Ending student loan forgiveness for congressional staffers? Students next?

[BMBiology]

Student Loan Forgiveness for Staff on Chopping Block

One of the more generous benefits for congressional staffers might be on the chopping block in this year’s budget. The House and Senate budgets include cuts for education, employment and training, including the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. The program forgives all federally backed student loans for those working for 10 cumulative years in public service — including time spent on Capitol Hill.

Both the House and Senate budgets would cut the subsidy that allows people to not pay interest while they’re in undergraduate studies and for six months after. The Student Loan Repayment Program, which authorizes the House and Senate and select federal agencies to pay back student loans, would not be affected. The budget conference committee started meetings this week to work out the differences between the chambers’ two versions.

It’s not clear how many current and former Hill staffers would be affected by discontinuing the forgiveness program, which was was started in 2007. Those eligible would begin receiving their full forgiveness in 2017. Any changes are not likely to affect those already enrolled, but would affect future graduates pursuing public service.

Even the Obama administration is open to modifying the forgiveness program and has called for a cap on the amount of debt that can be forgiven. Not having a cap on the amount is one of the chief criticisms of the concept.

“It creates a lot of incentive for people to overborrow, especially graduate students,” said Kevin James, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute’s Center on Higher Education Reform. The program is also cited as overly broad: 25 percent of the workforce work in nonprofit or government sectors, many of whom make salaries that do not widely diverge from their private-sector counterparts. And while even some detractors believe incentives are necessary for pursuing public service careers, they don’t think it should be so narrowly tied to student loans.

“If you are going to provide an incentive for people to go do things, the incentive should be there, whether or not you borrowed for school,” James said.

But cutting the loan program entirely could make loan repayment harder for many. The White House has said ending the public student loan forgiveness program would be “doubling the amount of time many teachers, nurses, and those in military service will need to finish paying their student loans.”

“Budget resolutions are always just talking points,” said Jason Delisle, a former Senate Budget Committee staffer and current director of the Federal Education Budget Project at New America. “The important thing is the reconciliation instruction,” he added.

But Delisle acknowledges the forgiveness program could be facing some changes as student loan debts continue to mount. “The president wants to cap the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program; that was in the president’s budget already for a second year in a row. The president has acknowledged that the program is a little out of control without a limit on it,” he said. “The stars are aligning to make some changes.”

Passing a budget resolution out of conference in itself is not sufficient to make changes to the student loan programs. To do so, both chambers would then have to use the budget resolution to pass a reconciliation bill that cuts funding.

“They would have to change the law to come up with these savings,” said Joel Packer, executive director of The Committee for Education Funding. “A reconciliation bill that does so would be vetoed by the president. But at some point, there is going to be a deal on appropriations and raising the debt ceiling. There is a lot of pressure to raise defense spending. Some of these student loan items could wind up on the table in such a deal.”

http://blogs.rollcall.com/hill-navigator/loan-forgiveness-for-federal-employees/?dcz=

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[Ace Khalifa]

“It creates a lot of incentive for people to overborrow, especially graduate students... If you are going to provide an incentive for people to go do things, the incentive should be there, whether or not you borrowed for school,”

I support it since less of my family's tax dollars will be used to pay for someone else's education. If you can't afford something, don't invest in it. Doesn't matter if it's a car or education.

InB4 you get smacked from how insensitive that comment is to med students coming from poor/lower middle class backgrounds.

 

[NontradCA]

InB4 you get smacked from how insensitive that comment is to med students coming from poor/lower middle class backgrounds.

All 5 of them?

 

[Mad Jack]

InB4 you get smacked from how insensitive that comment is to med students coming from poor/lower middle class backgrounds.

He does have a point though. We can't just be handing out unlimited forgiveness. It will literally bankrupt the country. There's over 1 trillion dollars worth of student debt floating around out there. If things aren't changed, loan balances are going to continue to tick up, and students will be relying more and more on debt forgiveness. But forgiveness isn't free- that money was loaned out and expected to be paid back. This means the taxpayers are going to be on the hook for many, may billions of dollars on behalf of those "forgiven."

The answer isn't debt forgiveness, it's getting costs more in-line with what is affordable. Freely available debt just exacerbates the problem, as colleges know they will get whatever they demand, particularly when students don't feel that they will have to repay the burgeoning loan balances off care of programs like PSLF and PAYE.

