That is always the attitude folks....why do we always support our own self interests when it comes to the bottom line? Student loans are a racket. Sub prime loans were a racket. Derivatives are a racket....but they were supported because someone, us, was going to benefit from the scheme. A return to stasis is gonna hurt everyone at first. Everyone will find their pet projects under scrutiny. Every sacred cow will have to be reviewed. Look at the big picture instead of the micro. Student loans enable increasing education costs. If this were not an option, other methods of payment would come on line, like service or "chore" related models. One thing is for sure, the price would have to drop or no one would be able to attend school.

For those debting-up right now believing the whole "you can pay later" line...I have been paying on my loans for twenty years and have not even started hitting the principle yet. Your loans will strangle you. I can promise you that. Especially when they are collectable by SWAT team.....

I was going to switch to Republican just to vote for Paul in the Primaries but, after reading this, I changed my mind. Sorry Dr. Paul, your foreign policy ideas and some domestic issues are superb, but your plans for cuts are insane.

This is a good thing. The way they set up the student loan program is that it puts college students in credit slavery before they even get started. The bankers, lending institutions and colleges set up the program to benefit them, not students.

Originally posted by c3hamby
This is a good thing. The way they set up the student loan program is that it puts college students in credit slavery before they even get started. The bankers, lending institutions and colleges set up the program to benefit them, not students.

I agree it's a flawed system that keeps many students in debt for so many years. The government really screwed this one up.

However, the reality of the situation is that now many young kids DO depend on student loans to get through college. It's impractical for someone to step into office, eliminate federal student aid and then expect every University to lower the tuition costs. It just doesn't work that way in my opinion.


I like Paul, I really do but things like these really turn me off.

Originally posted by dreamseeker Yes I am self employed, go to college and DISABLED.

And as an effort ot get you off the Government's welfare, you'd have to be educated for a job you can do as a disabled person. There's more than 1 thing going on in your life. I want you off welfare, but I can't get you off it until you can do for yourself.

Why take cheap shots at one part of his plan ? - if kids want loans go to a financial institution and get them. The government isnt a bank.

And if the loans are harder to get less people will get them and schools will have to charge less until they can get the loans. And with our foreign aid money not being used to put every half ass prince to school at harvard the prices should fall in line with peoples ability to pay.

win win

Originally posted by SeventhSeal

Originally posted by c3hamby
This is a good thing. The way they set up the student loan program is that it puts college students in credit slavery before they even get started. The bankers, lending institutions and colleges set up the program to benefit them, not students.

I agree it's a flawed system that keeps many students in debt for so many years. The government really screwed this one up.

However, the reality of the situation is that now many young kids DO depend on student loans to get through college. It's impractical for someone to step into office, eliminate federal student aid and then expect every University to lower the tuition costs. It just doesn't work that way in my opinion.


I like Paul, I really do but things like these really turn me off.

edit on 24-10-2011 by SeventhSeal because: (no reason given)

Did you just read were it was said he is not cutting loans???

Why do people never read the updated posts ;/

They could base the amount of federal aid given to students on the degree (income statistics) they are seeking AND put a time limit on how long they will give the aid.

Future engineer income potential: $60,000 ... Total aid available: fixed percentage of that

Future starving artist: $15,000 ... Total aid available: fixed percentage of that

And, put a time limit on it. REQUIRE all students to finish in 5 years at most.

If someone finishes one degree in the given amount of time, maybe then allow aid for a masters, with the same sort of restrictions.

Force people to see that not all degrees are worth the same, and thus like any investment, risk must be considered. We also would be doing everyone a favor by REWARDING students who pursue careers that are in demand.

We can all see the problem with putting two students through school at the same cost if one earns barely anything over minimum wage versus someone who is more valuable to the labor force.

The whole point behind these programs is to serve the interests of the country. They are hoping to get a return on their investment in the educations. They are being entirely too lax with the rules, though. Tighten up the policies under which aid is given. Make it clear to students that being in college is a JOB to be taken seriously, and that if you choose to pursue a low-income career path, you will get relatively little help compared to someone who pursues a career with more earning potential.

