I'm a little skeptical about the Student Loan bill the House is currently debating

[Daylin Byak]

I don't know, how is this exactly going to help college students? by reducing student loan interests rates over a period of five years doesn't seem that it will help much, how bout instead of going after the loan interests rates Democrats should go after trying to lower the cost of tuition cause it's a burden to get into college because of the high tuition costs. Cause this bill seems not to help a student while in college or to get into college.

So I hope my colleagues on this great piece of liberal blog can shed some light, I think it's a good start but I think we can do much more.(God did I just sound like a GOP Talking Head).

[sandnsea]

1. Colleges aren't federal

I don't think there's anything Congress can do about state college tuition, and certainly not private tuition. I'm a little disappointed this is a graduated reduction in rates, if that's what you're saying. My kids could use the extra income from cutting interest in half NOW.

[noahmijo]

2. Lowering rates is actually the better way to go

The government can't control tuition costs of private colleges or departments which are largely privatized

I graduated 2 years ago from a business college that was mostly privatized and today is as far as I can tell 95% privatized. It resides however in a public university. This however doesn't stop the individual department from raising or adding fees to its tuition. Ultimately it can do what it wants to its tuition cost given the fact that its playing with its own funds from corporate and private donors and not the funds of taxpayers.

I think alot of colleges have followed this same suit, therefore on a finacial level it would help students more if rates were lower for student loans or if grant amounts were higher and more widely dispersed.

[BayCityProgressive]

4. perhaps

new regulations for colleges should be considered? We are considering a tax on oil profits why not for the outrageous cost of books. Interest rates should be 0%

[noahmijo]

5. Unfortunately because higher education is not a right

I argue that higher education should be accessible to all, but it's very nature is fierce competition (or in bush's case who your family is). In other words the quality is what can't be guaranteed that's what cannot be accessible to all it's the quality of higher education-there are better schools than others and to try to wrap higher education into one equal entity just will not happen. The very reason colleges get their names or can attest to the quality of learning they are giving their students is the competition aspect of it. For example the UofA's optics department is unmatched and to try to get say NYU to be equal in that department just would not happen if anything because the weather in Arizona is far better for research purposes than NY is when it comes to examining the skies. So I do agree that higher education should be available to all, the fact is you cannot demand everyone receive the same level of service as you would from the big name colleges. In this case the best the government can do is to provide assistance to those who lack the financial means and background (read: no rich family to donate buildings to grease the dean) but not the intellectual ability to obtain admission to a top level college.


I get alot of flak for this opinion but it is the truth and it is not the same as arguing for universal healthcare. People can make a living without higher education, and in fact alot of people do better without it unlike healthcare which is a requirement for all regardless of where you're coming from.

[Daylin Byak]

6. I understand what your saying

But I think if the tution rates were lower and more affordable to lower class citizens it could give a chance for those people to rise up from poverty and actually become sucessful and make something of themselves instead of getting stuck in a dead end job for life.

Yes you don't have to go to college to be sucessful but it helps and you have a better chance of thriving and surviving because you got a higher degree.

[noahmijo]

7. No arguments from me on that note

I wish there was a way to lower tuition rates but you'll have as much luck trying to get any other for profit entity to lower their prices. Big name professors do not come cheap, state of the art equipment doesn't come cheap with higher education these things must be funded and as of right now until universities find an alternative to put these costs on the backs of it's always going to be the students they hit first.

At this point I would ask how much did we spend in Iraq that could've gone to "assist" AND AUDIT universities who describe a need for such generous funds?

[katsy]

3. The Democrats been saying that this is only the beginning...

all morning.

This is the first bill of the Democratic agenda.