In his latest attempt to one-up Elizabeth Warren and establish his brand of "democratic socialism" as something entirely different from the progressive capitalism practiced by some of his peers, Bernie Sanders is preparing to unveil a new plan that would involve cancelling all of the country's outstanding $1.6 trillion in student debt.
Sanders
The massive student-debt jubilee would be financed with a tax on Wall Street: Specifically, a 0.5% tax on stock trades, a 0.1% tax on bond trades and a .005% tax on derivatives trades.
Sanders plan would forgive roughly three times as much debt as Elizabeth Warren's big student-debt amnesty plan, which would forgive some $640 billion in the most distressed student loans.
Additionally, Sanders' plan would also provide states with $48 billion to eliminate tuition and fees at public colleges and universities. Thanks to the market effect, private schools would almost certainly be forced to cut prices to draw talented students who could simply attend a state school for free.
Reps Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Pramila Jayapal of Washington have already signed on to introduce Sanders' legislation in the House on Monday.
The timing of this latest in a series of bold socialist policy proposals from Sanders - let's not forget, Bernie is largely responsible for making Medicare for All a mainstream issue in the Democratic Party - comes just ahead of the first Democratic primary debate, where Sanders will face off directly against his No. 1 rival: Vice President Joe Biden, who has marketed his candidacy as a return to the 'sensible centrism' of the Democratic Party of yesteryear.
By introducing the student-debt plan, Sanders has outmaneuvered Elizabeth "I have a plan for that" Warren and established himself as the most far-left candidate in the crowded Democratic Primary field. Hopefully, this can help stall Warren's recent advance in the polls. The plan should help Sanders highlight how Biden's domestic platform includes little in the way of welfare expansion during the upcoming debate.
#1: StraitGate To: Horse (#0)
Free college for all differs little philosophically from free K-12 education for all. Once the principal is yielded, its mere extension is hard to controvert.
How "far left" is taxpayer funded education? Well, the most conservative legislator in my Southern state is public education's chief cheerleader. He even wants us tax slaves to pay for more armed government thugs in public schools to keep "our" children safe.
I told him that putting more cops in schools is not the best way to improve the safety of the students. That cops are, for the most part, psychopathic bullies and habitual liars who live to ruin other people's lives. Did he recall when a few years ago here a police SWAT team invaded an elementary school and pointed machine guns at the terrified children in the hallways? All because someone called in a tip that one of the students had marijuana -- which the cops never found, of course. At every school shooting, from Columbine to the latest one, cops cower in the parking lot and hide behind cars while students are shot and bleed to death.
That private security guards who are NOT cops might make sense in schools. Private security guards who, unlike cops, do not have general arresting authority or the special dispensations accorded our so-called heroes, including qualified immunity which allows them to abuse us mere mundanes with impunity, and special laws protecting them and elevating them above us, e.g. assaulting a police officer -- who has already handcuffed you and has knee in the back of your neck -- is a FELONY.
That cops' prime desideratum and guiding principle is OFFICER SAFETY -- not your safety or mine -- or that of students. They don't make any secret of that, and they're not ashamed of it. Because they know that the sheeple are so brainwashed that cops will still be worshiped and adored regardless how reprehensibly they act toward those of us whom they are supposed to be serving and protecting.
That another way to improve school safety is to reduce the number of violent students. And the best way to do that is amend the state constitution to remove the requirement for free public education for every child in the state, and repeal state laws compelling attendance. As it is, I have to pay to "educate" violent thugs who have little ability and no desire to learn anyway. And I have to pay to educate the children of illegal immigrants. Since fedgov won't deport them, we have no choice but amend our Constitution and laws so that we don't have to educate them. That if we stay on our present course, the schools in this state won't be suitable or even safe for our own children (some already aren't), and the cost of educating the indolent and the alien will bankrupt this state.
Never heard back from him, except for an occasional form letteresque email invite to his latest ice cream social or barbecue. And I've known him for 15 years, and supported him in his run for office.
StraitGate posted on 2019-06-24 22:10:22 Reply Private Reply