A kid gets threatened with suspension, for the capital crime of playing with a LEGO set that included a policeman with a gun.
to this is simple: make ALL student loans–public and private–dischargeable in bankruptcies, just as with any other secured or unsecured loans. There is no moral or economic justification for giving one type of lender special legal treatment, that others do not receive.
By making all loans dischargeable, that will force lenders to price their products with respect to the real risks. That may impact the availability of student loans–and will certainly impact the universities that care less about real academic advancement and more about rolling in the money by bringing in unqualified students. It would also wipe out these fly-by-night outfits that provide worthless educations for staggering prices.
I know of a community college system that routinely sends students to remedial math classes, because they are not prepared for more rigorous algebra and calculus classes. The tuition for remedial classes is about $600 per course, whereas a student with any semblance of knowledge can go to an adult education provider, do remedial work for free, and then enter the more rigorous classes–all without remedial tuition.
The higher education racket needs a shakeup indeed.
Vox Day says the following, regarding the Socratic method:
while it is an effective critical device, it is simply not the effective means of constructing positive conclusions that many people appear to believe it to be.
I think he nailed it. That’s the academic culture in a nutshell, especially humanities and social science departments. Lots of questions–sometimes good ones–but few answers, and even fewer legitimate conclusions.
Very overrated, as many college graduates are now finding out the hard way.
If a high school grad wants a career path with earning power, here’s what I suggest: go to a community/technical college for 2 years, learn a trade, take on minimal debt (or no debt at all), and save enough money to start your own business in that trade. Then find a community that needs people in that trade.
I know some plumbers and electricians and nurses who are saying, “Recession? What recession?”
If you aren’t aiming for a particular profession–such as medical or engineering–it may be within your best interests to reconsider the cost/benefit of a 4-year degree. Especially if it requires a substantial amount of student loan debt.
The dirty secret: few people–in percentage terms–can legitimately justify that latter albatross. By opting to take on student loans, students are–more often than not–submitting to the financial equivalent of extended waterboarding.
The academic world is a financial bubble the demise of which I will celebrate with Guinness.
Extra Stout, of course…
…to prove this???
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