The government gets its money back (and much more) when a graduate enters the work force and begins paying taxes. But, college is a huge rip off in many ways. The government could set up and run (or endorse) free college education through distant learning opportunities. Maybe some courses would be tough to learn online, but many online universities already exist! Already FREE website exist with lectures given by Ivy League universities, and all that is required is the purchase of the accompanying book. (See Khan Academy or MIT's OpenCourseWare)

I certainly agree that many students are a complete waste of the funds they are using. They are too immature and foolish. Students take classes over and over again while ignoring homework assignments. And, they're probably receiving aid. Put tight controls on the programs. Force students to take college seriously. A lot of them think nothing of wasting time because someone else is paying for it. Put the pressure back on them.

Make up your damned minds already. Jeebus on a popsicle stick. People are crying about student loans being evil, so Ron Paul wants to kill federal student loans. Now he's evil. Pick a stance, will ya?

/TOA

I currently attend college, and federal financial aid is virtually the only reason I am able to.
AND WHEN YOU DON'T PAY THEM OFF WHO DOES?
I DO AND EVERY OTHER PERSON WHO DOES NOT GET ALL THEIR MONEY BACK EACH YEAR FROM INCOME TAXES!

WE DID NOT TAKE YOU OR ANYONE ELST TO RAISE!

i'm a student. he just lost my vote

Originally posted by dreamseeker
So then a college education would be free? If not this is a terrible idea. This means only the rich/wealthy elite could go to college. Even the cheapest college is about $10,000 per year! Most college students work minuim wage jobs at best.
This would be a travesty if only the rich could get degrees,. What would that mean? More colleges catering towards the rich. The rich getting richer? If the federal loan program ended I bet colleges would charge even more since they are no longer bound by the federal laws of finical aid. Colleges base what students can get in finical aid. This means a college student would not have excess money for living or educational expenses. An IRS section 42 law already blocks college students from low income apartments but if a student who is paying half his or her salary to college then he or she can not afford a market rate apartment. I can see a lot more homeless college students coming from this scenerio.
I feel Ron Paul is not going to fix our country for the citzens. In fact he wants to do away with social security and medicare. What programs does he propose to put in place of everything he wants to cut? He seems like an extremists to me. extremeists are always dangerous.

not exact;y. his plan is to get rid of the free money these institutions are receiving from the federal government. All that free money allows them to constantly increase tuition. if anyone here has looked at inflation rates for anything compared to the inflation rates of education you can clearly see there is a major problem.
paul thinks by doing this it will reduce costs to where a student can work his way through college, like the good old days. Personally i think it will drive costs down but nowhere near that much.
also lets not forget that him killing a lot of the federal programs will leave states with a lot more money and if they so choose can give student loans or help drive down tuition even farther.
i love it when people hear the simple explanation and go off the deep end without looking at it from all angles.

Originally posted by 1984 is now
i'm a student. he just lost my vote

please dont be so short sighted. as a student im sure they teach you how to think outside the box? if not, still try to understand why he is doing this. just because you cant get a FEDERAL student loan doesnt mean there wont be a STATE student loan to take its place. paul is taking power away from the federal government and giving it back to the states and more importantly US! we have a lot more pull,sway, (call it what you will) in state and local government than we do at the federal level. this is a good thing

Originally posted by DexterRiley
This idea is just as bizarre as everything else he has proposed.

Not at all. If the constitution requires a section for establishing a post office then surely it requires an amendment to install a student loan program. I'm not sure why you're such a fan of nationalism. What has nationalism done for you? Is a state totally incapable of funding education? Is a charity totally incapable of funding education?

I'm not sure why you perceive basic math as "bizarre". There is $1.3 trillion trillion in cuts due. Lets here you're proposal that we can all call strange and bizzarre now that will eliminate the $1.3 trillion deficit that will HAVE to be eliminated at some point. Oh you want expenses to match revenues? Wow you are bizzarre and strange. LOL. Thats how life works sorry to break the news to you. Whats truly bizzarre is people incapable of understanding the basic math of the situation!

I have not seen this mentioned yet, so I thought I would chime in.

Knowing Doctor Paul's stance on the economy, one would understand that he would phase them out as in make UNNECESSARY. In a true free market with sound currency, you will be able to afford the things you NEED without a LOAN.

He is not saying leave things as they are, and get rid of student loans, he is saying remove the ROOT CAUSE OF WHY YOU NEED STUDENT LOANS.

because nothing fills the NEEDS of a population better than a free market. However, as you can see, our market is NOT free, so you have a bunch of people asking for socialism as the only way to get their NEEDS met.