Debt-free college: Where the 2020 presidential candidates stand

[initforme]

I would bet he will get a job and prove to be a hard worker.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Not pointless. I've got family in the game. Don't judge.

You just admitted that your "children" are close to retirement age. That totally destroys any relevance to the discussion.

My kids are in their 20s and 30s and they are doing just fine!

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

I would bet he will get a job and prove to be a hard worker.

This is perfect example of why you should quote. Most of us have no idea what you are talking about.

It's one click.

 

[Missouri_Mike]

'A clear divide exists among 2020 presidential Democrats who are rolling out plans to tackle the student debt crisis, whether tuition-free or debt-free policies are the way to win voter support.

By the numbers: Student debt in the United States has reached $1.5 trillion, and is responsible for much of millennials and generation Z's anguish.

In Congress

• Congressional committees have launched hearings to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, which looks to discuss more affordability in college costs, student loan programs and more. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) reintroduced legislation to help students become debt free within 5 years of graduating.

Tuition free
These programs provide students 2 years of free tuition at participating state community colleges, associate-degree programs and vocational schools. The majority fall into the category of "last dollar" scholarships, indicating the program pays the difference in tuition after financial aid and grants have kicked in, per CNBC.

• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is still running on his 2016 campaign promise to make college tuition free and debt free. In 2016, Sanders introduced a bill called the "College for All Act," making public college tuition-free to students through a partnership between the federal government.
• Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro supports tuition-free college.
• Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) wants to eliminate tuition and fees at 4-year public colleges and universities. She also supports free community college tuition for everyone.
• New-age spiritual guru Marianne Williamson supports universal pre-school and free college.

Debt free
This idea aims to cover the costs associated with attending public college without requiring students to take out loans, by establishing federal matches for state spending on higher education and using those funds to fill unmet need for people pursuing degrees

• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is running her campaign on students being debt free by using proceeds from her wealth tax. Warren is a co-sponsor for the Schatz-Pocan bill and the Sanders bill. She has sponsored and co-sponsored several others including one in 2014 that allowed federal student loan borrowers to refinance their debt at a lower interest rate.
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.): She believes universal pre-K and college should be a "fundamental right," to be debt-free, The Atlantic reports. She is a co-sponsor for the Schatz-Pocan bill and the Sanders bill.
• Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.): Introduced a bill in 2018 for baby bonds, which attempted to close the racial-wealth gap in education. Booker is a co-sponsor for the Schatz-Pocan bill.
• Former Texas representative Beto O’Rourke has supported debt-free ideals. In 2018, he tweeted: "We should allow Texans who commit to working in in-demand fields and in underserved communities the chance to graduate debt free." O`Rourke co-sponsored Student Loan Affordability Act until 2015.
• Former tech executive Andrew Yang: Debt forgiveness plans and loan repayment plans, according to his campaign website.

Refinance student loans

• Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) rejected the idea of tuition-free college at a CNN town hall, but called for has called for free 2-year community college degrees. She offered up the idea to refinance loans and expand Pell grants.
• Former representative John Delaney has called for reforming bankruptcy laws so student loan debt can be discharged like all other debts as well as refinancing.

Mixed statements

• Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is a co-sponsor for the Schatz-Pocan bill and the Sanders bill. In February, she tweeted she'd "allow all students to refinance their loans at 4%" if she were elected president.'

Debt-free college: Where the 2020 presidential candidates stand


I can understand universal healthcare and the $15 minimum wage (I don't fully agree with them - but I can certainly understand the logic behind them).

But this is just bat shit nuts.

No one put a fucking gun to these students heads to go massively into debt...it was 100% their choosing. Why the 'f' do students suddenly deserve to have their tuition paid off by taxpayers? Why this generation and not previous generations? And what makes student loans more important then mortgages? Or business loans? Why have taxpayers pay off student loans but do nothing for low income people with heavy mortgages/debts or business loans (NOT that I am for paying those off either - but at least they make far more sense then just paying off student loans)? What is fucking next? Progressives want taxpayers to pay off their credit cards? Car payments? Gambling debts?

