Question for Other Moderate Republicans Who Have Voted for Dems

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like I get soured by the anticapitalist tone among some of the democrats. I am all for social programs and that includes universal health care. But there are a lot of programs pushed by the Democrats that I think are just redistribution of wealth and I am not for that.

There is a small, very vocal, very left group saying this. Not even Elizabeth Warren is anti-capitalist. Please don’t think activists represent the Democratic Party. The rightwing and mainstream (cable news) media LOVE to focus on the “radical” portion of the left while ignoring the very real radical takeover of the GOP by an anti-democracy faction.

The truth is, our country lags in so many programs that make a healthy up society. Paid time off, affordable healthcare, lower prescription drugs, affordable college…

Yes, there will always be scammers. I consider the biggest scammers to be the billionaires & wealthy corporations who have convinced the American public that they should be allowed to skip paying what they owe in taxes because they are
1. job makers
2. have “pulled bootstraps/ worked hard for their money, while ignoring that much of their wealth was built from the public good i.e. they and or their workers were educated in schools, their goods travel on public roads & purchased over publicly seed funded Internet…

They are laughing all the way to the bank, or in some cases to outerspace.

If you think inflation is bad now, mass loan forgiveness would make it WAY worse. The end of the student loan moratorium on Feb 1 will take some of this excess money out of the system and at least help tame inflation a little bit.
I thought that too. I feel like Biden is drawn to that group more than I expected and it lends a lot of legitimacy to their goals. Which makes me wonder if more democrats today are for that type of stuff. A lot of young people really want free college or tuition forgiveness. I hear some sad stories of people who got scammed by banks but for many I hear about massive tuition to earn a Low earning degree. That is a choice, not a tragedy. I know young people at my work who have massive debt but at least some of it was accumulated doing mostly frivolous semesters or summers abroad. I took loans and worked every summer and during the school year and NEVER got to do that because I couldn’t afford it. Or should I say, I wasn’t willing to take out loans to do it. I should not now be asked to pay for Larlas summer in Spain. Nope. But those same colleagues all talked about loan forgiveness. It made me so mad.

I worked through college and grad/law school. I borrowed over $100,000 in loans. I didn’t go abroad either and I still support bringing some loan forgiveness and sanity to the issue of funding college. All of that debt made it really hard for me to start out. I was living in group houses in my early 30’s to save money. After I got married and we bought a house, we really benefitted from the fact that my husband had no school debt. His parents were able to pay for his schooling. We had more for a down payment because he didn’t have a student loan payment. My friends who are realtors have commented on how many of their younger home buyers have family money and no other debt so they can purchase fairly expensive homes because they have a big downpayment. They didn’t earn family wealth, someone else did and they simply won the family lottery. A lottery I might add that our tax system not only encourages but makes the rest of us pay for (the tax system favors people who have investment income versus wage income). I don’t support wiping away all college debt and I don’t think we should pay for everyone to go to whatever school they want. I do believe that we need to make higher ed more accessible because right now it is skewed to helping those born to affluence maintain their affluence rather than provide opportunities to less affluent, working class, or low income students. I am acutely aware that while I have done really well so many of my family and friends from childhood who worked as hard or harder than me haven’t. Making education truly more affordable and accessible is something that needs to be done and that will benefit society as a whole.

If you think inflation is bad now, mass loan forgiveness would make it WAY worse. The end of the student loan moratorium on Feb 1 will take some of this excess money out of the system and at least help tame inflation a little bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I worked through college and grad/law school. I borrowed over $100,000 in loans. I didn’t go abroad either and I still support bringing some loan forgiveness and sanity to the issue of funding college. All of that debt made it really hard for me to start out. I was living in group houses in my early 30’s to save money. After I got married and we bought a house, we really benefitted from the fact that my husband had no school debt. His parents were able to pay for his schooling. We had more for a down payment because he didn’t have a student loan payment. My friends who are realtors have commented on how many of their younger home buyers have family money and no other debt so they can purchase fairly expensive homes because they have a big downpayment. They didn’t earn family wealth, someone else did and they simply won the family lottery. A lottery I might add that our tax system not only encourages but makes the rest of us pay for (the tax system favors people who have investment income versus wage income). I don’t support wiping away all college debt and I don’t think we should pay for everyone to go to whatever school they want. I do believe that we need to make higher ed more accessible because right now it is skewed to helping those born to affluence maintain their affluence rather than provide opportunities to less affluent, working class, or low income students. I am acutely aware that while I have done really well so many of my family and friends from childhood who worked as hard or harder than me haven’t. Making education truly more affordable and accessible is something that needs to be done and that will benefit society as a whole.

