wage? If not, and you go bankrupt, you might be screwing yourself over. It might be better to simply continue the cycle of violence until you earn enough to cover what you need to, then, when you're cash positive, declare it at that point.

    I've been on the debt treadmill for over 20 years now. I continue to find myself in situations that require large sums to get resolved. Whether that's a broken vehicle, or another critical item I have to immediately pay for which was unexpected, or simple daily needs that have to be purchased when I'm at a low point in the availability of money. It grows.

    I keep trying. I haven't needed to declare bankruptcy yet; but my debts are attached to me like a cancer, slowly killing me by starving my finances.

    I'm not even poor. I work a decently well paying job. I'm just so heavily in debt, that I can't get out of it.

    JCreazy ,

    Good luck to you my friend. I wish you well.

    MystikIncarnate ,

    That's all I can ask.... Well, that, and maybe a winning lottery ticket.

    TheFonz ,

    I hear what you're saying but you have to put a little more thought into this beyond "you pay for what you get". A lot of professions still need specialization but do not offer commensurate remuneration with respect to cost of entry. I'll give you some examples:

    • Teachers
    • Historians
    • Social workers
    • Architects

    I could go on. It's a long list. The world still needs teachers and social workers, but we are far from adequately compensating for these industries. When you adopt a utilitarian approach to education (as a pipeline that leads directly to a career track) you are limiting the potential of the nation to improve/grow. A humanist approach to education promotes a more universal type of growth where we can foster the best talent towards achieving their full potential. Otherwise we end up with a situation in which the humanities and arts are segregated exclusively for the affluent members of society because the cost of entry is high but the output is low.

    doublejay1999 ,
    @doublejay1999@lemmy.world avatar

    Well this is a poor taste take on a common sense issue .

    MotoAsh ,

    You might be taking it too literally. It's a joke because the take is bad, on purpose. The entire point is people unironically have this position on student loans when it's obviously fucking stupid to have that opinion on anything.

    Landless2029 , (edited )

    I don't get it

    Edit:

    Ok thanks I get it now.

    People with student loans are mad there are loan forgiveness programs.

    bionicjoey ,

    People who have paid off their student loans are allegedly opposed to the government forgiving student loans for people that are financially burdened by them.

    apfelwoiSchoppen ,
    @apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world avatar

    I worked my ass off to pay off my student loans, and I wish it upon no one. It didn't teach me shit except fuck capitalism. School should be socialized and free. And fuck cancer!

    postscarce ,

    I'm still paying off loans and will be for the next 8 years. I'm ineligible for forgiveness now because I consolidated with a private lender. I hope everyone gets their debt wiped, even if I can't. Education should be free to begin with.

    sjmarf OP ,
    @sjmarf@sh.itjust.works avatar

    A common “reason” for why student loans shouldn’t be paid off by the government is that it would be unfair to everyone who has already paid off their student loans.

    NounsAndWords ,

    "I paid off all of my student loans myself, it's not fair for the government just forgive loans from other people!"

    MasterNerd ,
    @MasterNerd@lemm.ee avatar

    The person in this comic is acting like someone who paid off their student loans and now doesn't want others to get loan forgiveness

    Landless2029 ,

    Thanks I already got it.

    riodoro1 ,

    In the US it’s common for people to say that they shouldn't cancel student loan debts because it would be unfair to people who have already paid theirs back.

    Bonehead ,

    I finally paid off my student loans!

    If they suddenly forgive student loans given to people now, I'm gonna be so mad.

    Landless2029 ,

    Nailed it. Thanks.

    UnderpantsWeevil ,
    @UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

    People with student loans are mad

    They're generally not. But a few well-situated op-ed writers working for newspapers with a vested interest in the private loan industry have expressed a great deal of outrage.

    TeamBrett ,

    Where does the forgiveness come from? After paying for my education I now pay a bunch of taxes, I assume that's what is paying for their education? So the cartoon should say, I just fought and beat cancer and now I need to go work on a cute. "They" cutting cancer is not the same.

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • incremental_games
  • comicstrips@lemmy.world
  • meta
  • All magazines