This is progressives being flat out selfish. Many progressives are under 30 with HUGE student debt. So naturally their first thought is themselves.

I will say it again - HELLO? You people voluntarily took the huge student loans. You have no one to blame for them but yourselves. They are 100% YOUR responsibility. Stop pawning your bad decisions on to the rest of America. You fucked up - you get yourselves out of it. It's called 'taking responsibility for your actions'. DUH.

Our society is demanding more education. Not just college but technical

Make the employers pay

That's called an apprenticeship.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Not pointless. I've got family in the game. Don't judge.

You just admitted that your "children" are close to retirement age. That totally destroys any relevance to the discussion.

My kids are in their 20s and 30s and they are doing just fine!

That is correct. I'm a few months from turning 59 and my father is two years older than Init. And my parents didn't start a family until later than most people at that time.

 

[initforme]

Well I'm not interested in working that hard. I'm retired. Replying to earlier post. But this, like all political dealings, in the end, don't really matter.

 

[initforme]

I had my first at 29....the older one is the easier kids are to have....more younger people are figuring this out. Focus first on possessions you want. Then when ready have kids....or get more possessions.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I have 4 kids currently in the work world. They all have college degrees. Of course I gave them NO other options upon graduation. They had to continue their educations. They inform me of what it's like in the God forsaken rat race. I have 10 grandkids...every one who has graduated is in or graduated from college.

Your kids are retirement age!

If he's 85 his kids are more than likely older than I am and they're college educated.
So why did a 10th grade dropout like myself have no problem making my way through life?
His story sounds like bullshit from beginning to end.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Well I'm not interested in working that hard. I'm retired. Replying to earlier post. But this, like all political dealings, in the end, don't really matter.

Again, no one know who you are talking to, or what you are talking about!

 

[initforme]

My story isn't fake. My kids are indeed college educated. What's the big deal?

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

My story isn't fake. My kids are indeed college educated. What's the big deal?

It is irrelevant that your kids attended college in the 70s and 80s. I graduated in 1984 and I am 58 years young.

What does that have to do with the 20-30 year olds that work for me and with my wife?

 

[keepitreal]

But living at home for a few years can help a kid save and then they have a nest egg. Capitalism is all about the dollar. Kids want to make lots of money. Can we blame them? Our society is all about the buck.

So they could save money
while their parents pay the costs

I don't think there is anything wrong with parents helping their kids out even into their young adult age. Most of them pay their own way. But for an extended period of time, that's ridiculous.

A friend of mine is going through a divorce. Her husband became a drug addict and quit paying on their house. She has two younger children and a 19 year old. The 19 year old sits at home and plays video games all day. She has no idea what she's going to do in the future and how she will be able to afford another home in the suburb her kids are going to school. That's ridiculous.

He should be working full time and make plans on where they are going to move next when the bank forecloses. IF he's going to live at home, at the very least, split the bills with his mother.

A friend of mine is going through a divorce. Her husband became a drug addict and quit paying on their house. She has two younger children and a 19 year old. The 19 year old sits at home and plays video games all day. She has no idea what she's going to do in the future and how she will be able to afford another home in the suburb her kids are going to school. That's ridiculous.

The husband didn’t become a drug addict overnight
so why didn’t she already get a plan together
and why wasn’t she paying the house note?

If she can’t afford a house then she rents,
what’s ridiculous is worrying about getting another house
after letting your other house go into foreclosure

He should be working full time and make plans on where they are going to move next when the bank forecloses. IF he's going to live at home, at the very least, split the bills with his mother.

I disagree, he shouldn’t have to take on his fathers role
and she shouldn’t put that responsibility on him

Help her out, sure...split the bills, no

She was a stay at home wife. Her husband had his own business, but she never realized how he was making the real money. He paid for everything and she raised the children.

She never realized the situation until he got busted by the cops. That's when the story all unfolded. He got a DUI and possession charge with intent to sell. He's going to jail, and she has no real job experience because she lived the life of a stay at home mother.

