Stop the madness: Vote for plans that are fiscally honest and fair to everyone
Write these dates down: Nov. 8 and Nov. 5, 2024. That’s when we can vote for real fairness. That’s when we can stop the reckless and irresponsible spending in this county.
President Joe Biden’s said his plan to excuse between $10,000-to-$20,000 of student loan debt is a matter of fairness. It’s not. It’s pandering to the progressive left and a younger generation who’s been indoctrinated to believe they are entitled to benefits they haven’t earned.
The president is intellectually dishonest to pass along debt to those who paid for college – like me – and to those who didn’t go to college. More people join the workforce out of high school than go to college. Now they’re on the hook for the president’s new group of freeloaders.
Let’s be clear: it’s not free. The total cost starts at $300 billion and independent economists said the price tag could be as much as $1 trillion. And now it’s up to everybody else to pay for it. Watch the White House dodge questions about cost and who has to pay for it. They are defiant when they tell Americans like me who paid their college debt, we don’t deserve to get a refund – all under the guise of fairness.
But I’m not just spewing. I have solutions. I’ve always believed if you don’t have an answer, you’re part of the problem.
There’s no reason for many to graduate with huge debt balances. What if we gave many of them an avenue to work off large chunks of that debt?
A teacher, for example, can volunteer an afternoon or two each week to tutor students. By doing that, it’s fair to erase as much as $250 a day from the balance sheet.
That’s a win-win for everyone – especially our students.
A doctor can volunteer two Saturdays a month at a free clinic. I’m sure The Way Clinic could use the help. One day eliminates $500 of debt.
That’s a win-win for everyone – especially our neighbors in need.
Someone with an architect degree can volunteer a couple of weekend days a month with Habitat for Humanity. Their skills would be very useful for an organization that is dedicated to turning sweat equity into a new home. Spend a day swinging a hammer and $250 in debt disappears.
That’s a win-win for everyone – especially our community.
If you have a business degree, you can volunteer to teach a class to children and young adults on how to be fiscally responsible. Learning how to balance a checkbook and compute interest rates is far more important information than dwelling on gender identity. Teach one class and $300 of debt will go away.
That’s a win-win for everyone – especially the next generation of residents and consumers.
But if you have a degree in memeology, extraterrestrial life or puppet arts – and yes, these degrees do exist – you’re out of luck. If a bank was stupid enough to give you money for those worthless diplomas, they deserve to get stiffed. But the rest of us don’t deserve to be responsible to pay for it.
When I went to college, I paid as I went. I worked the midnight shift at Waffle House, Sambo’s and at hotels. I went to classes in the morning, took a nap in the afternoon, then worked a 40-hour entry-level job at the Orlando Sentinel.
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you have skin in the game. My degree has served me well. I will be starting my 50th year in the business next week.
The only way we can get rid of unfair, irresponsible, irrational and self-serving policies is on election day. If a politician is handing you money with one hand, he’s got the other hand lifting your wallet from your back pocket.
So write these dates down: Nov. 8 and Nov. 5, 2024. That’s when we can vote for real fairness.
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