NAACP president bashes Biden's reported plans on student debt relief

[chuluma]

Source: The Hill

Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, has bashed the Biden administration’s reported plans on student debt relief, saying it is another policy that will leave Black people behind.

“If the rumors are true, we’ve got a problem. And tragically, we’ve experienced this so many times before. The interstate highway system devastated Black communities,” Johnson said in a statement on Tuesday. “Welfare reform tossed poor people of color by the wayside.”

Johnson pointed out that the anticipated $10,000 in forgiveness for every borrower in addition to a payment pause extension are not enough, especially for Black people.

Johnson also noted the lawmakers’ recent failure to pass several pieces of legislation that would have positive impacts on Black voters, such as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3612869-naacp-president-bashes-bidens-reported-plans-on-student-debt-relief/

[elleng]

1. 'reported plans' 'If the rumors are true,'

Please, Mr. Johnson, do better than THIS.

[msongs]

2. I would not turn down 10K in relief just because the NAACP doesnt like nt nt

[chuluma]

4. The NAACP didn't encourage anyone to turn the down the $10,000 down

In what paragraph is that?

[msongs]

8. I said I wouldnt turn it down. didnt say the ncaa said turn it down. pretty clear thru the official

head of the group the prospect is not liked

[texasfiddler]

3. No good deed goes unpunished.

[azureblue]

34. showboating on speculation

coupled with a dab of ingratitude. Maybe 10K isn't enough for some, but it's something. And the impact is not limited to skin color. Which the NAACP seems to be saying.

[NYC Liberal]

5. Legislation needs to be passed for the kind of relief wanted.

The President and Secretary of Education are limited in what they can do legally.

The upcoming midterms are critical.

[MichMan]

7. Why is $10k legal by EO, but higher amounts aren't?

Where is that specified?

[867-5309.]

41. I've wondered the same

Maybe I'll start a thread...

[MichMan]

42. Never $15k or $25k, but always a choice between either $10 k or $50k.

I dont understand how those values are the only options

[Cha]

51. Thank You for Explaining that! Some

can't seem to get it.

[70sEraVet]

6. The $10,000 figure is a help, but I, too, wish it were more.

I've got grandkids with staggering debt, and their parents in economic hardship because they co-signed. A couple of the kids don't have a prayer of paying it off, because their choices of study didn't translate well into hefty paychecks. Factor in absurdly high rents, and you have financial hopelessness.

[mvd]

40. Me too

But I am still glad the President is following through. It would be particularly nice for low income people like me to have their debt wiped out. As for those who say, “why not me?”, I would say that the child tax credits didn’t affect me but I was happy for those who got them. We do need systemic change to go along with the debt relief.

[SergeStorms]

9. Damned if you do....

damned if you don't.

I'm sure the people who recently paid off their student debt wish they had received $10k in debt relief.

You're never going to make everyone happy. Maybe everyone who's getting the $10k should say, "Thank you", because they'd get doodley-squat from republicans.

Just my opinion.

[chuluma]

10. By that logic, nobody would get help, ever

Because everyone would say, "I don't like this aide because i personally didn't get it before it turned into law".

[KS Toronado]

18. Did you misunderstand what SergeStorms said?

Spock might say your response was illogical.

[stopdiggin]

23. Ahem ... You maybe haven't noticed

but that is precisely the (primary) argument many have against student debt relief (and other programs as well). "Why should they .. " and, "Where's mine .." are extremely well trodden paths. Small minded, yes. Short sighted, you betcha'. But also a very, very common feature in human nature.

----- -----

[SergeStorms]

26. I never said anything of the sort.

Welcome to DU, by the way. 😊

Maybe you should re-read my post. There isn't a single word that supports your "logic", but we'll let it slide and chalk it up to misunderstanding.

Have a spectacular day.

[JohnSJ]

21. +++

[betsuni]

54. +1

[kacekwl]

11. Which noted "lawmakers" were

responsible for failure to pass the legislation ? Can you tell me that Mr Johnson ? But why not criticize the Democratic president for this because Republican presidents have done so much for your cause. Right.

