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A Bandage, Not A Cure, For Student Loans

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A Bandage, Not A Cure, For Student Loans

INDIANAPOLIS—The White House announced plans the other day to cancel a significant slice of outstanding student debt for qualifying Americans.

President Joe Biden’s administration indicated it would waive $10,000 worth of student debt for most people and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. To qualify, those carrying the loans must earn less than $125,000 per year—or, if part of a married couple, less than $250,000 annually.

The plan also would extend the pandemic-driven pause on student loan payments until the end of 2022.

The White House estimated that roughly 43 million Americans would be eligible for some debt relief—and as many as 20 million of them could have their college loan debt eliminated altogether.

Many Americans, no doubt, find this to be welcome news. Buried under debt they may have carried for years, even decades, they view any lightening of that load with relief—and the removal of the weight entirely almost as a form of deliverance.

Many others won’t like the Biden plan. They argue issues of equity—that people who took out loans and already have paid them off receive no similar relief or compensation. They also are troubled by the notion of having taxpayers pick up the tab once again.

As is often the case when Americans are at odds with each other, both sides have valid points.

And neither side seems inclined to listen to the other or grant any credence to contrary points of view or arguments.

So it goes with so many of our debates these days.

Lost in the noise generated by this argument is one fundamental, even essential truth.

That is that the entire student loan program has lost its way and needs to be restructured so that it serves something resembling its original purpose.

As originally conceived, the student loan program was designed to be a sturdy rung up the ladder of economic achievement. The interest rates were minimal—even negligible—because the purpose of the loans was to encourage young Americans to pursue educational opportunities. The thinking was that better-educated people would make for more responsible, well-informed citizens and a better-trained and more productive workforce.

The loans were, in two important ways, investments.

They allowed Americans from families of more modest means to leverage increased future earnings to create greater opportunities for themselves and the families they hoped to build.

The loans also were a way for the United States to invest in a future that would be ever more reliant on knowledge and specialized skills. Fronting the money for young people to attend was considered a way for the nation to bolster its own fortunes.

The problem was that the student loan system, like all human structures, had its flaws.

Not the least of them was that many people took out student loans and then didn’t pay them back. The low interest rates worked almost as a disincentive for collection efforts. Because there wasn’t much money to be made by chasing down the non-payers, a disturbingly large number of loans were written off.

Then, about 40 years ago, the deep thinkers in our political system did what they so often do.

They decided that, because some people abused the system, the entire system should be restructured in ways that affected everyone. Rather than figure out ways to hold those who took unfair or unethical advantage of the process accountable, they increased the interest on the loans and made them much more difficult for even the poorest borrower to discharge.

It was as if we as a society decided that because some people speed in school zones, everyone everywhere should lose the right to drive a car.

With the changes, a program that was designed to be a doorway to opportunity instead became a barrier.

And there are more than enough barriers to success and opportunity in this country without adding still another one.

The Biden plan for easing student loan debt loads doubtless will help many people, most of whom have been burdened by long-ago “reforms” that diverted the program from its original wise and noble intentions.

But it isn’t a solution to the student-loan problem.

Not by a long shot.

FOOTNOTE: John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. The opinions expressed by the author do not represent the views of Franklin College.

The City-County Observer posted this article without bias or editing.

COMMENTARY: The Best Circus To See Is In Washington, D.C.

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Another Cup Of Morning Coffee “News”

The Best Circus To See Is In Washington, D.C.

By Dannie McIntire

AUGUST 29, 2022

A beautiful morning in Indiana, a fresh cup of coffee, let’s see what in the news will send me back to my kitchen to fortify my coffee with a splash of good Ol’ Jim Beam.  

If you are not befuddled by the current circus antics in Washington, D.C., then you most likely have the qualifications to run for election to our congress.

No sooner than the democrats had passed the “Inflation reduction Act”, which in reality had absolutely nothing to do with reducing inflation, but part of which was touted as reducing the federal budget by $300 Billion over the next ten-year period.

Well, that budget deficient reduction sure didn’t last long. 

Wednesday, President Biden announced he will cancel $10,000 of federal student loan debt for certain borrowers making less than $125,000 per year and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients while extending the pause on federal student loan payments through the end of the year.

The “Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget” has estimated that President Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan will cost U.S. taxpayers between $440 and $600 billion over the next 10 years. 

I read a comment from a “voter” who was asked their opinion on the President’s plan and they commented; “we are a rich nation, we ought to forgive all the student loan debt”. 

