Addressing Social Ills

 I have been more prolific in my writing this week than I usually am, and that is because I have been reflecting on a lot. A couple of days ago, I was at the supermarket, and after doing my shopping and leaving the store, I noticed a young man sitting just adjacent to the exit on the ground.  He had what looked like all his belongings piled next to him, and the boy looked as if he was either in his late teens or early 20s.  We all see the panhandlers and people with signs at shopping centers and on street corners - many of them we just casually ignore, as there are a fair amount of scammers who are doing this as a career choice and not because of any urgent need.  This kid, however, was different - he did not look as if he deserved to be there.  He had a very intelligent face, and a smile despite his situation, and to be honest the image of him I had in my mind really struck at the center of my soul - I actually felt really bad for that poor kid.  He didn't belong there and was more than likely forced because of circumstances beyond his control.  And, he was just too young to be like that, which really pierced my soul.  Due to my own situation (I have a lot of struggles myself right now I won't get into) I was unable to help him in any way, but I could do one thing - pray for him.  And, I really hope that young man does get a break, because I believe he deserves it.  I don't know his name, and may not ever see him again, but I do pray the best for him.  And, seeing that got my thoughts going as to a few things that have been on my mind for a long time. 

I am both a fiscal and social conservative, and a very strong one at that.  And, while I do share many things with the conservative Republicans, I cannot be a Republican by choice because I don't believe that political party is as conservative as many think it is.  Politically, I am actually a Monarchist, and would welcome an heir to the Hapsburgs or something being coronated as king of our nation, similar in many respects to the fictional scenario my good friend Charles Coloumbe created in his insightful book Star Spangled Crown.  There are many issues I significantly differ with Republican talking points on, and I want to address a few of those now.  However, in all fairness, I think the average conservative Republican voter may actually have more in common with me than with, say, Mitch McConnell or Marjory Taylor-Greene.  Therefore, on a couple of specific issues, I want to address these differences I have with many of our elected officials, in particular those who profess to be politically conservative.

One of the big issues which is front-and-center of political discourse right now is student loan forgiveness.  In all honesty, it is one of the few things the Democrats have that actually would be beneficial to many of us who do have student loans.  The Republican opposition to this has some validity, but also many of the staunchest opponents of it are out of touch with the reality of what an issue this really is for many of us.  Likewise, the Democrats have a good idea in theory, but they go way too far in what they propose to implement.  A middle ground on this is essential.  Having almost $200K in student loan debt myself, this does directly affect me, and what I am noticing on many of the talking points on both sides of this issue is that they miss some important facts.  As a Gen-Xer, we were encouraged to go to college to get an advanced degree, and it was supposed to help our work prospects.  Many of us got those degrees, and then Corporate America told us we still lacked what they wanted and we had to do more education.  So, many did that, and still it wasn't enough.  So, many well-intentioned people woke up one day and realized they had hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans but they were not seeing the fruits of all that effort.  Many of these people are not lazy - it takes a lot of work to earn a degree, and many of us have excelled.  Also, the average student borrower I don't believe is wanting to be an intentional burden on the system - they are just trying to make a better life for themselves, because in the words of the old School House Rock ditty, "knowledge is power," or at least it's supposed to be.   Should these people be denied relief just like they are being passed over for opportunities they are more than qualified for?  I ask the Republicans in particular who oppose student loan forgiveness that question. However, there are legitimate issues with universal student loan forgiveness that the Democrats didn't think through fully when they touted it, and this is where the problem lies.  Let me tackle a few of those now. 

Recently, university education has been declining in value - the exorbitant tuition rates in many prestigious universities are being utilized to finance weird ideas and instruction.  For example, take a look at the pro-Hamas protests happening on the campuses of prestigious schools like Columbia and Yale.  These kids, who are getting fully-funded Federal aid for their education, are literally chanting "death to America" and are assaulting Jews, Catholics, and others because they are so indoctrinated with hatred and bad interpretations of history that they are essentially educated fools. In my opinion, students like that don't even deserve the honor of being students, because many of them are spoiled, privileged White kids with too much time on their hands and they would rather be supporting actual terrorism than actually trying to apply themselves to the education that many of them are being paid thousands of dollars to receive.  They have their Palestinian and "gay pride" flags, their pierced noses, their flourescent green and purple hair, and some are dudes dressed up like girls and vice versa.  They get violent with people who disagree with them, and many of them are so strung out on marijuana and other substances that they barely attend classes.  This is one thing some Republican officials see that makes them really skeptical of total student loan forgiveness, and that is a valid concern.  If these kids are to go to school and get financial aid, they need to be vetted in some way - they need to maintain an acceptable minimum GPA, they need to actually attend the classes they are registered for, and in all honesty, I would say implement a comprehensive evaluation at the end of their programs to gauge what they actually learned.  If they cannot demonstrate these basic things, then they should be denied student loans in the first place and then forced to pay whatever they did receive back in a certain amount of time. If they are foreign students on a student visa, they should not be getting taxpayer-subsidized aid at all, as their own governments should be taking care of them.  Years ago, when I was an undergraduate, none of this would have been necessary as the levels of entitlement were not there like they are in this generation now.  So, on this, I say there should be absolutely stricter standards for receiving Federal aid, and if we did that perhaps a more focused student population could really be educated at our universities in this country.  And, that now leads to a related issue.

