Harvard, anyone?

 I have been listening and reading rather a bit about the two higher ed cases that the Supreme Court decided this term and that were revealed last week. 

Not being a legal expert, I'll keep my commentary short, although I'm mildly in favor of one (end of affirmative action) and wildly in favor of the second (no loan transfer/forgiveness).

Affirmative action had its place at one time but it seems to be far less needed, if at all, now.  The thing is, the media all talk like the only colleges in the country are the Ivy Leagues and a few public Ivys like UNC, Michigan, and UC. The vast majority of college students have absolutely no connection to these institutions but will get wonderful, life-long, life-altering educations anyway. Why does the argument seem to be "if a person of such and such group can't get into Harvard...."  This is another example of elitism and cluelessness in journalism media and "thought-makers." 

The loan forgiveness issue overlaps somewhat, in that the assumption is that unless a student has access to money to pay for whichever institution he/she wants to attend, then equity is lacking.  That's bizarre. Just about everyone in most of the country needs a car to get along. Do I need an $80,000 BMW or a $25,000 Honda? I need, maybe, the Honda; if I take out a loan for the Beemer, is it my right to expect the government to forgive my note? I can live in a $200,000 house or a $500,000 one; whose to say?

Sheesh. The loan forgiveness issue is predicated on several just plain wrong ideas:

1. that Biden had the authority to delay loan payments indefinitely, eternally, therefore in reality forgiving them (i.e., making others pay for them);

2. that college graduates have too little sense to realize that he doesn't have the authority (apparently that is the case; how can someone truly expect us to pay off their loans?);

3. that a person deserved an expensive college education (versus a less expensive one);

4. that a college education is some kind of right, rather than a personal, responsible choice;

5. that the government is everyone's sugar daddy. 

I have worked in higher education for 45 years; I could be like the Wizard of Oz: "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain." "Pay no attention to what really goes on and what you are paying and what you will get for your money."