The devastation of US Higher Ed in Republican states

[Guardsman Bass]

This Nation article has some of the details, although not even some of the worse - Louisiana is proposing budget cuts of 82% of state funding to Louisiana State University, essentially a stone's throw away from outright privatizing the university (something which these fuckers would probably like to do, if they could get away with).

Oh, and to add extra fuel to this fire, the Perkins Loan Program is nearing its demise, since the Republican-dominated Congress hasn't bothered to officially renew it - and it doesn't seem like they will. Sure, they've issued some blather about how they're planning to replace it with a "simple program", but I'm sure they'll get around to doing that right after they get around coming up with a suitable replacement for Obamacare.

Don't worry about the Stafford Loan program dying, though! The chains of for-profit universities that contribute heavily to Republican congressfolk would scream mightily if that happened, and they'd be doing it in tandem with the financial sector guys busy repackaging student loans into complex, CDO-like products to be sold (just like the mortgage-backed CDOs from before 2007, except that this time the borrowers can't declare bankruptcy).

Christ, what a shit-show. At least it's not happening everywhere in the US aside from the Perkins, although I feel really sorry for the students in those Republican-states. That just fucking sucks.

[Flagg]

This Nation article has some of the details, although not even some of the worse - Louisiana is proposing budget cuts of 82% of state funding to Louisiana State University, essentially a stone's throw away from outright privatizing the university (something which these fuckers would probably like to do, if they could get away with).

Oh, and to add extra fuel to this fire, the Perkins Loan Program is nearing its demise, since the Republican-dominated Congress hasn't bothered to officially renew it - and it doesn't seem like they will. Sure, they've issued some blather about how they're planning to replace it with a "simple program", but I'm sure they'll get around to doing that right after they get around coming up with a suitable replacement for Obamacare.

Don't worry about the Stafford Loan program dying, though! The chains of for-profit universities that contribute heavily to Republican congressfolk would scream mightily if that happened, and they'd be doing it in tandem with the financial sector guys busy repackaging student loans into complex, CDO-like products to be sold (just like the mortgage-backed CDOs from before 2007, except that this time the borrowers can't declare bankruptcy).

Christ, what a shit-show. At least it's not happening everywhere in the US aside from the Perkins, although I feel really sorry for the students in those Republican-states. That just fucking sucks.

It really is impossible to deny that "separate but equal" has returned, it's just on a state-by-state basis and ranges from abortion rights to even public education. Live in a red state that refused the Medicaid expansion that you would legally qualify for in every state that took the expansion? Oh well, no healthcare for you! Live in a southern state and need an abortion but can't afford to travel to the single clinic that still provides them despite the TRAP laws? Well, congratulations new mommy! Hope there aren't any complications. Oh, and here's your bill. Enjoy your life of corporate servitude, whore.

And it cut's both ways. Live in a blue state with a strong union and "right to work" (aka right to receive union benefits without joining and paying into the union) laws about as likely to pass as anything being named after a Confederate general? Well, you better bend over because if you fight too hard to get wages and benefits that allow you to live a middle class lifestyle, then that giant corporation just might start building all of it's new factories in the aforementioned "right to work" states until suddenly everyone in the blue state with the strong union gets a pink slip and the giant corporation somehow managed to wriggle their way in the courts out of paying those pensions you had money taken out of every paycheck for!

Bet you're glad you don't live in a state that refused the Medicaid expansion, aren't you? Too bad unemployment benefits don't last nearly as long as you need them to, so kiss that house goodbye! Now move to a red state where you can get the same job you had at half the pay, living hand to mouth, and hoping like bloody hell that the company keeps it's healthcare benefits, because if not, you can't afford anything in the exchanges and there's no Medicaid for you!

WELCOME TO AMERICA YOU FUCKING SCUMBAG TAKER!