Mackenzie Van
Ms. Davis
College 1 English
16 October 2014
Forgiving Excessive Student Loans Is the Way to Go In the argument, Debate on Student Loan Debt Doesn’t Go Far Enough, author Robert Applebaum, graduate of Fodham University School of Law, asserts that excessive student loan debt should be forgiven after a reasonable repayment period and suggests this would stimulate the economy because former students would have more money to spend(Debate). He backs up this claim by introducing the Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012, contending that education should be a right that people of all classes can benefit from, and addressing both the individual and the economic drawbacks of student debt in the middle and working classes(Debate). Applebaum
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A majority of people believe that graduating from college will result in a well-paying job. Unfortunately, a degree will not secure a job for many graduates. In the U.S., the jobless rate for college graduates in 2012 was 7.7 percent, and has further increased in the past five years(Robinson). With such a large pool of unemployed citizens for employers to choose from, recent graduates are facing fewer opportunities for work due to little or no previous work experience(Robinson). Although many graduates are faced with unemployment, the majority do receive the opportunity to work. Sadly, many must work jobs they do not enjoy for salaries that make it difficult to make ends meet(Debate). Students are faced with mortgage-sized debts upon graduation, making it difficult for them to start businesses, buy cars or houses, or make other investments that would better the …show more content…
Consumers would have more money to spend and jobs would be created, increasing the opportunities for countless Americans. The Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012 is the best strategy for forgiving student loans. Educated Americans would be given relief after a reasonable repayment period. Student debts have troubled far too many graduates and their families. It would only be morally correct to free their debts after a ten year period while concurrently aiding the economy.
Works Cited
Applebaum, Robert. "Student Loan Debt Should Be Forgiven to Stimulate the Economy."Student Loans. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "Forgive Student Loan Debt to Stimulate the Economy."ForgiveStudentLoanDebt.com. 2009. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
"Debate on Student Loan Debt Doesn 't Go Far Enough." Applebaum, Robert. Hill (2012). Print. 15 October 2014.
Robinson, Sarah. "New College Graduates Struggle to Find Work." McClatchy - Tribune Business NewsMay 19 2013. ProQuest.Web. 15 Oct. 2014 .
Thomson, Susan C. "Rising Cost of College Tuition; Only the Richest Keep Pace, Report Finds; The Poorest Fall the Farthest Behind.” St.Louis Post - Dispatch: 0. May 022002. ProQuest. Web. 15 Oct. 2014 .
Varney, Stuart. "Your World with Neil Cavuto (FOX News)." Interview With Michigan Congressman Hansen Clarke. 19 Apr. 2012. Web. 15 Oct.
Many Americans are seeking an ideal presidential candidate for our next election; furthermore, many college students seek a candidate that has their best interest in mind, leading many to focus on Bernie Sanders and his ideas for an affordable education system. In the article, The Myth of the Student Loan Crisis, Nicole Allan and Derek Thomas focus the article on the risky investments of college and questioning the rising debt levels as a national crisis. While Allan and Davis claim the risk of college and mention rising debt levels as a national crisis; however, Allan and Davis use charts to support their stance while avoiding the issues Americans need to focus on, such as the rising cost of college, “justifiable debt”, and the cost of those not contributing to society.
Wilson, R. (2009). A lifetime of student debt? Not likely. In G. Graff, C. Birkenstein, & R. Durst (Eds.). “They say, I say”: The moves that matter in academic writing with readings. (2nd ed.). (pp. 256-272). New York: W. W. Norton. This article examines how much debt in loans students leave college with and if it is possible to pay it off without it causing extreme distress.
Clingman, J. (2014, May 05). Time to bail students out of $1 trillion debt. University
An education is one of the most important tools a person can acquire. It gives them the skills and abilities to obtain a job, earn a wage, and then use that wage to better their lives and the lives of their loved ones. However, due to the seemingly exponential increase in the costs of obtaining a college degree, students are either being driven away entirely from earning a degree or taking out student loans which cripple their financial prospects well after graduation. Without question, the increasing national student loan debt is one of the most pressing economic issues the United States is dealing with, as students who are debt ridden are not able to consume and invest in the economy. Therefore, many politicians and students are calling on the government to forgive their student loan debts so that through their spending the slowly recovering economy can finally return to its pre-2008 strength.
Should student debt be forgiven? This question has been asked more and more throughout the years. There have been plans created to forgive student debt, and it has even been written about in popular magazines. For instance, a proposal has been made by Appleman to why student debts should be forgiven. In the short essay, “Is Forgiving Student Loan Debt a Good Idea?” by Kayla Webley, she illustrates that student debt is a problem, despite the political and economic flaws in Applebaum’s proposal.
Many college graduates are finding it hard to get jobs. The biggest issue is the amount of debt Americans are facing due to the college degree they were told they should have. Colleges have been raising the prices on everything from tuition to books. The government is giving out loans to students without even asking where they’re going to school for, or if they’ll even have a plan to pay off the debt in the future. The mentality is that corporations and business won’t hire someone unless they possess a college degree. Gerald Celente, from Trends Research Institute, says “It makes no difference to have a college degree.” (College Conspiracy Scam - youtube) He wants individuals to have minds and to think for themselves. Many believe that with a degree they can have any car and house they desire and commonly known as the American Dream.
