NDP promises to wipe out a lot of student debt

CBC reports the federal NDP is promising to wipe out a large portion of existing student debt, pause student loan payments and eliminate student debt interest.  New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh offered new details Saturday of the party’s proposals to make post-secondary education more affordable and — eventually — tuition-free. FULL REPORT ON CBC.

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Another political leader and party make it clear they do not set policy or govern in the best interests of Canada and Canadians, but rather on what hare-brained idea will garner it some votes.

No one is forced to take out a student loan. That is a deliberate decision made with a sober cost-benefit analysis. Students are not burdened with debt. They incur debt with a view to increased earnings to offset the debt. If their research is faulty, they have no one else to blame. They are not victims of anyone or anything.

The proposition that COVID-19 has hit university students harder than others in society is silly. The public is already heavily subsidizing universities. It would make more sense to require universities to be politically neutral and flawlessly inclusive to qualify for public funding. There cannot be political correctness, student fraternities, or any censorship of ideas or expression on campus. Universities have become bastions of bigotry.

The socialist policy of making the rich pay is so hoary with age, and discredited Mr. Singh should be embarrassed to utter the phrase. Nations that have tried to employ the concept find that either the rich stage a coup d’état and govern as despots or relocate and pay taxes in a less hostile nation. People can relocate their assets anywhere in the world. They are not government captives.

We have an economy in shambles and a society cowering in fear of a virus. Fretting over student debt is a long way down our current “to-do” list. Singh is badly out of touch.