Yes, it is partly her fault, even she admits that now. But she's in a bad situation she didn't create for herself. I think her son should get a job and bring home some bucks to help support the family. After all, that's what people used to do years ago.

My father quit school in the 9th grade for just that reason; to help support his siblings. It was pretty common back then when people died at a much younger age than today.

She was a stay at home wife. Her husband had his own business, but she never realized how he was making the real money. He paid for everything and she raised the children

How could he quit paying the house note
and she not realize that if she’s at home all day?

Which is it, he’s a drug addict or a drug supplier
Believe me....can’t be both

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

My story isn't fake. My kids are indeed college educated. What's the big deal?

The big deal?
They are my age or older. I find it hard to believe that they grew up in my day and age and couldnt find work or found it hard to get ahead.
The Wife and I did just fine and are in the top 3%,the idea that your kids found it difficult tells me more about you than your kids.

 

[Lesh]

My story isn't fake. My kids are indeed college educated. What's the big deal?

The big deal?
They are my age or older. I find it hard to believe that they grew up in my day and age and couldnt find work or found it hard to get ahead.
The Wife and I did just fine and are in the top 3%,the idea that your kids found it difficult tells me more about you than your kids.

Ahhh so YOU got a real nice tax cut huh?

Not many did

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

My story isn't fake. My kids are indeed college educated. What's the big deal?

The big deal?
They are my age or older. I find it hard to believe that they grew up in my day and age and couldnt find work or found it hard to get ahead.
The Wife and I did just fine and are in the top 3%,the idea that your kids found it difficult tells me more about you than your kids.

Ahhh so YOU got a real nice tax cut huh?

Not many did

Not really.
Top 3 Percent of Tax Filers Pay 51 Percent of Individual Income Taxes | FreedomWorks

 

[Andylusion]

There are very few options for a high school graduate in today's America.

I just don't believe that. Just factually not true.

Now it is true that people with only a high school degree do in fact tend to struggle, but that is more a function of them not wanting to do what is required to succeed, more than a lack of 'options'. There are millions of options in this country.

You can start driving a tractor trailer, in 4 weeks, and start off making $30,000 a year, and be making $50,000 a year by the end of the year.

There are millions of jobs that you can make a middle class income. But it takes effort and hard work.

1-800-GOT-JUNK, was started by a high school kid and $900 pickup truck.
But picking up junk is hard work, and thus most people don't want to do it. But that's how you end up with a multi-million dollar company.

A dozen of my relatives all don't have degrees, and they all make really good cash. One works on electrical systems under the city. Of course it's hard work, and climbing down into the disgusting tunnels and holes under the city is not fun, so most don't want to do it. But he's making almost 6-figures.

We had a guy come and do brick work on my parents house. He never went to college, he just learned how to lay bricks. He's making $22/hr roughly based on the job. (self-employed) But you are outside under the sun, and you are working.

The problem isn't that people don't have options. The problem is people don't want to work.

I myself have no degree whatsoever, and I'm not struggling. But the difference is obvious. When I'm at work, I'm working, and working hard. I get my stuff done. I come in, work from that time I start, until the time I leave. When needed I skip lunch. When required I don't go to break.

I watch people come in all the time, and they sit around from 7:30 AM, until 8 AM doing nothing, but talking. And they never miss a break. Never miss a lunch. And they leave right at 4 PM, like the place was burning down.

Who is going to promote someone that lazy? Who is going to give that person an opportunity? Doesn't matter if they have degree or not, they are not going anywhere. They'll be struggling with their low wages until they die.

That's the problem. The problem is work ethic. You get these people to work, and they'll stop struggling so much.

Heck, you can buy a $50 lawn mower, and double your income. But you have to get your butt mowing. You have to be out in the heat, and getting the job done. It really is that simple.

Your comments remind me of a story I read years ago after the Reagan recession.

Like millions of Americans at the time, this guy lost his job. Living on unemployment and feeling hopeless, he wanted to do something where he'd never be in that position again. He had no idea what that would be without an extensive education or investments.

One day after he let his dogs in, he had to do the chore he hated the most, and that was going outside and cleaning up after them. That's when a lightbulb lit over his head. If he didn't like doing that, maybe there are other people who felt the same way!