A voice of intelligence, sanity and empathy. Thank you for sharing your perspective and for having the emotional intelligence to understand how lucky you are and that the system is rigged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked through college and grad/law school. I borrowed over $100,000 in loans. I didn’t go abroad either and I still support bringing some loan forgiveness and sanity to the issue of funding college. All of that debt made it really hard for me to start out. I was living in group houses in my early 30’s to save money. After I got married and we bought a house, we really benefitted from the fact that my husband had no school debt. His parents were able to pay for his schooling. We had more for a down payment because he didn’t have a student loan payment. My friends who are realtors have commented on how many of their younger home buyers have family money and no other debt so they can purchase fairly expensive homes because they have a big downpayment. They didn’t earn family wealth, someone else did and they simply won the family lottery. A lottery I might add that our tax system not only encourages but makes the rest of us pay for (the tax system favors people who have investment income versus wage income). I don’t support wiping away all college debt and I don’t think we should pay for everyone to go to whatever school they want. I do believe that we need to make higher ed more accessible because right now it is skewed to helping those born to affluence maintain their affluence rather than provide opportunities to less affluent, working class, or low income students. I am acutely aware that while I have done really well so many of my family and friends from childhood who worked as hard or harder than me haven’t. Making education truly more affordable and accessible is something that needs to be done and that will benefit society as a whole.

A voice of intelligence, sanity and empathy. Thank you for sharing your perspective and for having the emotional intelligence to understand how lucky you are and that the system is rigged.

A true voice of intelligence, sanity and empathy would question why she would have needed to take out 100,000 in loans for a college degree that left her unable to pay off her loans into her 30s. Of course that discussion would quickly lead us to a discussion of college campuses where Communists are more common that Republicans.

The problem is fundamentally about the cost of universities, where administrations have completely abandoned any pretense of having a pure educational mission.

Purdue just announced its 11th year without a tuition increase and its 10th year without a housing increase:

https://www.purdue.edu/uns/PurdueToday/archive/2021/12-December/211203TrusteesPurdueToday.htm

Why isn't this making national headlines? Why is Mitch Daniels, a former Republican governor of Indiana, able to do this while the rest of the country continues to see runaway tuition increases?


Note this graphic is years old...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked through college and grad/law school. I borrowed over $100,000 in loans. I didn’t go abroad either and I still support bringing some loan forgiveness and sanity to the issue of funding college. All of that debt made it really hard for me to start out. I was living in group houses in my early 30’s to save money. After I got married and we bought a house, we really benefitted from the fact that my husband had no school debt. His parents were able to pay for his schooling. We had more for a down payment because he didn’t have a student loan payment. My friends who are realtors have commented on how many of their younger home buyers have family money and no other debt so they can purchase fairly expensive homes because they have a big downpayment. They didn’t earn family wealth, someone else did and they simply won the family lottery. A lottery I might add that our tax system not only encourages but makes the rest of us pay for (the tax system favors people who have investment income versus wage income). I don’t support wiping away all college debt and I don’t think we should pay for everyone to go to whatever school they want. I do believe that we need to make higher ed more accessible because right now it is skewed to helping those born to affluence maintain their affluence rather than provide opportunities to less affluent, working class, or low income students. I am acutely aware that while I have done really well so many of my family and friends from childhood who worked as hard or harder than me haven’t. Making education truly more affordable and accessible is something that needs to be done and that will benefit society as a whole.

A voice of intelligence, sanity and empathy. Thank you for sharing your perspective and for having the emotional intelligence to understand how lucky you are and that the system is rigged.

