This thought just popped into my head as I was responding to an email, and I thought that I’d share it further. Because I’m just a helpful guy that way. Anyway, here was my suggestion:
Let’s combine a new CCC program with a student loan forgiveness deal: twice minimum wage, but every dime above minimum gets deducted automatically and goes to pay off your student loan principal. I’m sure that we’ve got some potholes that need patching, and getting to watch a twenty-four year old semiotics major visibly realize that it’s all come to this will justify the cost right there.
Discuss. I can see a couple of potential problems, myself, but understand: this is only one-third, at best, about any sort of economic ‘stimulus*.’ The actual goal here is to take as many members the 23-45 year old ‘over-educated idiot’ demographic of the population as possible and violently rip them out of their insulating – and smothering – cocoon from the real world.
Think of it as… shock therapy.
Moe Lane
*Although frankly if we’re going to throw money away anyway we might as well throw it away at student loans, which need drastic reforms.
While I am more in favor of the Heinlein approach myself, I like this idea. Another possibility would be something similar to what the Army and the Peace Corps offers: One year of service removes 1/3 of your debt.
And if you’re going to rip them away from the cocoon, don’t do it in half measures. They have to be relocated somewhere far from their comfort zone. Because the notion of a Harvard grad having to do work like this in southern Louisiana just appeals to me.
Problem is, they’re still over-priced compared to illegals. Also, it’s unlikely a foo-studies doctoral student is going to be able to carry through on the physical effort of fixing potholes or the like.
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Now, we could modify Heinlein’s “national service” idea. Remember, some of the jobs in that idea weren’t military service, just unpleasant, dangerous, and for the benefit of others. I wonder how many drugs out there need experimental subjects…
A decent proposal, but it doesn’t go far enough.
Regards,
Ric
Rob, I have a feeling that they will build up the needed strength when they don’t have a choice in the matter. It’s an approach that works wonders in Boot Camp.
Call it “Shovel Ready Students”