This is part 2 of this enlightening interview with Alan Collinge of StudentLoanJustice.org. This grassroots organization has been tirelessly advocating for working class people's rights to attend college without accumulating massive debt. StudentLoanJustice.org needs your support, by the way, so please donate if you can!
www.StudentLoanJustice.org
Facts to consider while listening to this episode:
-- Student loans are THE ONLY DEBT THAT CANNOT BE WRITTEN OFF IN BANKRUPTCY!
-- Let me repeat that: While millionaires and billionaires may declare bankruptcy so that they don't need to pay their debts (that result from poor business decisions) and gamblers may declare bankruptcy (to cover the cost of their debts due to gambling), student loan debtors cannot declare bankruptcy in the majority of cases. This is even true if a student loan debtor is low income, disabled or homeless. Bankruptcy protections were removed for student loan debt and only that debt. Why? Is our govt targeting intelligent people? Nah, our gov wouldn't do that...
-- Donald Trump has declared bankruptcy several times. Are you okay with that? Then why are you okay with student loan debtors not being allowed to declare bankruptcy when everyone else can?
-- Student loans are a form of financial aid offered to low-income students. They are supposed to be a form of assistance, not a hindrance, to help students from poor or middle class families to afford the very high cost of college tuition.
-- Students fill out cumbersome and lengthy paperwork to prove they are low-income and cannot afford college tuition in order to qualify for financial aid.
-- Why are loans offered to students who've proven they are low-income, and why would anyone expect that low-income people would be able to pay off this debt?
-- Students hailing from poor or working class families end up paying more money to go to college than millionaires and billionaires because they must pay the loan amount plus interest and fees. Should poor people pay more money to go to college than wealthy people?
-- Increasingly, many jobs require either college education or trade school training, licensing and certification. This has created a big business opportunity for schools (that are now run like businesses rather than places offering an education). It is necessary for most living-wage jobs that a formal education is obtained, and it is very expensive. Since tuition costs are so high, grants and scholarships typically do not cover all college costs so most students are required to take out loans.
-- The Democrats are largely responsible for the student loan crisis. This includes Bill Clinton and Joe Biden.
-- For many professions, students must pay tuition for the required "opportunity" to work as interns. Yep, this is worse than slavery. At least slaves don't pay to work and usually are given free room and board. Not only are these students not being paid, are working for free, but they're also paying tuition for it! Why are people not upset about this!
-- The corporate media is lying to you, distracting you with propaganda. Ah, but you knew that already. They don't want you to ask these questions:
Why is a college degree/trade school training necessary for so many occupations? What happened to on-the-job training?
Why is education so outrageously expensive while it is also becoming a requirement?
Why would anyone offer a loan to someone they know doesn't have much money and expect them to pay it back with interest? Is this a set up? Does the govt/big banks/big business want students to be saddled with debt so that they're enslaved by financial worries and can't get politically active?
Why are so many students required to work for free as interns AND to pay tuition for that? How does that help people to get ahead in the world when they are paying to work then graduating with debt?
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