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How to Win Arguments and Alienate Bernie Sanders Fans
Somehow, I ended up on an email list of liberal education ideas (I repeat myself) and encountered the following gem. While the debt forgiveness movement has been getting some attention this cycle, it’s nice that really liberal liberals are attacking mere liberals and giving us our rebuttal:
The joint report by Demos and the Institute on Assets and Social Policy, two progressive think tanks, found that getting rid of all student-loan debt—writing off the amount college grads borrowed to get a bachelor’s degree or to complete graduate school—would help white households far more than African American ones and would actually increase wealth disparities between the two groups.
If you’re a glutton for punishment, read the full article.
Published in Education, Politics
Good grief. For fun, I took their survey. They ask which movements I’ve participated in in the last 6 months, and go on to list #blacklivesmatter, Occupy Wall Street, and the other usual suspects. Then they list a bunch of lefty documentaries and ask which ones I’ve seen. The next question was what “action” I was moved to take after viewing the documentaries. And on and on.
What I am truly going to enjoy is when all those students that have their debt forgiven discover that the forgiven debt will be considered income for IRS purposes and will be taxed accordingly. There is nothing quite like a letter from the IRS saying pay us now to cause a person to grow up fast. :)
Excellent. They’ve written our playbook for us.
Any time the Left propose policy intended to reduce wealth inequality, we simply have to illustrate that it won’t benefit “historically disadvantaged groups” nearly as much as it’ll benefit rich cisgendered male caucasians.
By extension, any time the Left proposes a policy intended to help a particular “historically disadvantaged group”, we simply have to illustrate how the policy will increase wealth inequality.
Now, how do we apply this tactic to Obamacare, Syrian refugees, climate change, the death tax, high-occupancy vehicle lanes on the highway, veganism, rape culture, public sector unions, and the Federal Department of Education?
What makes you think that isn’t their actual goal?
Indeed. This also has a nice application for the people agitating that
studentathletes in major college sports (football, basketball) should be paid. The taxes on that $150,000 to $200,000 in tuition would be serious, not to mention the travel/hotel/extra food.I didn’t write that it isn’t.
:-)
Almost all subsidy programs help the already well-off more than the people who really need help. That includes not just the student loan program, but the Ex-Im bank and agricultural subsidies. This is one reason why it was such a strategic and moral disaster for GOPe to reauthorize the Ex-Im bank this past week. It puts them in a position in which it will be politically impossible to reform a lot of things that need reforming. Which is probably the very reason they did it.
The middle class is the biggest recipient of government (i.e., taxpayer) largess because that’s where the votes are.
I did actually read the article, is is so predictable with its fantasy world of sweeping changes with no unintended consequences. However there was a great comment, a sweet young thing (my guess) said “If it helps one student, I’m for it’. That is truly brilliant!
Nah. I’m sure “forgiven student loan debt will not be considered taxable income” will be one of the provisions of the “law”.
I skimmed the article and had to see the survey myself; aimed at the true believer.
I was wondering if anyone studies the gap between wealthy blacks and poor whites. Or wealthy blacks and poor blacks. Or wealthy whites and poor whites. Or wealthy blacks and wealthy whites, etc.
Liberals just seem to be unable to do two step math.
Bernie Sanders’ positions are as silly and extreme as Donald Trump’s. Both parties have candidates leading in the polls who have stupid ideas that would only make America a worse place to live.
I feel you Solon. How about we focus on skills that get people jobs so that they can pay taxes and help American climb out of her debt.?