Why We Ask: Our mission and operations are funded 100% by conservatives like you. Please help us continue to extend Liberty to the next generation and support the 2024 Year-End Campaign today.

May 12, 2014

Take From the ‘Rich,’ Give to ‘Poor’ College Kid

Elizabeth Warrens wants student loan refinancing funded by the Buffett Rule.

It’s May, which means it’s time for graduations. And for college graduates, that means looking for jobs in a stagnant economy in hopes of being able to pay back astronomical student loans. Finding a job will be even harder to do if Democrats succeed in raising the minimum wage. They’ve already made it more difficult by passing ObamaCare and raising taxes on small businesses.

A part of Democrats’ agenda comes courtesy of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who is pushing a bill to allow people to refinance student loans. “When interest rates drop, people can refinance their home, they can refinance their business debt. It’s regarded as a smart move for any consumer or business. But student borrowers are prohibited from doing that under most programs,” Warren said. “This bill says we’re going to change that and let them refinance that down to current low rates.”

Warren noted a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from January showing that, on loads issued between 2007 and 2012, the government would rake in $66 billion in profit via interest payments. But she says its “just plan wrong” for the federal government to profit off of student borrowers, adding, “This is $66 billion on just the loans issued during that period. That is insane. This [bill] brings that down. Instead of taxing students who can’t afford to pay for college up front, it says we are investing in those students.”

The federal government should out to get out of both sides of the equation. Currently, the government subsidizes the bastions of leftist ideology known as colleges and universities, as well as controlling the student loan industry. That market manipulation is a primary reason why tuitions are skyrocketing. (Sound familiar? Health care, energy, etc.)

But it’s also funny that Warren would so quickly “give away” that federal revenue. Leftists generally operate on the assumption that all money belongs to the federal government and they generously allow you to keep some of it. How will the federal government “afford” to let students refinance?

That’s an easy one: Tax the rich. Specifically, Warren wants to enact the so-called “Buffett Rule,” which is Barack Obama’s idea to make millionaires pay their “fair share” of at least 30% in taxes. Of course, Warren Buffett, the billionaire namesake of the proposal, has his own rule: “I will not pay a dime more of individual taxes than I owe, and I won’t pay a dime more of corporate taxes than we owe.” But that’s another story.

Sen. Warren illustrated our point about who the money belongs to when she said, “Basically, the way I see it, there are billions of dollars here that flow out of the U.S. Treasury to a tax loophole, that are [sic] available to millionaires and billionaires.” See? That money isn’t theirs; the federal government is giving it to them through a “loophole.” She went on, “This bill says to use that money to reduce the interest rate on student loans. So it’s a pretty direct choice – should America be investing billions of dollars in tax loopholes for billionaires or investing that money to help young people who are trying to get an education? I think spending should be consistent with our values.” Coerced redistribution is a bad value.

But at least Warren is talking refinancing. Barack Obama’s plan is debt forgiveness. On the backs of taxpayers. Naturally.

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.