Hey to those who think that way, we are not a rich nation. Currently, our national debt is almost $30 Trillion dollars. Currently, that is approximately $92,415 of debt for every single American citizen. A recent study found that 57% of U.S. households paid no federal income tax last year, so double the above amount of public debt to $184, 830 per actual national tax-paying citizen. Do you still feel rich?

The most concerning issue for me is that our federal government is instilling the mindset of younger Americans that they are not responsible for the debt they legally incur.

Good grief, financial 101 dictates that if you take out a loan, you are responsible to pay it back or there are consequences. 

Well, apparently not anymore.

While not my favorite senator, Mitch McConnell released a statement I totally agree with; “President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program is a slap in the face to every family who sacrificed to save for college, every graduate who paid their debt, and every American who chose a certain career path or volunteered to serve in our Armed Forces in order to avoid taking on debt, this policy is astonishingly unfair.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi back in July of 2021 issued a statement saying that the President “does not have the executive authority to issue “debt forgiveness,” arguing that such action would be illegal and that it has “to be an act of Congress.”

To be sure, there will be federal court challenges to the president trying to usurp what should be a constitutional power reserved for congress.

In my opinion, the court challenges will drag out past the mid-term elections and my thinking is President Biden knows that his executive overreach will be eventually ruled unconstitutional.

What a great ploy before the mid-term elections to gain votes. Hey, if you want student debt canceled you better vote democratic and keep both houses of congress in democratic hands. 

What is unfortunate is that voters will fall for this. The democrats will cancel part or perhaps all of my student debt; show me the democratic lever to cast my vote.

Recently, a Democratic activist, who this past election cycle ran for congress but thankfully lost, made a statement questioning why anyone would be against student debt forgiveness, after all the federal government would pay for it, it wouldn’t cost them anything. The activist was clueless that our federal government gets its money from taxes we pay.

The above should scare you, these people run for congress.

Let me pause and think, the recent “Inflation Reduction Act” will Expand IRS enforcement funding by about $80 billion over 10 years, so guess what they are coming for? Yep, more of your money! 

Since it seems our government wants to give away more “free” stuff, I’d like to suggest this year, as a “thank you”, all citizens who pay federal income taxes, upon filing their 2022 tax returns, will receive a free “all day sucker”. Well, I guess that wouldn’t be free because as taxpayers, we’d be paying for the sucker.  

FOOTNOTE:  This article was posted by the City-County Observer without bias or editing.

FDA Recalled Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens

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FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Poultry and Meat Products Containing FDA-Regulated Corn Starch That Has Been Recalled Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens

FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Poultry and Meat Products Containing FDA-Regulated Corn Starch That Has Been Recalled Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for poultry and meat products containing a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulated corn starch that has been recalled due to an undeclared allergen, specifically milk.

Eight To Read: Indiana Authors Earn Top Prize

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Eight To Read: Indiana Authors Earn Top Prize

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INDIANAPOLIS—If you somehow got through your summer reading list early, look no further. The 2022 Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards were announced this week, highlighting eight recent books by Hoosier writers worthy of a spot on your nightstand.

From a deaf boy living during World War II to a queer monster love story about the dangers of empathy—from the inspiration of basketball legend Julius Erving to a young woman coming of age in a small Indiana town—the stories and characters featured in the books are deep and multifaceted. They were chosen from among 40 shortlisted works published in 2020 and 2021 in eight categories.

The 2022 winners are:

Debut: “Somebody’s Daughter: A Memoir” by Ashley C. Ford of Indianapolis. A memoir about the complexity of childhood in a family fragmented by incarceration, the physical changes in adolescence that draw unwanted attention from men, and a journey to bring together the threads of identity to understand complicated familial love.

Fiction: “The Town of Whispering Dolls” by Susan Neville of Indianapolis. Stories about the residents of the rust belt town of Whispering Dolls, who dream of a fabled and illusory past even as new technologies reshape their world into something deeply strange.

Nonfiction: “Author in Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They Wrote” by Craig Fehrman of Bloomington. The story of America’s presidents as authors. Addressing everything from beloved tomes to volumes lost to history, “Author in Chief” unearths insights about the presidents through their literary works and offers a window into their public and private lives.

Genre: “Hollow Heart” by Paul Allor of Indianapolis. A graphic novel that uses a queer monster love story to examine the choices we make between giving loved ones what they want and giving them what we think they need.

Poetry: “Be Holding” by Ross Gay of Bloomington. A lyrical appreciation of legendary basketball player Julius Erving—aka Dr. J—and how the image might bring us closer to one another.