Think carefully before you take out student loans, and don't do it unless you reasonably believe you can pay them back without debt forgiveness.

 

[notbobtrustme]

He does have a point though. We can't just be handing out unlimited forgiveness. It will literally bankrupt the country.

literally one cruise missile launched would pay for the tuition of an entire medical school class.

we have no problem launching hundreds of cruise missiles a year at low-yield targets all over the world.

this **** is the hunger games by forcing us to concentrate on scraps, which are meaningless in terms of the overall budget, while the biggest wasters in government have a free hand to continue their waste.

 

[NontradCA]

He does have a point though. We can't just be handing out unlimited forgiveness. It will literally bankrupt the country. There's over 1 trillion dollars worth of student debt floating around out there. If things aren't changed, loan balances are going to continue to tick up, and students will be relying more and more on debt forgiveness. But forgiveness isn't free- that money was loaned out and expected to be paid back. This means the taxpayers are going to be on the hook for many, may billions of dollars on behalf of those "forgiven."

The answer isn't debt forgiveness, it's getting costs more in-line with what is affordable. Freely available debt just exacerbates the problem, as colleges know they will get whatever they demand, particularly when students don't feel that they will have to repay the burgeoning loan balances off care of programs like PSLF and PAYE.

Think carefully before you take out student loans, and don't do it unless you reasonably believe you can pay them back without debt forgiveness.

Money grubbing vampires should stop us from giving debt forgiveness to a population needing incentive to be selfless? I don't follow this logic at all.

Having the government fit the bill for education is probably the only way to stop the tuition inflation from occurring year after year.

 

[Mad Jack]

literally one cruise missile launched would pay for the tuition of an entire medical school class.

A tomahawk cruise missile only costs $1.4 million. That's enough for like, four and a half med students at my school. With China on the rise and Putin being a general dick, we actually need a strong military for the first time in a long time. The South China Sea would have already been completely swallowed up if China didn't fear starting a war with us, and Russia would just steamroll Ukraine openly if they didn't fear a U.S.-led NATO intervention or a potential use of nuclear arms.

But this isn't about defense spending (which I think we could cut back on). This is about our educational finance system, which is in serious need of reform. Until there is a hard cap placed on the funds that students are allowed to borrow (instead of the soft cap we have now) and protections against bankruptcy are written out of the law to discourage unnecessary college loans by private banks, colleges will never reign in spending, and balances will continue to reach for the stratosphere.

 

[NontradCA]

literally one cruise missile launched would pay for the tuition of an entire medical school class.

we have no problem launching hundreds of cruise missiles a year at low-yield targets all over the world.

this **** is the hunger games by forcing us to concentrate on scraps, which are meaningless in terms of the overall budget, while the biggest wasters in government have a free hand to continue their waste.

 

[Mad Jack]

Money grubbing vampires should stop us from giving debt forgiveness to a population needing incentive to be selfless? I don't follow this logic at all.

Having the government fit the bill for education is probably the only way to stop the tuition inflation from occurring year after year.

Tuition would still increase, it would just be charged to the taxpayers, not to the individual. Free to the individual is not free to society. And "money grubbing vampires?" We all pay taxes. All of us. The middle class pays the majority of them. I don't feel like the rest of society should be obligated to support my medical education. And how does paying off student debt incentivize selflessness? Most of the people I know that are in the running to take advantage of PSLF are those that work for ordinary nonprofit hospitals- it's not like they're working in underserved areas, taking a pay cut, or working with the poor. They're doing regular jobs, but just happen to work for a nonprofit, so they are getting their education paid off in full, despite earning handsome sums of money and serving a largely well-served patient base.

 

[NontradCA]

Tuition would still increase, it would just be charged to the taxpayers, not to the individual. Free to the individual is not free to society. And "money grubbing vampires?" We all pay taxes. All of us. The middle class pays the majority of them. I don't feel like the rest of society should be obligated to support my medical education. And how does paying off student debt incentivize selflessness? Most of the people I know that are in the running to take advantage of PSLF are those that work for ordinary nonprofit hospitals- it's not like they're working in underserved areas, taking a pay cut, or working with the poor. They're doing regular jobs, but just happen to work for a nonprofit, so they are getting their education paid off in full, despite earning handsome sums of money and serving a largely well-served patient base.

We are going to fundamentally disagree. I name vampires as the people currently running medical schools. If you don't agree that medical school is a sham to line pockets of officials then we can just stop there.

