takoma wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the hope and change you voted for.

Wrong. I did not.

FWIW, I am an Independent.

I can't stand who the Republicans have been throwing up there of late, but SERIOUSLY, if I have to hear how the 1% is evil (even those of us at the low end that didn't come from privilege and have been workign hard are entire lives) and that we'll reward idiots for spending over their means on McMansions and dumbass Majors (communications, Restaurant Hotel management, etc) on schools they can't afford I might have to swing that way next election. I used to think I'd flee to Europe--but given their financial mess I don't think so!!

I think your characterizations are a bit overwrought. If some have spoken of the top 1% with what sounds to you like hatred, look at your own words ("idiots", "dumbass") for unnecessary invective. And I think you are over-reacting to what may not be a perfect policy, but is at least an attempt to accomplish something helpful while Boehner and company block legislative avenues. I'm not at all thrilled with many of Obama's moves myself, but I hope you will cool off before swinging over to a Perry, Cain, or Bachmann.

Ha! No worries there. There is nobody on the Republican debate floor that I would currently cast a ballot for. FWIW, I am fairly certain today's headlines are for the ballot-box. Given current track record, I am not so sure there will be follow-through.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the hope and change you voted for.

Wrong. I did not.

FWIW, I am an Independent.

I can't stand who the Republicans have been throwing up there of late, but SERIOUSLY, if I have to hear how the 1% is evil (even those of us at the low end that didn't come from privilege and have been workign hard are entire lives) and that we'll reward idiots for spending over their means on McMansions and dumbass Majors (communications, Restaurant Hotel management, etc) on schools they can't afford I might have to swing that way next election. I used to think I'd flee to Europe--but given their financial mess I don't think so!!

I think your characterizations are a bit overwrought. If some have spoken of the top 1% with what sounds to you like hatred, look at your own words ("idiots", "dumbass") for unnecessary invective. And I think you are over-reacting to what may not be a perfect policy, but is at least an attempt to accomplish something helpful while Boehner and company block legislative avenues. I'm not at all thrilled with many of Obama's moves myself, but I hope you will cool off before swinging over to a Perry, Cain, or Bachmann.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We realize that the money we put away for them will penalize them when it comes time to applying for aid

Aid is based on income, not on college savings.

Each school can (and most will) set its own rules when handing out its own need-based scholarships, and many schools are starting to adjust awards when they discover 529 accounts in the family.

But that's a decision made by the schools, not by the government. It's the free market in action--embrace it!

Anonymous wrote:

We realize that the money we put away for them will penalize them when it comes time to applying for aid

Aid is based on income, not on college savings.

Each school can (and most will) set its own rules when handing out its own need-based scholarships, and many schools are starting to adjust awards when they discover 529 accounts in the family.

We realize that the money we put away for them will penalize them when it comes time to applying for aid

Aid is based on income, not on college savings.

I'm confused, OP, did you even read the info about the student loan program that the administration is pushing? It will allow people to consolidate loans and possibly reduce their interest rates by a whole 1/4 percentage point, and it will people "pay as they earn." What does that have to do with your mortgage, or college savings? Fwiw, I don't think these programs will help me either despite a still-substantial student loan burden - but I don't resent the government for trying to address what is a growing problem for many many college grads.

Anonymous wrote:I thought I read that loan forgiveness would happen after 20 years, instead of the current 25.

What's the problem with this change?

The only problem is that the previous posters didn't bother to figure that out. Perhaps if they had majored in Chicano studies, they would have learned to do better research.

I thought I read that loan forgiveness would happen after 20 years, instead of the current 25.

What's the problem with this change?

Anonymous wrote:This is the hope and change you voted for.

Wrong. I did not.

FWIW, I am an Independent.

I can't stand who the Republicans have been throwing up there of late, but SERIOUSLY, if I have to hear how the 1% is evil (even those of us at the low end that didn't come from privilege and have been workign hard are entire lives) and that we'll reward idiots for spending over their means on McMansions and dumbass Majors (communications, Restaurant Hotel management, etc) on schools they can't afford I might have to swing that way next election. I used to think I'd flee to Europe--but given their financial mess I don't think so!!

What exactly do you think Obama is offering in terms of "relief". It's really not much and I can't understand why anyone would be outraged by it.

This is the hope and change you voted for.

You might try reading more than just a headline before posting a rant about it.

The main effect these policy changes will have is on folks just out of school who are working at low-paying jobs. If these borrowers demonstrate low income, they'll be able to pay off their loans at a slower rate. Their payments will be lower, but the principal won't be reduced as quickly. As their income increases, their loan payments will increase as well. Loan forgiveness would only happen after decades of consistently low income.

People who decide to waste money and get a major in Chicano studies or some other useless degree and then can't find a job shouldn't get a free ride.

I agree.

Just read a CNN headline that Obama is giving people relief on student loans.

I get a little sick of being the hard-working, bust-our-ass, cautious family...and before you start DH grew up blue collar with a single mom who worked two jobs in a dead-end town and I was from a middle class background!---

DH and I both worked our a**ses off to put ourselves through school (I actively chose a less, expensive state univ over some of the private ones I was accepted to). We both worked while in school and busted our a** post-school to pay off loans. We saved huge amounts of money, researched and did not take the biggest mortgage loan officers were trying to push on us back in 2004. We worked our on budget and got a 30-year fixed that we could afford in a number of unforseen circumstances. We now have been saving drastically for our two kids college education. We realize that the money we put away for them will penalize them when it comes time to applying for aid. So if we just said f*k it, were greedy, just ignored our student loan payments...we could just wait until somebody came along and bailed us out or excused us of our debt. WTF? It just burns me up.