He went to a print shop and had flyers made. He started his own dog poop company. He had a pickup truck, he had a shovel, now all he needed was for somebody to pay him to clean up their yard.

Before he knew it, he was getting customers by the day. He was eventually working ten hours per day and had to hire another person for the additional overflow. American ingenuity at work and a desire to be successful.

Tons of examples of this. TONS!

We had a this guy who was working for $10/hour at one of my previous jobs. He tiled his kitchen floor. Invited a some people over for dinner, and one of them asked him to tile their kitchen. Pretty soon he was tiling every weekend. Got a call from Wendy's division, they asked him to tile a new store for them.

In 12 months, he was making as much money on the weekend, as he did working all week.

He quit his job.

There are MILLIONS of options. But tiling is hard work. You have to cut the tiles right. You have to be willing to pull everything up and redo it, when it's not square. You have to work until the job is done, or you don't leave, because the store opens Monday morning, and it needs to be set on Sunday, so that it is solid when workers show up on Monday.

What we need to ask people is......
Are you willing to put in the hard work? No? Then shut up and keep flipping your burgers. The problem is not that if you don't have a degree you are screwed. The problem is if you don't want to work you are screwed.

 

[Andylusion]

My story isn't fake. My kids are indeed college educated. What's the big deal?

The big deal?
They are my age or older. I find it hard to believe that they grew up in my day and age and couldnt find work or found it hard to get ahead.
The Wife and I did just fine and are in the top 3%,the idea that your kids found it difficult tells me more about you than your kids.

Ahhh so YOU got a real nice tax cut huh?

Not many did

Not really.
Top 3 Percent of Tax Filers Pay 51 Percent of Individual Income Taxes | FreedomWorks

Facts > Left-wing ideology

 

[McRocket]

'A clear divide exists among 2020 presidential Democrats who are rolling out plans to tackle the student debt crisis, whether tuition-free or debt-free policies are the way to win voter support.

By the numbers: Student debt in the United States has reached $1.5 trillion, and is responsible for much of millennials and generation Z's anguish.

In Congress

• Congressional committees have launched hearings to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, which looks to discuss more affordability in college costs, student loan programs and more. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) reintroduced legislation to help students become debt free within 5 years of graduating.

Tuition free
These programs provide students 2 years of free tuition at participating state community colleges, associate-degree programs and vocational schools. The majority fall into the category of "last dollar" scholarships, indicating the program pays the difference in tuition after financial aid and grants have kicked in, per CNBC.

• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is still running on his 2016 campaign promise to make college tuition free and debt free. In 2016, Sanders introduced a bill called the "College for All Act," making public college tuition-free to students through a partnership between the federal government.
• Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro supports tuition-free college.
• Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) wants to eliminate tuition and fees at 4-year public colleges and universities. She also supports free community college tuition for everyone.
• New-age spiritual guru Marianne Williamson supports universal pre-school and free college.

Debt free
This idea aims to cover the costs associated with attending public college without requiring students to take out loans, by establishing federal matches for state spending on higher education and using those funds to fill unmet need for people pursuing degrees

• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is running her campaign on students being debt free by using proceeds from her wealth tax. Warren is a co-sponsor for the Schatz-Pocan bill and the Sanders bill. She has sponsored and co-sponsored several others including one in 2014 that allowed federal student loan borrowers to refinance their debt at a lower interest rate.
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.): She believes universal pre-K and college should be a "fundamental right," to be debt-free, The Atlantic reports. She is a co-sponsor for the Schatz-Pocan bill and the Sanders bill.
• Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.): Introduced a bill in 2018 for baby bonds, which attempted to close the racial-wealth gap in education. Booker is a co-sponsor for the Schatz-Pocan bill.
• Former Texas representative Beto O’Rourke has supported debt-free ideals. In 2018, he tweeted: "We should allow Texans who commit to working in in-demand fields and in underserved communities the chance to graduate debt free." O`Rourke co-sponsored Student Loan Affordability Act until 2015.
• Former tech executive Andrew Yang: Debt forgiveness plans and loan repayment plans, according to his campaign website.

