Promises

There's plenty about Joe Biden that falls way short of anything anybody would consider perfect.

But I have to ask: When did we start thinking the leaders we elect would be - or could be - perfect? A government of, by, and for the people means we look around at all the normal everyday folks, we choose a few who we think can do a job for us, and we put them to work.

We give them 2 or 4 or 6 years, and if they're not up to snuff, we get to send 'em packin' and hire somebody else.

That's how it's supposed to work anyway.

BTW, this is not the tirade about what the fuck happened that we're stuck with a buncha fuckers in office who don't do what we need them to do, but we can't seem to fire them? That's a repeat rant for another time.

What I'm on about here is that Biden is trying to make some headway in the fight against plutocracy by going after predatory lending in "public" education, but he keeps getting stiffed by a Supreme Court that's bent so far to the right, they're coming up behind themselves, and just might disappear up their own asses pretty soon.

He stays in there though, hacking away at an entrenched faction of coin-operated congress critters who are hellbent on keeping us under Wall Street's thumb.

Millions of American households are paying the monthly bills with their credit cards, piling up trillions of dollars in debt, making payments that more or less keep them just solvent enough to stay afloat, but never getting a chance to break free. It's very reminiscent of Robber Barons and Company Stores - but more like we're on the verge of becoming a full-blown feudal system complete with Lords and Serfs.

I guess my point is: Biden keeps trying, and he's about all we've got. We need to work on getting him some help.

Education Department announces student loan forgiveness for 800,000 borrowers

The action is a result of what the department calls a “fix” to income-driven repayment plans. It’s expected to provide $39 billion in federal student loan forgiveness.

WASHINGTON — The Education Department announced Friday it would automatically forgive student loans for more than 800,000 borrowers.

The action is a result of what the department calls a “fix” to income-driven repayment plans. It's expected to total $39 billion in federal student loan forgiveness.

The department said the move will address administrative issues in the income-driven repayment system. Under the plans, federal student loan borrowers are eligible for forgiveness after 20 or 25 years of payments, depending on the plan. But for some, qualifying payments that “should have moved borrowers closer to forgiveness were not accounted for,” it said in a news release.

The Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in debt for 43 million federal student loan borrowers in a 6-3 ruling last month, dealing a blow to one of his key campaign promises.

Immediately after the ruling, Biden said his administration would explore other avenues for relief. “Today’s decision has closed one path. Now we’re going to pursue another,” he said.

Biden also said he was directing the Education Department to formulate a new plan for loan forgiveness grounded in the Higher Education Act. He promised the proposal would be “legally sound” while warning that “it’s going to take longer.” The specifics of the new plan have yet to be announced.

Friday's announcement is a smaller step the Biden administration is taking to pursue federal student loan relief with existing authority.

“For far too long, borrowers fell through the cracks of a broken system that failed to keep accurate track of their progress towards forgiveness,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. “By fixing past administrative failures, we are ensuring everyone gets the forgiveness they deserve.”