A Simple Guide to Key Politics

Education

There are two big talking points when it comes to education: student debt and the cost of college. There have been some extreme ideas regarding this political issue, such as those of Sen. Bernie Sanders where college would be free to everybody and student debt would be erased completely. For various reasons, a lot of people aren't on board. Free college sounds great, but most opposers are skeptical when it comes to the logistics. So, let's take a look at some facts. 

The Cost Of College

The Political Issue

Education is expensive, and there's really no way around it. If you want to earn a degree and chase that dream career you've had since you were twelve, it's going to cost a pretty penny. Some people don't think twice about this, but individuals from lower income families have to work extra hard to receive scholarships. 

According to Take Lessons (takelessons.com), college today is 400% more expensive than thirty years ago. Still, a lot of people oppose the idea of "free college". This is due, in part, to the fact that the government would have to spend over 62 billion dollars a year to make it possible, and that raises concerns about more taxes. 

Some politicans, such as Democrats like Obama or Joe Biden, believe there is a way to make the first two years of college free. They propose doing this by extending public school to grade 14. According to a poll conducted by The Pew Researcher Center, 45% of all republicans or individuals with republican leaning views without a college degree were for free college tuition, while 26% of republican or republican leaning individuals who had graduated college were also for it. This means 55% of the first group and 74% of the latter voted against free college tuition. 

Student Debt 

The Political Issue 

Due to the prior issue, more than 45 million Americans owe a total of 1.6 trillion dollars in student debt. This is a problem for obvious reasons. Donald Trump has taken action by proposing plans that base loan payments off of income, only allowing for the borrower to pay 12.5 percent of their discretionary income and offering loan forgiveness after 15 years, according to CNBC (cnbc.com). 

Joe Biden wants to fix and expand debt relief programs, such as fixing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. This is a program that cancels the debt of ten year public-service workers. Both politicans mentioned have similar reformation plans when it comes to student debt.