Refinance student loans

• Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) rejected the idea of tuition-free college at a CNN town hall, but called for has called for free 2-year community college degrees. She offered up the idea to refinance loans and expand Pell grants.
• Former representative John Delaney has called for reforming bankruptcy laws so student loan debt can be discharged like all other debts as well as refinancing.

Mixed statements

• Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is a co-sponsor for the Schatz-Pocan bill and the Sanders bill. In February, she tweeted she'd "allow all students to refinance their loans at 4%" if she were elected president.'

Debt-free college: Where the 2020 presidential candidates stand


I can understand universal healthcare and the $15 minimum wage (I don't fully agree with them - but I can certainly understand the logic behind them).

But this is just bat shit nuts.

No one put a fucking gun to these students heads to go massively into debt...it was 100% their choosing. Why the 'f' do students suddenly deserve to have their tuition paid off by taxpayers? Why this generation and not previous generations? And what makes student loans more important then mortgages? Or business loans? Why have taxpayers pay off student loans but do nothing for low income people with heavy mortgages/debts or business loans (NOT that I am for paying those off either - but at least they make far more sense then just paying off student loans)? What is fucking next? Progressives want taxpayers to pay off their credit cards? Car payments? Gambling debts?

This is progressives being flat out selfish. Many progressives are under 30 with HUGE student debt. So naturally their first thought is themselves.

I will say it again - HELLO? You people voluntarily took the huge student loans. You have no one to blame for them but yourselves. They are 100% YOUR responsibility. Stop pawning your bad decisions on to the rest of America. You fucked up - you get yourselves out of it. It's called 'taking responsibility for your actions'. DUH.

I can only imagine how much the cost of a college education would skyrocket if the government gave FREE tuition.
I witnessed how the tuition skyrocketed when the government took over the student loan business.

EXACTLY.

If the colleges/universities know the government will pay for it all...they will jump up tuitions. Why would they not? Sure they will make up justifications. But the government will go along with them - so long as they are not too extreme.

Now, colleges have to not be so expensive that students cannot afford them. But if the government is paying - that goes RIGHT out the window. They will charge as much as they possibly think the government will pay.

Tuitions would go through the stratosphere.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

There are very few options for a high school graduate in today's America.

I just don't believe that. Just factually not true.

Now it is true that people with only a high school degree do in fact tend to struggle, but that is more a function of them not wanting to do what is required to succeed, more than a lack of 'options'. There are millions of options in this country.

You can start driving a tractor trailer, in 4 weeks, and start off making $30,000 a year, and be making $50,000 a year by the end of the year.

There are millions of jobs that you can make a middle class income. But it takes effort and hard work.

1-800-GOT-JUNK, was started by a high school kid and $900 pickup truck.
But picking up junk is hard work, and thus most people don't want to do it. But that's how you end up with a multi-million dollar company.

A dozen of my relatives all don't have degrees, and they all make really good cash. One works on electrical systems under the city. Of course it's hard work, and climbing down into the disgusting tunnels and holes under the city is not fun, so most don't want to do it. But he's making almost 6-figures.

We had a guy come and do brick work on my parents house. He never went to college, he just learned how to lay bricks. He's making $22/hr roughly based on the job. (self-employed) But you are outside under the sun, and you are working.

The problem isn't that people don't have options. The problem is people don't want to work.

I myself have no degree whatsoever, and I'm not struggling. But the difference is obvious. When I'm at work, I'm working, and working hard. I get my stuff done. I come in, work from that time I start, until the time I leave. When needed I skip lunch. When required I don't go to break.

I watch people come in all the time, and they sit around from 7:30 AM, until 8 AM doing nothing, but talking. And they never miss a break. Never miss a lunch. And they leave right at 4 PM, like the place was burning down.

Who is going to promote someone that lazy? Who is going to give that person an opportunity? Doesn't matter if they have degree or not, they are not going anywhere. They'll be struggling with their low wages until they die.