If you do, why do you think the government would continue to pay outrageous tutition to schools if they are fitting the bill? Take the AOA, ACGME merger for instance. Do you think the AOA and ACGME suddenly had a change of heart after they decided not to merge? Or do you think Uncle Sam showed them who holds the most cards?

 

[Mad Jack]

We are going to fundamentally disagree. I name vampires as the people currently running medical schools. If you don't agree that medical school is a sham to line pockets of officials then we can just stop there.

Oh, I totally agree with you on that. I thought the "vampires" you were referring to were the people calling for an end to debt forgiveness.

 

[NontradCA]

Oh, I totally agree with you on that. I thought the "vampires" you were referring to were the people calling for an end to debt forgiveness.

I think that people should pay their own debt, but I only see tuition increasing until physicians are indentured servants. The rich will choose not to go to med school. Ie: I'm not paying 80k a year for my kids to go to school in the future, they can do something else.

 

[username456789]

FYI NontradCA, the saying is "foot the bill" or "footing the bill."

Carry on.

 

[Mad Jack]

I think that people should pay their own debt, but I only see tuition increasing until physicians are indentured servants. The rich will choose not to go to med school. Ie: I'm not paying 80k a year for my kids to go to school in the future, they can do something else.

That's why I'm saying the government needs to put a cap on plus loans and get rid of incentives for banks to needlessly lend. It would deter needless borrowing/lending and would force schools to ease back on their tuition growth, lest they attract less and lower quality candidates.

 

[NontradCA]

FYI NontradCA, the saying is "foot the bill" or "footing the bill."

Carry on.

Cool story bro, tell it again. But don't PM me. #typingwithmythumbsdgaf.

 

[username456789]

Cool story bro, tell it again. But don't PM me. #typingwithmythumbsdgaf.

You're welcome.

 

[NontradCA]

That's why I'm saying the government needs to put a cap on plus loans and get rid of incentives for banks to needlessly lend. It would deter needless borrowing/lending and would force schools to ease back on their tuition growth, lest they attract less and lower quality candidates.

I say give people the freedom to make poor investments if they choose to. I'd see this kind of thinking turning into undergrads not getting loans either, and poor people not getting the education they need.

 

[Mad Jack]

I say give people the freedom to make poor investments if they choose to. I'd see this kind of thinking turning into undergrads not getting loans either, and poor people not getting the education they need.

People should be free to make poor investments if they choose to, but the government should not back those investments and banks should not be immune to bankruptcy proceedings by those that they carelessly handed money to. Careless lending caused the housing crisis, and, mark my words, if we don't reign it in, student debt will cause a recession within our lifetime for the same reason.

 

[NontradCA]

People should be free to make poor investments if they choose to, but the government should not back those investments and banks should not be immune to bankruptcy proceedings by those that they carelessly handed money to. Careless lending caused the housing crisis, and, mark my words, if we don't reign it in, student debt will cause a recession within our lifetime for the same reason.

I think that everyone should pay back their loans, and up to this point, the government has done a good job at collecting. I'm not sure why you're talking about banks though?

 

[TexasDoc2388]

So we are cool with giving billions of dollars to finance education and defense in other countries but we are against subsidizing loans in our own country. Interesting thought pattern.

 

[Mad Jack]

I think that everyone should pay back their loans, and up to this point, the government has done a good job at collecting. I'm not sure why you're talking about banks though?

If there were a limit on student loans provided by the government, private banks would be the only way for people to secure more money would be private lenders. I'm saying those private lenders should not be afforded special protection from bankruptcy, etc. This is all hypothetical.

 

[NontradCA]

If there were a limit on student loans provided by the government, private banks would be the only way for people to secure more money would be private lenders. I'm saying those private lenders should not be afforded special protection from bankruptcy, etc. This is all hypothetical.

I thought there already was a limit?

 

[preDoGuy24]

I think it's wicked smart of the government to loan as much money as it can to medical students, we are a great investment-low attrition rates, high loan balances, crazy high interest rates (6-10%), and the highest rate of repayment of any grad students. Does anyone honestly think they can invest 200k+ in something else and get a guaranteed 10% return over 10-30 years? We are a profit making stream for the government why would they shut that down?