School tuition has only gone up as a result of government loan availability. Now the assumption is that you will just borrow. The cost of tuition has skyrocketed. Schools need to cut salaries. Schools need to rein in the posh condo like dorms. It is all paid for with excessive loans made possible via government intervention and the basic assumption that people will borrow massive amounts. Paying off loans will help the borrowers but not stop the problem which is a higher Ed system structured in tuition rates that have risen above true market level because of money from the government.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked through college and grad/law school. I borrowed over $100,000 in loans. I didn’t go abroad either and I still support bringing some loan forgiveness and sanity to the issue of funding college. All of that debt made it really hard for me to start out. I was living in group houses in my early 30’s to save money. After I got married and we bought a house, we really benefitted from the fact that my husband had no school debt. His parents were able to pay for his schooling. We had more for a down payment because he didn’t have a student loan payment. My friends who are realtors have commented on how many of their younger home buyers have family money and no other debt so they can purchase fairly expensive homes because they have a big downpayment. They didn’t earn family wealth, someone else did and they simply won the family lottery. A lottery I might add that our tax system not only encourages but makes the rest of us pay for (the tax system favors people who have investment income versus wage income). I don’t support wiping away all college debt and I don’t think we should pay for everyone to go to whatever school they want. I do believe that we need to make higher ed more accessible because right now it is skewed to helping those born to affluence maintain their affluence rather than provide opportunities to less affluent, working class, or low income students. I am acutely aware that while I have done really well so many of my family and friends from childhood who worked as hard or harder than me haven’t. Making education truly more affordable and accessible is something that needs to be done and that will benefit society as a whole.

A voice of intelligence, sanity and empathy. Thank you for sharing your perspective and for having the emotional intelligence to understand how lucky you are and that the system is rigged.

A true voice of intelligence, sanity and empathy would question why she would have needed to take out 100,000 in loans for a college degree that left her unable to pay off her loans into her 30s. Of course that discussion would quickly lead us to a discussion of college campuses where Communists are more common that Republicans.

The problem is fundamentally about the cost of universities, where administrations have completely abandoned any pretense of having a pure educational mission.

Purdue just announced its 11th year without a tuition increase and its 10th year without a housing increase:

https://www.purdue.edu/uns/PurdueToday/archive/2021/12-December/211203TrusteesPurdueToday.htm

Why isn't this making national headlines? Why is Mitch Daniels, a former Republican governor of Indiana, able to do this while the rest of the country continues to see runaway tuition increases?


Note this graphic is years old...

Purdue is public; are Indiana University and the other schools in that state system having the same result?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked through college and grad/law school. I borrowed over $100,000 in loans. I didn’t go abroad either and I still support bringing some loan forgiveness and sanity to the issue of funding college. All of that debt made it really hard for me to start out. I was living in group houses in my early 30’s to save money. After I got married and we bought a house, we really benefitted from the fact that my husband had no school debt. His parents were able to pay for his schooling. We had more for a down payment because he didn’t have a student loan payment. My friends who are realtors have commented on how many of their younger home buyers have family money and no other debt so they can purchase fairly expensive homes because they have a big downpayment. They didn’t earn family wealth, someone else did and they simply won the family lottery. A lottery I might add that our tax system not only encourages but makes the rest of us pay for (the tax system favors people who have investment income versus wage income). I don’t support wiping away all college debt and I don’t think we should pay for everyone to go to whatever school they want. I do believe that we need to make higher ed more accessible because right now it is skewed to helping those born to affluence maintain their affluence rather than provide opportunities to less affluent, working class, or low income students. I am acutely aware that while I have done really well so many of my family and friends from childhood who worked as hard or harder than me haven’t. Making education truly more affordable and accessible is something that needs to be done and that will benefit society as a whole.

A voice of intelligence, sanity and empathy. Thank you for sharing your perspective and for having the emotional intelligence to understand how lucky you are and that the system is rigged.

A true voice of intelligence, sanity and empathy would question why she would have needed to take out 100,000 in loans for a college degree that left her unable to pay off her loans into her 30s. Of course that discussion would quickly lead us to a discussion of college campuses where Communists are more common that Republicans.

The problem is fundamentally about the cost of universities, where administrations have completely abandoned any pretense of having a pure educational mission.

Purdue just announced its 11th year without a tuition increase and its 10th year without a housing increase:

https://www.purdue.edu/uns/PurdueToday/archive/2021/12-December/211203TrusteesPurdueToday.htm

Why isn't this making national headlines? Why is Mitch Daniels, a former Republican governor of Indiana, able to do this while the rest of the country continues to see runaway tuition increases?