That's the problem. The problem is work ethic. You get these people to work, and they'll stop struggling so much.

Heck, you can buy a $50 lawn mower, and double your income. But you have to get your butt mowing. You have to be out in the heat, and getting the job done. It really is that simple.

Your comments remind me of a story I read years ago after the Reagan recession.

Like millions of Americans at the time, this guy lost his job. Living on unemployment and feeling hopeless, he wanted to do something where he'd never be in that position again. He had no idea what that would be without an extensive education or investments.

One day after he let his dogs in, he had to do the chore he hated the most, and that was going outside and cleaning up after them. That's when a lightbulb lit over his head. If he didn't like doing that, maybe there are other people who felt the same way!

He went to a print shop and had flyers made. He started his own dog poop company. He had a pickup truck, he had a shovel, now all he needed was for somebody to pay him to clean up their yard.

Before he knew it, he was getting customers by the day. He was eventually working ten hours per day and had to hire another person for the additional overflow. American ingenuity at work and a desire to be successful.

Tons of examples of this. TONS!

We had a this guy who was working for $10/hour at one of my previous jobs. He tiled his kitchen floor. Invited a some people over for dinner, and one of them asked him to tile their kitchen. Pretty soon he was tiling every weekend. Got a call from Wendy's division, they asked him to tile a new store for them.

In 12 months, he was making as much money on the weekend, as he did working all week.

He quit his job.

There are MILLIONS of options. But tiling is hard work. You have to cut the tiles right. You have to be willing to pull everything up and redo it, when it's not square. You have to work until the job is done, or you don't leave, because the store opens Monday morning, and it needs to be set on Sunday, so that it is solid when workers show up on Monday.

What we need to ask people is......
Are you willing to put in the hard work? No? Then shut up and keep flipping your burgers. The problem is not that if you don't have a degree you are screwed. The problem is if you don't want to work you are screwed.

Correct. This kind of thing happens all the time. A place we used to pickup and deliver to was started by a guy who worked for a company doing the same thing he invested in. It was a packaging warehouse operation. He took his master card and borrowed 10K to rent space from his employer. He started his own packaging warehouse operation and it eventually grew to seven buildings across the Cleveland area. He did great until the Bush recession, and even though they are out of business, I'm sure he's a multi-millionaire now.

 

[LordBrownTrout]

'A clear divide exists among 2020 presidential Democrats who are rolling out plans to tackle the student debt crisis, whether tuition-free or debt-free policies are the way to win voter support.

By the numbers: Student debt in the United States has reached $1.5 trillion, and is responsible for much of millennials and generation Z's anguish.

In Congress

• Congressional committees have launched hearings to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, which looks to discuss more affordability in college costs, student loan programs and more. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) reintroduced legislation to help students become debt free within 5 years of graduating.

Tuition free
These programs provide students 2 years of free tuition at participating state community colleges, associate-degree programs and vocational schools. The majority fall into the category of "last dollar" scholarships, indicating the program pays the difference in tuition after financial aid and grants have kicked in, per CNBC.

• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is still running on his 2016 campaign promise to make college tuition free and debt free. In 2016, Sanders introduced a bill called the "College for All Act," making public college tuition-free to students through a partnership between the federal government.
• Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro supports tuition-free college.
• Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) wants to eliminate tuition and fees at 4-year public colleges and universities. She also supports free community college tuition for everyone.
• New-age spiritual guru Marianne Williamson supports universal pre-school and free college.

Debt free
This idea aims to cover the costs associated with attending public college without requiring students to take out loans, by establishing federal matches for state spending on higher education and using those funds to fill unmet need for people pursuing degrees

• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is running her campaign on students being debt free by using proceeds from her wealth tax. Warren is a co-sponsor for the Schatz-Pocan bill and the Sanders bill. She has sponsored and co-sponsored several others including one in 2014 that allowed federal student loan borrowers to refinance their debt at a lower interest rate.
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.): She believes universal pre-K and college should be a "fundamental right," to be debt-free, The Atlantic reports. She is a co-sponsor for the Schatz-Pocan bill and the Sanders bill.
• Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.): Introduced a bill in 2018 for baby bonds, which attempted to close the racial-wealth gap in education. Booker is a co-sponsor for the Schatz-Pocan bill.
• Former Texas representative Beto O’Rourke has supported debt-free ideals. In 2018, he tweeted: "We should allow Texans who commit to working in in-demand fields and in underserved communities the chance to graduate debt free." O`Rourke co-sponsored Student Loan Affordability Act until 2015.
• Former tech executive Andrew Yang: Debt forgiveness plans and loan repayment plans, according to his campaign website.