Unfortunately its a necessary evil, without government loans most students couldn't afford medical school and most banks won't loan a premed the COA of your average med school. The government will continue to increase interest rates, cut corporate taxes and then have another financial meltdown when the bottom falls out of this house of cards.

 

[Mad Jack]

I thought there already was a limit?

Grad Plus currently has no limit.

 

[gettheleadout]

Grad Plus currently has no limit.

What? It's limited relative to the school you attend by that school's COA.

 

[PL198]

It always is hilarious when med students bitch about the cost of tuition, yet they choose to pay it. Guess it isn't too expensive. And guess what, If you think it's too expensive there are 100 ready to take your spot.

 

[Mad Jack]

What? It's limited relative to the school you attend by that school's COA.

Yes, but that is an arbitrary limit set by the school. I want a fixed limit.

 

[engmedpt]

Yes, but that is an arbitrary limit set by the school. I want a fixed limit.

...so how is the answer not government intervention of all graduate programs and their ludicrous tuition? Grad plus is just a perfect incentive for schools to continue elevating tuition and a generation of faculty or whoever adjusts tuition to drain the future livelihood of people going through a funnel of absurd debt coupled with necessary training to get to jobs where there happens to be a need. This gets discussed on like every forum on here. There's really two solutions:

1. People just say screw it and stop going to graduate programs which forces schools to lower tuition until volume picks up again because there is a market that exists. Schools have been super great at taking fields that have shortages and then creating an unnecessary financial funnel to line their pockets when there is no other alternative to the training currently.

2. The government stops creating these super awesome forgiveness plans and incredibly well thought out borrowing schemes and instead attacks the root of the issue....regulation of tuition hikes for fields where there is a need and people already bust it for acceptances when salaries aren't increasing afterwards.

 

[PL198]

Regulation of tuition hike. Yeah tell more private businesses how they can run their companies.

Again, if it's overpriced, don't buy it. Really simple solution to problem, if there is one.

 

[Mad Jack]

Regulation of tuition hike. Yeah tell more private businesses how they can run their companies.

Again, if it's overpriced, don't buy it. Really simple solution to problem, if there is one.

I'm not saying to limit how private businesses function, I'm saying to stop funding them with public money and legal guarantees so that the market can set in and fix things.

 

[ModyzMalak]

He does have a point though. We can't just be handing out unlimited forgiveness. It will literally bankrupt the country. There's over 1 trillion dollars worth of student debt floating around out there. If things aren't changed, loan balances are going to continue to tick up, and students will be relying more and more on debt forgiveness. But forgiveness isn't free- that money was loaned out and expected to be paid back. This means the taxpayers are going to be on the hook for many, may billions of dollars on behalf of those "forgiven."

The answer isn't debt forgiveness, it's getting costs more in-line with what is affordable. Freely available debt just exacerbates the problem, as colleges know they will get whatever they demand, particularly when students don't feel that they will have to repay the burgeoning loan balances off care of programs like PSLF and PAYE.

Think carefully before you take out student loans, and don't do it unless you reasonably believe you can pay them back without debt forgiveness.

Oh i get it because a lannister always pays their debts :\

 

[sazerac]

Did anybody catch the paragraph about how there ought to be incentives for public service, but they should be open to everybody and not just the cohort that has student loans?

It makes sense really. Why tie public service to student loans? It distorts the market. Imagine what a mess it would be if loan forgiveness was tied to forgiving car loans instead of student loans!

 

[engmedpt]

Regulation of tuition hike. Yeah tell more private businesses how they can run their companies.

Again, if it's overpriced, don't buy it. Really simple solution to problem, if there is one.

^Except that this is different. I understand what you're saying, but your solution actually doesn't work well. Since this is med forum, I'll stick to that need. The need by 2025 from BLS predictions etc. is absolutely massive for physicians. (Go ahead and bash bls if you want. that's fine. just tossing an example in).

If people take your solution, then a huge profession would see even greater shortages (assuming that the 100 other applicants don't take your spot of course which is unlikely since applicant volume is nuts. However, it would get to the point where only the rich would start buying the education. If schools kept having the incentive to elevate and the rich eventually say screw it....welp....then theres a problem.)

This is education....its a necessity in order to break into the profession. There's no other funnel. So why should students have to get shafted doing what last generation did as well?