[Elessar Zappa]

12. It's a start though.

Perhaps more relief will come if we keep the House and increase our numbers in the Senate.

[KS Toronado]

20. That's what I'm thinking.

If Johnson had any critical thinking skills, he should have kept his mouth shut until after the midterms.
He would be a lot more help bashing repugs.

[Tarheel_Dem]

13. Well, boo hoo. I'm black, and I disagree. I'm sitting here with a broken down ac unit, which...

is gonna cost more than $5k to repair, and twice as much to replace. Trust me....any relief would be welcomed. Pres. Biden may not be perfect, but he has to juggle so many balls, and political ideologies, to get ANYTHING done. Why would an allegedly intelligent head of the NAACP trash him for that?

[elleng]

14. Thank you

[stopdiggin]

24. well, if your 'progressive' - you must take

every opportunity to educate ...
(even if it involves ambushing allies and shooting yourself in the foot ... )

---- --- --- -------- --- ----

[Tarheel_Dem]

48. Ya know, there comes a time when activism ceases to be about education, and more about...

trying to prove that you're the smartest guy in the room. I think the head of the NAACP has reached that point. I'm sure he has to look as if he's earning his six figures, but "ambushing allies" is not a good look, AFAIC. We get what we can, when we can. And when Republicans are back in charge, we get nothing at all. See how that works?

[usaf-vet]

15. I'm glad there might be some student debt relief. BUT what about those you did the right thing......

...... and paid off their student loans rather than going deeper into credit card debt and now struggle to find an affordable house?

With no nest egg for a down payment, what message does it send to the next generation of college graduates?

[MichMan]

29. Let the schools charge whatever they want and take out as much in loans as they allow

Plan on it being forgiven one day for you, too.


That would be the message for the next generation

[childfreebychoice]

16. This black woman, my husband and all of our family and friends have repaid student

Loans, do we get some kickback. The only ppl who should have loan forgiveness, ppl who went to diploma mills, and espec vet suckered by those mills

[MichMan]

30. The next generation is responsible to pay the forgiven loans off since it is being added to the debt

[chuluma]

32. 67 percent of registered Black voters strongly support eliminating student loan debt

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/most-black-voters-support-eliminating-student-loan-debt-new-survey-n1258030

[Ziggysmom]

17. I worked 2 and 3 jobs when I was a sing,e mom, to put my daughter through college. Nobody

helped us. It wasn't any easier 10-20 years ago. I think health care for all should be more of a priority than tuition debt relief. How many students take advantage of enlisting in the the military; they pay up to 100 percent of college tuition while on active duty, or the GI Bill for 10 years after leaving the service.

[Mawspam2]

19. As an E-1 Army recruit, you sign up for a four year...

...hitch and receive between $14,000 and $21,000 depending on where you live. You then pay 12% income tax on that.

Sure you get tuition, three hots, and a cot, but you also work your ass off and could get shot anytime some bone-headed wanna-be dictator decides to start a war.

Agent Orange, burn pits, electrocutions in showers, and all kinds of "training mishaps" are also part of the job.

[mdelaguna]

22. It sure was easier 20 years ago.

State school tuition subsidies by the state were optimal, in NY for example Cuomo gutted State university budgets in the 2008 recession making schools scramble to cover baseline costs (unable to maintain faculty levels, instead hiring slave wage temp adjuncts). Raising tuition and fees is one thing they have had to do. My tuition in the 80s at a state university was like $500. Per term. In the 90s, $1500 per term. But yes some private schools are exorbitant and people on a budget should choose state schools. R-1 universities offer way more than little private schools promise. Job prospects are just as great if you don’t go to a private u.

[stopdiggin]

25. it was easier 20 years ago

by almost every standard. And a completely different world/ballgame pre-Reagan.

[obamanut2012]

27. Predatory loans should be 100% illegal, period

I am really exhausted with the NO ONE HELPED ME whenever student loan relief is mentioned on here, and not just recently. I had $15,000 in loans, it took me 20 years to pay off and I paid off almost $85,000. I couldn't afford a car for years because of this. It is beyond usury, it's like a fucking Mafia vig.

