Hey all, at my college (Western Michigan University) next Wednesday, November 18th, students are going to be protesting for free college coercing taxpayers to fund tuition. More details below. I’ll be there to cover the event just out of curiosity. I disagree with all of their proposed solutions but I am still interested in asking them deeper philosophical questions than they may be used to. I’d love some input if you have any questions you’d want to ask, or any points that I should bring up. Hopefully I’ll film it and post it here on The Dismal Review for ya’ll to see. Thanks!
[Below is the description on the event’s Facebook page, titled Million Student March Kalamazoo]
Congratulations, If you graduated from college this past spring, you’re part of the most indebted graduating class ever! According to a government data analysis by financial aid experts at Edvisors, the class of 2014 graduated with an average student loan debt of $33,000.
The United States is one of the richest countries in the world, yet students have to take on crippling debt in order to get a college education. We need change, and change starts in the streets when the people demand it.
Over 40 million Americans share a total of $1.2 trillion in student debt and over half of that is held by the poorest 25 percent of Americans. While top administrators take home six
and seven figure salaries, campus workers are paid poverty wages.
We will no longer sit idly by. With students, college graduates, and workers united we can build a movement capable of winning debt-free college for all and a $15/hr minimum wage for all campus workers!
Join the movement for:
1 – Tuition-free public college
2 – Cancellation of all student debt
3 – $15/hr campus-wide minimum wage at every college in the country
Email KalamazooMillionStudentMarch@gmail.com for more info!
#MillionStudentMarch #MSM #ScrapTheDebt #TuitionFree#CancelTheDebt #15Now #fightfor15 #studentmovement
An initiative of students across the country and various organizations including but not limited to: College Students for Bernie, Occupy Wall St., Socialist Alternative, 15 Now, The People For Bernie Sanders 2016, and more!
[This originally appeared on the Facebook Page titled Million Student March Kalamazoo]
The Dismal Review 
Nate
Here are some thoughts you might consider when you are asking questions of those who are almost certainly immune to logic and reason.
Going to college is a choice. Taking on debt is a choice. Isn’t “choice” a good thing? We can cheer the fact that choices exist. If you were to ask a marcher whether they favored “choice”, they would almost certainly answer in the affirmative.
Why would anyone believe they can enter into an honest agreement to exchange education for future payments and then, after getting the benefit, change their mind about paying for it?
If a student buys a car using credit should that debt be forgiven also? Should I be able to enjoy a meal in a restaurant and then refuse to pay?
Perhaps I should organize a million geezer march demanding forgiveness of all mortgage debt. After all, isn’t housing a “right” also? (that’s a rhetorical question)
I wish you well on your adventure, and I admire your willingness to engage, your but I fear you may be banging your head against a wall. Looking forward to reading about your experiences.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Except, like Hitler’s and Moa’s regimes, this one teaches young people to disrespect their elders, and demand special privileges for themselves. According to them, an old person cannot work and therefor deserve nothing, even if they do work, and a young person can work, and therefor deserves special rights, even if they don’t work. Anyone who as studied history can see we are on the bring of both a global and civil war, and they are going to be uglier than anything the world has ever seen.
LikeLike
Ron,
Thank you for the feedback. I was thinking relatively similar to you as well. One of the questions I plan to ask is: How (i.e. by what logical criterion) do you draw the line between goods which should be funded by taxpayers and goods which should be purchased directly by the consumer?
It should be an interesting day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a very easy question for me. In my view ALL goods and services should be purchased directly by the consumer. 🙂
It’s possible to debate the necessity of government provision of public goods like national defense, but then it’s necessary to accept government theft of people’s just property to pay for it. I think the question boils down to whether the provider of those services like national defense should have a monopoly on that service, and should be able to force everyone to pay for that service under threat of violence. I have faith in markets.
Have fun at the protest.
LikeLiked by 1 person