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Notes -
How will Republicans responds to Biden's student loan giveaway?
Even though the Supreme Court scuppered Biden's plan to forgive student loan debt without congressional approval, he is apparently doing it anyway. So far, it would appear that 4.75 million people have had loans forgiven for a total cost of $167 billion.
Here's a link to a recent Biden administration press release.
I will admit, the devil is in the details. I am not going to comment on the constitutional legality, the many ways to qualify for forgiveness, nor the amount given to high-income earners, which some have claimed is substantial.
But the total cost is staggering. It amounts to over $1000 for every American who pays income tax.
Clearly, this money has electoral implications. The base of people who have large student debts is presumed to be mostly Democratic voters. By giving this group a mean payment of $35,000 each, the Biden administration hopes to increase their enthusiasm to vote. Even the ones who do lean towards Trump might view Biden favorably after getting (almost) enough money to buy a new Tesla Model 3.
Buying votes goes back as far as democracy does. Famously, Julius Caesar was forced to conquer southern Spain after going broke buying votes to become Pontifex Maximus. In recent times, some have argued that farm subsidies amount to vote buying. But, while special interests have always played a large role in American politics, student debt forgiveness is possibly the closest thing to naked vote buying we've seen in our lifetimes.
So... how do the Republicans respond? Whose votes should they purchase with a fig leaf of social justice? I'd propose a group that honestly needs it and creates a lot of value for society: blue collar workers. People who work 30 hours a week or more and make less than $30/hour should get an "earned income credit" of $10,000 a year.
If we're going to just be giving money away, give it to the workers, not to excess elites.
This is kind of off topic, but... what reallly strikes me about that link is that the Department of Education has that great classic old seal with a tree on it that looks just fine, but instead of putting that as their logo on the website, they went with this terrible logo that looks like something you'd create in photoshop in 5 minutes.
Normally, when the government uses ugliness to flex on the public it looks like this.
I'm glad they can also do it in MS Paint.
I kind of like that building. It’s certainly not the worst brutalist design.
I was struck by this one when visiting Boston because of the effect it had on me. The picture doesn't do it justice. It really does loom over the vicinity in a menacing way, especially in contrast with the beautiful colonial buildings nearby.
Like, if a visitor came from the Middle Ages, he would probably assume that the Government Service Center was a fortress with a dungeon full of prisoners.
Well, part of it was a psychiatric hospital back in the day.
...Okay, wait, what?
Huh?
Straight out of Lovecraft...
shakes head
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