The price of tuition at many higher-profile universities has been astronomical, and unfortunately the fault of this is lenient Federal student loans.  The universities make a killing off this, and they have intentionally inflated their tuitions to assure the maximum benefit.  A similar thing happens in the rental markets in many states such as Maryland - the rental laws favor oftentimes the property owners over tenants who have to lease homes, and they have no rent increase regulations (called rent caps) in place to make sure affordable housing is accessible to everyone.  Universities (especially the so-called "Ivy Leagues," which frankly are overrated these days) do the same thing with tuition prices.  By jacking up university tuitions, it forces many students who otherwise would not be able to attend college to borrow huge amounts of money just to stay enrolled, and that is a scandal.  So, then students graduate with this huge debt, but then they are not given the job they hoped to have with this education.  It is perhaps time to call into practice an accountability system for universities to disclose the reasons for their tuition rates, and excessive rates need to be eliminated.  Then, the career counseling centers of said universities should take a more active role in helping graduates get the jobs they deserved on par with the education they received.  Likewise, curriculums need to be evaluated, as too many professors act more like activists than educators, and thus is diminishes the quality of the education received.  If some things were instituted like that, it would make student loans a less volatile issue in public discourse.  That is just one man's humble opinion though.  

Another aspect of student loan forgiveness entails those who have been out of school for years but they have personal struggles financially.  These are middle-aged people who, despite their achievements, are being passed over for career opportunities and often have to resort to food stamps, Section 8 housing, and other government programs just to survive.  In addition to struggling to just make their rent or mortgage payments every month, they also have to face a huge financial burden of their student loans from 20+ years in the past for an education which they are not being recognized for.  This is a scandal, but thankfully not all is lost.  Aside from the recent student loan forgiveness proposals, there is a good Federal program called IBR, or Income-Based Repayment.  Once a borrower's financial situation is evaluated, an affordable solution is put in place to help them pay their liability, and in many cases a few years of consistent payments can get them a permanent forgiveness of their loans.  Fortunately, I don't hear a lot of opposition to this on either side, and it is a good program to have.  And, in a sense, it is actually loan forgiveness.  In many cases, IBR payments are even $0 per month, and that is even a better situation for a borrower that may be really down on their luck - a friend of mine who ended up in a homeless shelter despite doing very well in college and also being a Navy veteran was recently blessed in this way, and she deserved that.  And, that leads to my point about student loan forgiveness.

I am of course for student loan forgiveness, as it would be a personal benefit for me.  But, it doesn't need to be a universal program that forgives everyone's student loans.  For instance, if you are a doctor, lawyer, or a corporate executive making hundreds of thousands annually in take-home pay, you are in a position where you are able to pay your loans, and you should accept that responsibility.  Forgiveness programs should never extend to those individuals.  Likewise, if you screwed off in college as a student, didn't apply yourself, and you got a job based on nepotism or affirmative action rather than the merit of your skillset, you can pay for yourself too - you don't deserve benefits.  The ones who deserve to have these benefits are the hard-working underemployed or unemployed graduates who despite all their achievement and personal value are denied opportunities.  They are not being paid the salaries they deserve nor are they even taken seriously for what they can bring to the table.  Loan forgiveness should be an option for them.  This is why although Biden's idea for student loan debt cancellation is probably the only decent thing he is doing, but it needs some kinks worked out in order to make it more feasible and less of a burden on the American taxpayer.  Not only that, but students at community colleges, vo-tech schools, and apprenticeships should be eligible for other benefits as well - while they are not traditional university programs, they do serve a more practical purpose and promising talent among students in those schools needs to be recognized and rewarded.  That means other funding options besides loans should be implemented.  If Biden had half a brain, maybe he could have figured this out, and if the Republicans were not so against everything, they could actually listen to the concerns of real people and perhaps a solution could be reached.  It remains to be seen whether or not this proposal would be seriously considered, so we wait.

There are other good ideas that could be implemented - homelessness could be resolved in many cities if they would allow private benefactors to provide housing - the tiny house idea is a wonderful solution - as well as not punishing good-hearted individuals who are trying to help these people.  In the latter category, look at what a crooked local (and Democrat) politician named Jack Siler did to a good-hearted old man named Arnold Abbott in Florida a few years back.  Abbott had a vocation to provide hot meals for homeless people, but the crook Siler punished him for it with fines and I believe even jail.  That is ridiculous, especially when Democrats like him take over luxury hotels to house illegal immigrants in New York while many veterans and other American citizens are forced onto the streets.  Republicans are not much better, as a sort of quasi-Malthusian mindset possesses them which presupposes that every homeless person is a worthless bum and thus needs to be eradicated from society.  In reality, no two homeless people are the same - like that kid in the supermarket I saw yesterday, they often don't deserve to be homeless yet they are due to the craziness of American society.  And, both sides are equally at fault for different reasons.  That must change.  

Any rate, those are some thoughts today, and I may expand on this later as much more could be said.  Have a good remainder of your week, and see you next time.