Refinance student loans

• Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) rejected the idea of tuition-free college at a CNN town hall, but called for has called for free 2-year community college degrees. She offered up the idea to refinance loans and expand Pell grants.
• Former representative John Delaney has called for reforming bankruptcy laws so student loan debt can be discharged like all other debts as well as refinancing.

Mixed statements

• Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is a co-sponsor for the Schatz-Pocan bill and the Sanders bill. In February, she tweeted she'd "allow all students to refinance their loans at 4%" if she were elected president.'

Debt-free college: Where the 2020 presidential candidates stand


I can understand universal healthcare and the $15 minimum wage (I don't fully agree with them - but I can certainly understand the logic behind them).

But this is just bat shit nuts.

No one put a fucking gun to these students heads to go massively into debt...it was 100% their choosing. Why the 'f' do students suddenly deserve to have their tuition paid off by taxpayers? Why this generation and not previous generations? And what makes student loans more important then mortgages? Or business loans? Why have taxpayers pay off student loans but do nothing for low income people with heavy mortgages/debts or business loans (NOT that I am for paying those off either - but at least they make far more sense then just paying off student loans)? What is fucking next? Progressives want taxpayers to pay off their credit cards? Car payments? Gambling debts?

This is progressives being flat out selfish. Many progressives are under 30 with HUGE student debt. So naturally their first thought is themselves.

I will say it again - HELLO? You people voluntarily took the huge student loans. You have no one to blame for them but yourselves. They are 100% YOUR responsibility. Stop pawning your bad decisions on to the rest of America. You fucked up - you get yourselves out of it. It's called 'taking responsibility for your actions'. DUH.

Our society is demanding more education. Not just college but technical

Make the employers pay

What?

Yeah, that's going to work..... So my company, is going to pay for a worker to get a degree in Art History, and that worker isn't even going to stay with my company after graduation.

You think I'm doing that? I'll lay off my employees first, and move out of country, before wasting that much money on education.

Now if you mean paying for people to get education in something the company can use..... we already have that.

My company pays for training in positions we have on staff. And we've already been burned doing that. One of the women we trained just 6 months ago, sent her to a week of training, room and board, she already quit and is moving to a new job.

Why should we pay to educate people, when they leave?

And if you think that Wendy's is going to pay for someone's degree in marine biology, you are crazy.

Again, there are plenty of companies that do have training programs for free, and tuition reimbursement.

Had a lady that got a degree in management, through I believe Meijer. She's not a district manager.

The problem is not that there are not enough ways to get an education. The problem is people getting and education worth having, and being a person worth training.

The Dumbest (Real) College Courses

The people that 'go after it', end up getting somewhere. The people that don't, generally don't.

This isn't a problem of the cost of education. It's a problem is motivation, and having a work ethic.

Anyone can get a degree. Anyone. I had a co-worker that was taking one class a quarter. He was working a full time job, paying his way through, and got a degree in education and chemistry.

His parents were.... problematic. No support. No money. Nothing. He was paying for his own food. At least they let him sleep at his parents house, which was funny since neither parent lived at that house. (long screwed up story).... but the point is, a guy with no help, no money, but a willingness to work, was able to get a degree. Anyone can get a degree. It's a matter of effort and work ethic.

And he's debt free. Paid his way through.

You want to hire an employee with a masters in art history...you pay for it
You want to hire an engineer...pay for that

Why should the government subsidize your employees that you profit off of ?

It's not the employers responsibility to wipe after you. It's your responsibility to pay for your own school.