This isn't just an overpriced commodity that people will just stop buying so they can stop indulging in it....its a system that's mandatory for the job. Yeah, government regulation in private businesses is wrong in free markets..........but look at what free markets are allowing schools to do? You want the job where there's a need? Sorry, you're going to have to take on this mortgage of debt and we will keep doing that until the rich say screw us as well! -___-

My roommate's starting as an MS1 this fall. He's already said the want to go into primary care is weak because of what's happened. That's pretty sad. Good kid too.

 

[preDoGuy24]

Regulation of tuition hike. Yeah tell more private businesses how they can run their companies.

Again, if it's overpriced, don't buy it. Really simple solution to problem, if there is one.

You say this like going to medical is the same as buying a car, or any other finished product in the broader economical scheme of things...I disagree. I think taking out loans changes the scheme. Psycholigically-paying with borrowed money is way different then paying cash, students never really have a hand in the financial side of things outside of filling the paperwork out. I think this is how schools get away with these crazy tuitions, there is no real immediate cost to the student to go there ( very few students save up a couple 100 grand before school starts). You fill out your FASFA and bite the bullet because that's how you become a Dr. these days. I don't necessarily believe government intervention is appropriate but I would love to see standards on tuition increases be put out by COCA/ACGME that penalize schools that increase tuition and fees X percent above inflation cause quite honestly if I see another private school with a 60-80k COA and a primary care mission statement I may lose it. Government subsidized student loans don't allow free market forces to act and close these schools unfortunately.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[engmedpt]

You say this like going to medical is the same as buying a car, or any other finished product in the broader economical scheme of things...I disagree. I think taking out loans changes the scheme. Psycholigically-paying with borrowed money is way different then paying cash, students never really have a hand in the financial side of things outside of filling the paperwork out. I think this is how schools get away with these crazy tuitions, there is no real immediate cost to the student to go there ( very few students save up a couple 100 grand before school starts). You fill out your FASFA and bite the bullet because that's how you become a Dr. these days. I don't necessarily believe government intervention is appropriate but I would love to see standards on tuition increases be put out by COCA/ACGME that penalize schools that increase tuition and fees X percent above inflation cause quite honestly if I see another private school with a 60-80k COA and a primary care mission statement I may lose it. Government subsidized student loans don't allow free market forces to act and close these schools unfortunately.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

^And that's a perfect follow up to my statement even if I have some things that need large reconsideration.

 

[BurghStudent]

Why aren't medical schools issuing their own loans at a lower percent? Why does the government have a monopoly on education?

 

[Baller MD]

nvm

 

[cbrons]

Lol if any of you think this is sustainable.... the current rate of spending (on war, on education, on entitlements, on everything) obviously cannot just continue as-is with a few minor edits thrown in here and there by hags like elizabeth warren or one of these republican slime balls.

It's amusing to watch grown-ups talk about who is entitled to what and who should get what money when you consider the simple fact that unfunded liabilities on social security, medicare, military pensions, education, and every other promised boondoogle is already well over $70 trillion today alone.

And you think it's a good thing to let any ***** borrow money from the government to finance the scam called "higher education"? There's a reason the tuition goes up every year you *****s... the greedy pigs who run the universities know Uncle Sam is going to give Jonny whatever price tag they put on his worthless Ethnic Studies degree.

(note for mods: not calling anyone in particular a *****)

 

[deleted480308]

...so how is the answer not government intervention of all graduate programs and their ludicrous tuition? Grad plus is just a perfect incentive for schools to continue elevating tuition and a generation of "faculty" to drain the future livelihood of people going through a funnel of absurd debt coupled with necessary training to get to jobs where there happens to be a need. This gets discussed on like eveyr forum on here. There's really two solutions:

1. People just say screw it and stop going to graduate programs which forces schools to close down (this would go ahead and be terrible for society considering the fact that theres a need in many areas like medicine). Schools have been super great at taking fields that have shortages and then creating an unnecessary financial funnel to line their pockets when there is no other alternative to the training currently.

2. The government stops creating these super awesome forgiveness plans and incredibly well thought out borrowing schemes (which theyre doing a great job profiting off of the backs of the students of a generation.....which is just the most ethical thing in the world right?) and instead attacks the root of the issue....regulation of tuition hikes for fields where there is a need and people already bust it for acceptances when salaries aren't increasing afterwards.

Wrong.....as applications drop due to low return on investment (salary/tuition) schools will eventually stop raising tuition. It's not like they will all magically disappear.