Note this graphic is years old...

Purdue is public; are Indiana University and the other schools in that state system having the same result?

no

[Anonymous]

Is it really posh dorms or is it wraparound services, bulging administrators, or perhaps outrageous comp pkgs for Pres and coaches? Seriously, what are the root causes of ballooning higher ed costs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it really posh dorms or is it wraparound services, bulging administrators, or perhaps outrageous comp pkgs for Pres and coaches? Seriously, what are the root causes of ballooning higher ed costs?

I’ve been visiting colleges this year with my senior DD. The facilities (gyms in particular) and the food are MUCH better than when I was visiting 30 years ago. Like one step up fro, prison level vs. new loft apartment building level. And I’ve heard from friends in academia that there is a glut of administrators as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked through college and grad/law school. I borrowed over $100,000 in loans. I didn’t go abroad either and I still support bringing some loan forgiveness and sanity to the issue of funding college. All of that debt made it really hard for me to start out. I was living in group houses in my early 30’s to save money. After I got married and we bought a house, we really benefitted from the fact that my husband had no school debt. His parents were able to pay for his schooling. We had more for a down payment because he didn’t have a student loan payment. My friends who are realtors have commented on how many of their younger home buyers have family money and no other debt so they can purchase fairly expensive homes because they have a big downpayment. They didn’t earn family wealth, someone else did and they simply won the family lottery. A lottery I might add that our tax system not only encourages but makes the rest of us pay for (the tax system favors people who have investment income versus wage income). I don’t support wiping away all college debt and I don’t think we should pay for everyone to go to whatever school they want. I do believe that we need to make higher ed more accessible because right now it is skewed to helping those born to affluence maintain their affluence rather than provide opportunities to less affluent, working class, or low income students. I am acutely aware that while I have done really well so many of my family and friends from childhood who worked as hard or harder than me haven’t. Making education truly more affordable and accessible is something that needs to be done and that will benefit society as a whole.

A voice of intelligence, sanity and empathy. Thank you for sharing your perspective and for having the emotional intelligence to understand how lucky you are and that the system is rigged.

A true voice of intelligence, sanity and empathy would question why she would have needed to take out 100,000 in loans for a college degree that left her unable to pay off her loans into her 30s. Of course that discussion would quickly lead us to a discussion of college campuses where Communists are more common that Republicans.

The problem is fundamentally about the cost of universities, where administrations have completely abandoned any pretense of having a pure educational mission.

Purdue just announced its 11th year without a tuition increase and its 10th year without a housing increase:

https://www.purdue.edu/uns/PurdueToday/archive/2021/12-December/211203TrusteesPurdueToday.htm

Why isn't this making national headlines? Why is Mitch Daniels, a former Republican governor of Indiana, able to do this while the rest of the country continues to see runaway tuition increases?


Note this graphic is years old...

Purdue is public; are Indiana University and the other schools in that state system having the same result?

no

That’s weird, you’d think that the state legislature is involved in setting things like budgets and tuition prices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it really posh dorms or is it wraparound services, bulging administrators, or perhaps outrageous comp pkgs for Pres and coaches? Seriously, what are the root causes of ballooning higher ed costs?

Imagine for the sake of discussion we are talking about educating an undergraduate history major, 50 years ago and today.

50 years ago you would need some lecture halls and classrooms, a library, books, housing, food, and of course some professors.

Which of these things have appreciated faster than inflation year after year like clockwork? Certainly it isn't professors, they aren't making bank. The classrooms and lecture halls are in many cases the exact same rooms used 50 years ago...

What has gone nuts is the administrative bloat. Huge numbers of non-teaching staff, deans, etc. Facilities are the other major offender. A dorm 50 years ago would be positively spartan compared to dorms of today. Gyms, and other amenities of other types also contribute.


Fundamentally, university presidents have completely abandoned their core mandate (at least for state schools) to educate the populace without leaving them with a crushing debt load.



There is no reason a school can't provide a quality education on a reasonable budget. Purdue is proving this to be the case. Most of them just don't want to badly enough to trade away growing administrative bloat and new pet projects.