So, sorry, I am all for this debt being paid off, and the loans need to be very, very low interest and stay low, and the Government needs to 100% run them.

[Delphinus]

28. That would be a blessing

to so many - predatory loans being stopped in ALL sectors.

If there were a way to stop interest on student loans, that might be a great help too.

[MichMan]

33. The government has run them for the last dozen years; Congress sets the interest rates

It was part of the affordable Health Care Acct legislation in 2010

[MichMan]

31. No action at all on why college costs so much in the first place

I guess they can charge whatever they want, students borrow whatever it takes, and the taxpayers are expected to bail them out.

[duhneece]

43. Before Reagan, state & federal funding helped reduce costs

Destroying all public education was their plan all along.

[MichMan]

45. Reagan has been out of office for over 30 years

Plenty of time to change any of his policies if the will was there to do so.

We blame Big Pharma, Big Oil, and Big Meat for gouging consumers. Why doesn't Big College get attacked for the same thing?

Instead, we allow them to charge exorbitant amounts, we loan students large amounts of money (for any field of study) with no regard for their ability to pay it back, and let the colleges rake in the $$$$ while laughing the whole time

[duhneece]

47. But his policies remain.

I don’t think colleges are trying to make a profit. They’re struggling and, unfortunately, corporations step in and ‘help’ with funding.. but that’s not what we want

[HighFired49]

49. States aren't funding colleges

Last edited Wed Aug 24, 2022, 09:31 PM - Edit history (1)

like they were in the 80's. In Oklahoma, state college funding by the state went from 40% in the 80's to about 10% this year. This 90% lack of state funding has had to be picked up by the students. My tuition was about $35.00 per hour in the 70's-80's, and is now over $380.00 per hour at the tier one state colleges.

It would help if the Feds. could take all but the necessary funds for family welfare, health, the environment, and a few other things from the states, and earmark all of it they can for colleges to make up for the deficit in states' funding. At this point, I think we've passed the ability of students to support and run our colleges, and the entire system is going to collapse. We're almost back to the point of only the wealthy being able to afford education. Hell, even the Oklahoma public schools (grade, middle, and high schools) are failing, as I'm sure they are in some of the other states. It's really a shame. We used to have an education system that was the envy of the world.

[duhneece]

52. Too true

We quit wanting an educated public

[Tarc]

35. Keep in mind that this is a Nina Turner talking about

The extreme fringe left is no different than the alt-right.

[chuluma]

37. I don't get your Nina Turner reference

Can you please elaborate?

[Tarc]

53. Biden is frequently by faux-liberals from the extreme left

Who think his actions are too conservative.

[llashram]

36. in these politically

racially charged times, a meeting with the POTUS would be a better course to follow, I would advise the individual looking for media time. And everything about interstates and in the 90's I was pissed about so-called "welfare reform" is true. Many innocent needy people really needed help and were thrown to the ground and ignored.

[chuluma]

38. From January: NAACP requests meeting with Biden

About student loans.
https://naacp.org/articles/naacp-and-advocacy-groups-request-meeting-biden-administration-regarding-impact-student

[llashram]

39. well

PRESIDENT Biden better get on the ball then. When I want something such as an answer to an important issue in my life, I call text, or e-mail til I get an answer. That's it.

[chuluma]

44. You said a meeting

When faces with proof of a meeting requests, you add a list of other things the NAACP must do in order to be heard by the PRESIDENT.

[Novara]

46. Some can't take yes for an answer

Granted, STATISTICALLY, black students end up taking out bigger loans than white students.

However, can you IMAGINE the exploding heads if Biden made this race-specific? "Black students get $30K. White students get $15K." That would be unconstitutional.

Likewise, if he made it loan-amount specific. Say you took out $50K. Should you get more forgiveness than someone who took out $25K?

It's got to be as fair as possible. Set amounts regardless of race or total loan amounts accomplish that.

[honest.abe]

50. "The senate's failure to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act failed to save Black lives."

So Derrick, which Senators were responsible for that??