Biden’s plan to forgive $10,000 in college loan debt to those earning under $125,000 is a very good thing on almost every level. I suppose it might contribute to inflation marginally, but that is trivial compared to other government spending measures, such as the bloated military budget.
The negative reaction of some to this move — ‘I had to pay mine off, why don’t they have to too’ — is a sentiment I can’t comprehend. It’s part of the bitterness some old people seem to feel toward younger generations, as if somehow they should have to face the same hurdles we did at their ages.
Actually, we should be fervently hoping they face fewer hurdles than we did! What else have we been working for if not to improve conditions for our descendants?
The sad truth is by most measures they are worse off than we are. Among other burdens, according to the Department of Education, the typical student graduates college with nearly $25,000 of educational expense debt.
And don’t bring up climate change.
Those now struggling to pay off their college loans face also the worst housing market in history in our best urban areas. Wages are relatively flat in many professions and good jobs still prove quite hard to get for most people.
There is very little job security in ‘work for hire’ states like California. Benefits are generally better than when I was young (then there was no paternal leave for example), but those benefits don’t help pay off the high service cost of their debts.
They need years more of education than we did, including advanced degrees, and then a large dose of good luck to land a high-paying job. And by the time they get one, that educational debt load is a crushing burden for all but the wealthy few.
So Biden’s plan is a good first step. But much more will be needed to even the playing field.
LIST OF LINKS:
President Biden Announces Student Loan Relief for Borrowers Who Need It Most (White House)
Biden to cancel up to $10,000 in student debt for most borrowers and $20,000 for Pell recipients (WP)
Democrats hold onto key House seat in N.Y. special election (Axios)
Democrats’ Outlook for Midterm Elections Brightens After New York Win (WSJ)
Tuesday brought more evidence abortion rights could help Democrats in November (NPR)
President Joe Biden's public approval rating rose this week to its highest level since early June, following a series of legislative wins, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. (Reuters)
Trump Kept Over 700 Pages of Classified Documents, Letter Says (NYT)
Trump appears to concede he illegally retained official documents (Guardian)
Trump, Without the Presidency’s Protections, Struggles for a Strategy (NYT)
Laura Loomer, an anti-Muslim extremist and self-described "proud Islamophobe," lost her Republican primary race in Florida to incumbent Rep. Daniel Webster. Meanwhile, Trump-endorsed Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who has spent much of the past two years under federal investigation for alleged sex trafficking, won his GOP primary, likely ensuring another term representing his deep red panhandle district. [HuffPost]
USDA to allocate an additional $550 million to help poor farmers and increase diversity in agriculture careers (CNN)
Maxwell Frost won the Democratic primary for Florida’s 10th Congressional District, virtually ensuring the 25-year-old progressive activist will become the first Gen Z member of Congress. Frost campaigned on gun violence, climate change and "Medicare For All." [HuffPost]
In response to the growing number of threats borne of conspiracy theories that agents were going to aggressively target middle income taxpayers, the IRS announced it was conducting a comprehensive safety review at its facilities. High-ranking Republican lawmakers have spread lies about the IRS and how the newly allocated funding through the Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act would be spent. [AP]
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection has reportedly interviewed former national security adviser Robert O’Brien. In speaking with O’Brien, the House select committee may inch closer to understanding who knew what about Trump’s intentions on Jan. 6. [HuffPost]
225 reported killed in rocket attack in Ukraine on Independence Day (NBC)
VIDEO: U.N. Calls for Demilitarization of a Nuclear Plant in Ukraine (Associated Press)
Battle for Kyiv: Ukrainian valor, Russian blunders combined to save the capital (WP)
Ukraine was "reborn" when Russia invaded six months ago, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, marking 31 years of his country's independence from the Soviet Union with a vow to drive Russian forces out completely. We look at how Russian President Vladimir Putin is betting that a winter gas chokehold will yield Ukraine peace - on his terms. Here's what you need to know about the conflict right now. (Reuters)
Daria Dugina's assassination could spell trouble for Putin's allies in Russia (NPR)
The Afghan Women Left Behind — After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, a U.S. organization shut down the country’s largest network of women’s shelters. Its founders think that it made a huge mistake. (New Yorker)
Terrorism analyst Bill Roggio on state of counterterrorism fight in Afghanistan — "Intelligence Matters" (CBS)
Biden orders airstrikes against Iranian-backed groups in Syria following attacks near base holding US troops last week (CNN)
Fighting erupts along border of Ethiopia's northern Tigray region (Reuters)
California air agency to ban sales of gasoline-powered cars by 2035 (Politico)
Europe’s Rivers, Starved by Drought, Reveal Shipwrecks, Relics and Bombs (NYT)
Scientists discover fossils of giant sea lizard that ruled the oceans 66 million years ago (Phys.org)
Young adults are using marijuana and hallucinogens at the highest rates on record (NPR)
‘Magic mushroom’ psychedelic may help heavy drinkers quit (AP)
Drying Danube River Reveals Thriving Underwater Society Of Nazis (The Onion)
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