Children of the twenty first century spend nearly 13 years in school, preparing for what is college, one of the only ways to achieve the so-called “American Dream”. College is the best way to start an advanced career and go further than one possibly could if college degrees were not available, allowing people to achieve their view of the American Dream; whether it be large houses, shiny cars, multiple kids, or financial comfort, college is the stepping stone to achieve the American Dream. But all great things come with a price, college dragging along debt. Students who attend college struggle to find ways to pay for it, leading to applying for student loans. These loans a great short term, paying for the schooling at the moment but eventually the money adds up
Denhart, Chris. “How the $1.2 Trillion College Debt Crisis is Crippling Students, Parents, and the Economy.” Forbes. 7 Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.
When starting college every student must make a very important decision. Whether if they want to get financial aid or to pay the money up front. Having college debt will not only ruin their credit, but he or she may also have to pay off their tuition for the rest of their life. Research says, “According to the College Board, which tracks students’ financing of higher education, undergraduate students in 2013 through 2014 borrowed in the aggregate nearly $63 billion and received $33.7 billion in Pell grants.” By this quote from “Debt, Merit, and Equity in Higher Education Access” it clearly shows the effects College Debt has on their society, but also on their educational future. Every paycheck they receive, a small portion goes toward paying
The higher education system (or lack thereof) is not serving the country and its citizens. The increasing number of admission standards, exponential tuition increases, the financing of the cost through loans, and the boasting of turning students away all contribute to rising disparity between the quality of education that upper class families can afford compared to lower and middle income families. The rising costs of higher education in this country are problematic in that they fuel a disparity between economic classes. Capitulating the problem is the amount of debt college graduates have accrued at the time of graduation. The Institute for College Access and Success (2013) reported that 70% of graduates had and average of $29,400 of debt. This number primarily focuses on non-profit and private institutions. The average annual salary of a college graduate is $57,616 (United States Department of Labor, 2014). So many college graduates have accumulated a debt worth half of what their starting salary may end up being. The Institute for College Access and Success (2013) reported that 20% of that debt “is comprised of private loans, which are typically more costly and provide fewer consumer protections and repayment options than safer federal loans3” (p. 1). This is an oversimplification in that it is looking at a very general population. Based on the degree and the subsequent employment, income will vary as does the institution attended and the student’s economic status affect the overall individual debt.
According to John T. Harvey, the rise in student loans and debt creates a drag on short-term economic activity and stunts long term economic growth. Currently, the total student debt is over 1 trillion. Graduates continue to emerge from college facing high costs and are entering what is still a poor job market. Many of these graduates will face under or unemployment, and will quickly fall into debt. This debt takes away the next generation’s ability to create demand, resulting in job loss and a stunt in economic growth. Without jobs, more people will fall into debt, creating a cycle that consistently deteriorates the economy. Finally, by denying many bright minds access to an education, the innovations meant to increase economic activity and make the quality of life better never actually happen. Rising tuition costs, which result in student loans and student debt, promise to grate at our economy and
This petition was created by a college graduate who felt his education worth $80,000 should be free. The proposal was if college graduates were not burdened they would be the ones to jump start our nation’s debt by stimulating the fiscal economy. The graduate now lawyer is urging the government to free us of our obligations to repay our outrageous out of control student loan debt, which according to the article, the student loan debt for graduates was, at the time, valued at $1 trillion.
With the ever-increasing tuition and ever-tighten federal student aid, the number of students relying on student loan to fund a college education hits a historical peak. According to a survey conducted by an independent and nonprofit organization, two-thirds of college seniors graduated with loans in 2010, and each of them carried an average of $25,250 in debt. (Reed et. al., par. 2). My research question will focus on the profound effect of education debt on American college graduates’ lives, and my thesis statement will concentrate on the view that the education policymakers should improve financial aid programs and minimize the risks and adverse consequences of student loan borrowing.
By attending college, students guarantees themselves a better job that the average Joe. Because the world is changing rapidly, and many jobs rely on new technology, more jobs require education beyond high school. With a college education, an individual will have more jobs from which to choose. In addition to obtaining a better job, people who go to college usually earn more money than those who do not. College furnishes you with proper credentials and documents to land high-level jobs. Figures from an A&E television program on ‘The Working Class’ show that in 2004 the average earnings were $23,895 for a high school graduate and $41,478 for individuals with a bachelor’s degree. Getting a college education is simply a stepping stone in ensuring yourself with a good start in life. Some may agree that college students are open minded and knows exactly how to expre...
College tuition has a bad name to it, and for a good reason. More students and paying parents are feeling defeated attempting to pay off loans that typically hang over a students head for a good amount of years after finishing their education and getting their degrees. While the government has attempted to try chip away at the $1.2 trillion debt that has accumulated for college students around the United States, they are no where near having a permanent solution that lets graduates get on with their life without struggling. There are a spectrum of problems that create this debt, and only a few solutions that match up with these problems.