 

[deleted480308]

Why aren't medical schools issuing their own loans at a lower percent? Why does the government have a monopoly on education?

Because then they need to bother with chasing you down for payment over the nexr 20 years. Right now they take your money before the first day of class.

1 in hand>2in bush

 

[engmedpt]

Wrong.....as applications drop due to low return on investment (salary/tuition) schools will eventually stop raising tuition. It's not like they will all magically disappear.

You're right. Correcting above.

The situation would get corrected for markets that exist with what you said. Definitely overlooked that.

With schools with ludicrous tuition that oversaturate markets though. Different story. Some pharm schools are closing satellites (although yes, those are satellites). Havent looked at law but Im also aware a private undergrad institution is closing right now (although...that's undergrad, so different scenario a bit again).

 

[deleted480308]

You're right. Correcting above.

The situation would get corrected for markets that exist with what you said. Definitely overlooked that.

With schools with ludicrous tuition that oversaturate markets though. Different story. Some pharm schools are closing satellites (although yes, those are satellites). Havent looked at law but Im also aware a private undergrad institution is closing right now (although...that's undergrad, so different scenario a bit again).

Private undergrads are closing because they don't have enough of a name to justify their tuition gap with public schools, harvard isn't going anywhere

The pharm/law schools closing aren't doing so because they can't find students...there is something else at play there but I don't know what. Law school is definitely a bad investment for most students right now but they keep lining up

 

[W19]

So we are cool with giving billions of dollars to finance education and defense in other countries but we are against subsidizing loans in our own country. Interesting thought pattern.

If you are talking about Israel, it somehow has become our 51st state...

 

[W19]

Regulation of tuition hike. Yeah tell more private businesses how they can run their companies.

Again, if it's overpriced, don't buy it. Really simple solution to problem, if there is one.

You seem to think government should have a laissez-faire attitude on everything. Like it or not, government has to control some aspect of our lives.

 

[W19]

Private undergrads are closing because they don't have enough of a name to justify their tuition gap with public schools, harvard isn't going anywhere

The pharm/law schools closing aren't doing so because they can't find students...there is something else at play there but I don't know what. Law school is definitely a bad investment for most students right now but they keep lining up

It is sad to see what is happening to pharmacy school because of greedy administrators. Don't care that much about law school, however. I think government should require these schools to show some job placement rate after graduation before giving them tax payer $...

 

[PL198]

You seem to think government should have a laissez-faire attitude on everything. Like it or not, government has to control some aspect of our lives.

Yeah they should control everything. They're clearly so efficient and wise about spending money

 

[NontradCA]

Lol if any of you think this is sustainable.... the current rate of spending (on war, on education, on entitlements, on everything) obviously cannot just continue as-is with a few minor edits thrown in here and there by hags like elizabeth warren or one of these republican slime balls.

It's amusing to watch grown-ups talk about who is entitled to what and who should get what money when you consider the simple fact that unfunded liabilities on social security, medicare, military pensions, education, and every other promised boondoogle is already well over $70 trillion today alone.

And you think it's a good thing to let any ***** borrow money from the government to finance the scam called "higher education"? There's a reason the tuition goes up every year you *****s... the greedy pigs who run the universities know Uncle Sam is going to give Jonny whatever price tag they put on his worthless Ethnic Studies degree.

(note for mods: not calling anyone in particular a *****)

Education is the only thing that gets cut, but it's a small piece. Military and entitlements aren't going anywhere. The AARP is the largest lobbying group in America. We're just screwed.

 

[W19]

Yeah they should control everything. They're clearly so efficient and wise about spending money

Where did I say 'everything'?

 

[username456789]

Yeah they should control everything. They're clearly so efficient and wise about spending money

This is not a very effective approach to rhetoric. If you have good ideas, put them forward. If you're just going to pull that kind of garbage, why bother?

 

[PL198]

This is not a very effective approach to rhetoric. If you have good ideas, put them forward. If you're just going to pull that kind of garbage, why bother?

good idea : Everyone stop bitching about the cost of medical school, meanwhile they happily pay it. Really easy, if the cost is too much, you don't go. Then when enough people have similar thoughts to you, the schools are forced to lower tuition. This is literally the only long term sustainable solution that has the chance of working. Why would you cap what the schools can charge? If the kids are dumb enough to pay it at 100k a year or whatever tuition will be in 10 years, then isn't it worth 100k/year?