The U.S. forgave $757 billion in loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, with most of those benefits going to the wealthy.
I think the PPP program was a mistake too. But since the government basically forced companies to shut down during the pandemic, it seems fitting it should pay for the damages it caused.
The government did not force student to take out student loans. You took out a loan, you pay it back, not the taxpayers. Also, the student loan program would also mostly benefit the wealthy.
Here’s a nice write up: https://reason.com/2022/08/26/no-ppp-doesnt-justify-bidens-student-loan-bailout/
Get a new line, this one is overused. Access to education is both a human right and an incredible investment for society. Don’t keep access to economic mobility trapped behind an obscene paywall requiring enormous loans.
You may think it overused, but it’s accurate. Access to education may be a human right (i.e. a person is free to seek out an education), but forcing someone else to pay for it is not.
I think the looming spectre of mass death forced companies to shut down during the pandemic
Perhaps. But the government forced companies to close. So it seems appropriate that the government should reimburse them.
No one “forced” anyone to get a student loan. The government certainly didn’t.