fbpx

Mike Rowe Speaks Out Against Student Loan Debt Forgiveness: ‘How Is Any Of This The Taxpayer’s Responsibility?’

Photo from Mike Rowe’s Instagram

Mike Rowe Speaks Out Against Student Loan Debt Forgiveness: ‘How Is Any Of This The Taxpayer’s Responsibility?’

By Movieguide® Contributor

DIRTY JOBS host Mike Rowe recently spoke out about President Biden’s decision to forgive student loan debt. 

Rowe posted a screenshot of a Babylon Bee article headline that reads, “Hard-Working Plumber Looking Forward To Paying For His Neighbor’s Gender Studies Degree.”

The TV host started by saying that he initially laughed when he saw the headline two years earlier, but that it is now a “sad truth.”

“Satire aside, what might compel an otherwise rational person to borrow tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase a diploma that offers little chance of a career that would allow them to pay off their debt?,” Rowe continued. “Where is the voice of reason, or caution, or common sense in this woman’s life? All of the voices it seems, are offering the same advice, and that advice is terrible. Terrible, not because it’s inherently bad, but because it’s a one-size-fits-all approach to one of the most important decisions a person can make.”

He went on, “I…know that lots and lots and LOTS of people with college degrees are drowning in debt, and unable to find work in their chosen fields. The question is why, and the answer seems clear. For the last forty years, we have – as a society – put an extraordinary amount of pressure on an entire generation of kids to borrow whatever it takes to get a college degree. The pressure comes from all sides. Parents want their kids in the “best” schools. Guidance counselors are evaluated on the number of kids they can steer into four-year institutions. There is no longer a rational conversation around the subject, much less anything resembling a cost/benefit analysis.”

The TV host touched on the fact that it seems as if people with college degrees are seen as more valuable than those without by politicians. 

Rowe also stated his sympathy for those who are struggling to pay off their debts. 

“Don’t get me wrong,” he explained. “The biggest victims of this debacle are the millions of hardworking people who paid their bills and lived within their means. I refer both to those who chose not to attend a college, and to those who graduated with a degree they paid for. I refer to the hundreds of people I’ve profiled on 20 years of Dirty Jobs – welders, painters, HVAC specialists, electricians, plumbers, appliance repairmen, mechanics, and so forth. The vast majority of those individuals didn’t attend college.”

He continued, “I understand that being in debt doesn’t mean you’re lazy, or stupid, or undeserving of sympathy. But how is any of this the taxpayer’s responsibility? What about the hundreds of billions of dollars in endowments, currently in university investment accounts? Why not hold the colleges at least partially responsible? What about the banks and lending institutions that happily gave loans to eighteen-year-old kids with no financial sense, and no clear idea of what they want to do with the rest of their lives? Does it really fall to millions of taxpayers who made other choices, to bail out those who didn’t? 

Rowe finished his post by saying, “I’m…encouraged by people on both sides of the aisle who see this for what it is – a massive, one time gift to a very specific group of people with a very specific kind of debt. A policy that will do nothing to confront the underlying problems or protect the next generation of students from falling for the same line of bullshit. A policy that makes it crystal clear what sorts of jobs our government values, and what sort of jobs they don’t.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNqHt3AnwFa/?hl=en

 

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.