Young Adult: “You Should See Me in a Crown” by Leah Johnson of Indianapolis. The story of how a girl who has always believed she’s too Black, too poor and too awkward to shine in her small midwestern town makes her dreams come true.

Middle Grade: “All He Knew” by Helen Frost of Fort Wayne. A novel in verse inspired by true events surrounding a young deaf boy during World War II, the sister who loves him and the conscientious objector who helps him.

Children’s: “Grace and Box” by Kim Howard of Bloomington. A picture book in which a young girl befriends a box and they go on lively adventures together.

Supported by Glick Philanthropies and powered by Indiana Humanities, the Indiana Authors Awards are conferred every other year. Honorees have the opportunity to participate in an annual statewide speaker program and connect with readers, teachers and students.

“This year’s cohort of Indiana Authors Awards winners demonstrates the incredible depth and innovation in the state’s community of writers,” said Indiana Humanities president and CEO Keira Amstutz. “We are honored to partner with Glick Philanthropies to highlight the breadth and quality of works being written in Indiana and to show the world that the Hoosier state is indeed a powerhouse literary state.”

Each winner receives $5,000, a handcrafted limestone and steel award, and the opportunity to make a $500 donation to an Indiana library of their choice.

“My parents were always big readers who believed in the power of literature to strengthen communities and the people who live in them,” said Marianne Glick, chair of the Glick Family Foundation and daughter of Eugene and Marilyn Glick. “They created the Indiana Authors Awards to lift up the role of reading in educating ourselves as well as to honor books coming from our own authors.”

For more information on the Indiana Authors Awards, visit IndianaAuthorsAwards.org.

August Birthdays

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Fred Thompson

Debra Harrington

Tracy Renee Mercer

Jason Ascher

Donald Barnes

Rick Reed

Scott Conrad

Christopher Whitaker

Mike Shoulders

Matt Michelle Hostettler

Chris May

Cathy Cobb-Gish

Lola Perkett

Kevin Martin

Bradley Ray Stinchfield

Dan Johnson

Rick Kyle

Lisa Mckinney

Duane Gilles

John Regan

Heath Farmer

Pete Schwambach

Jim Sanders

Eileen Kahre

Joan Wetherill

Debbie Bush

Becky Mcbride

Shannon Perrette Shoulders

Ryan Nicholson

Jeffery W. Schneider

Jim Kerns

Bobby Tinner

Shelly Kirk

Rosemary De Cook

John Hamilton

Joyce Beck

Daniel Fink

Carl Woolard

Dan Danks

Jeremy Dillon

Janet Braddock

Penelope Pennington

Susan Shovers

Joshua James

Stefanie Danielle Bulla

Ryan Craddock

Max Dedmond

Linda Gee

Lindsay Spears

Catrina Ceballos

Jennifer Nagy

Vicki Bettag

Karen Gasaway

Steven Lowell Smith

Chris Weaver

Scott Railey

Lance Wilkerson

J. Glenn Robinson

Joan Andy Lindauer

Rhonda Zuber

Steve Seitz

Dakri Sinclair

Kelly Koressel Henning

Ronny Neighbors

Julie Rathgeber Hope

Steve Alley

Allyson Shelby

Linda Geary

J August Straus

Shawn Devoy

Lisa Cambron Conway

Leanne Quehl Maurer

Stacy Shourds Huffman

Justin Byrley

Marilyn Young

Diane Csukas

Matt Pokorney

Todd Fehrenbacher

Martha Ahlers

Mike Linenburg

Charlotte Linton Nixon

Barbara Young

Matt Dillow

Emily Bruggenschmidt

Missy Mosby

Andy Fischer

Lee Vowels

Tim Robinson

Charlie Butler

Japonia Kemp

Peggy Walker

Chad Sullivan

Robert Crow

Anne Crafton

Abe Krause

Daniel Romain

Debbie Simms Kerney

Jenelle Carter Evernham

Stacey Godbold

Jarrod Luigs

Kimberly Ivy Clark

Tim Beck

Donna Leader

Hobart Scales

David Bunner

Wayne Askins

Jerry Paddock

Sheila White

Amy Burdette Ambrose

Sheila Charron

Brad Davis

Ryan Windhorst

Marsha Jackson

Caren Gentry Whitehouse

Debbie Schenk

Frank Scholz

Sue Schriber

Kathy Midle-Schernekau

Daniel Phillips

Bobby Wade Quick

Deana Gooch

Bob Swallows

Bill Beauchamp

Randy Dillback

Al Lindsey

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

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EPD

 

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

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