Should students be forgiven their debt?(yes another copyposta)

AW-

Children (be them retarded or not) are actual living beings, and we have an obligation to support them until they can support themselves. In the case of people with retardation, this may be their entire lives.

Industries are not living beings. We have no such obligation to them.

The employees of industries are living beings, and we have an obligation to temporarily help them get back on their feet to support themselves.

Unless we find something we are good at, our collective standard of living must fall.

That's great in the broad, philosophical sense, but not as helpful when dealing with shorter-term, real world problems.

Short term policy changes and long term industry goals are not mutually exclusive.

Humanity is going to continue buying cars. Someone will make these cars and sell them.

We could enact policies that help bolster our auto industry, or we could let the industry die with nothing to replace it.

Health care is one of the single biggest issues preventing us from being more competitive globally, but you don't want to hear about it.

AW-

Protectionism "works", but the benefits that could be gained from free trade are lost.

So, while you may achieve full employment, the country as a whole is able to consume less goods and services.

...we could not support our present collective standard of living under a protectionist state.

BG-

Humanity is going to continue buying cars. Someone will make these cars and sell them.

We could enact policies that help bolster our auto industry, or we could let the industry die with nothing to replace it.

I'm glad you do not believe it has to be us who produces the cars. Let's continue to export the production to some place with lower production costs.

I am not certain that the US will ever (in our lifetimes) have the prosperity we once had. It was a great run. Until US wages fall, let's preserve our assets, and see if we can own the companies that produce overseas. I am not a nationalist who has any attachment to this country or its people; let's do this in the most efficient manner.

Health care is one of the single biggest issues preventing us from being more competitive globally, but you don't want to hear about it.

I've very interested in it. Please implement health care, and if you are correct, I will locate a plant here.

AW-

We are still on the topic of industries and people taking control of their own destinies.

I thought Tate shot down the Student Loan forgiveness bill pretty well. ....it would create all of the wrong incentives.

Most reactionaries on the left and the right ---basically anyone without a solid economics education--- believes in nationalism and feels threatened by free trade.

Even when such characters get control of a nation, the world continues without their participation.

In order to avoid saying "we want to be paid more to do the job" they usually state that the other nation is exploiting their workers, polluting the earth, yada yada yada.

They are (of course) correct, but they can rarely do anything to stop the ugly overseas conditions....

Until everyone has the same lot in life, me might not be able to be as wealthy as we are.

I am advocating we should have less privileges, less wealth.

I am a very mean, depressing "fairy".

Until everyone has the same lot in life, we might not be able to be have the standard of living we presently enjoy.

How is that fanciful?

In a fair world, there would be no country that could achieve the obscenely high median, mean or mode income that the United States maintains for its residents.

I advocate for reducing the income and the standard of living, and believe the best way to go about this is free trade, not war or revolution.

Do you imagine that I wish to continue the current disparities, wherein most of the world lives off less than $500 a month and has no access to clean water?

If so, you are not correct. I imagine a world in which one's standard of living is more closely correlated to their potential to produce goods and services on a global scale.

I'm ready to live where I deserve: Likely in cinderblock hut, with a tin roof.

Are you? Think Global.

The world has many problems, and I have never stated that free trade is "the best solution to the world's problems".

I do, however, believe that it is a better solution in our current world than protectionism. I believe that we must balance our trade policies with concepts of human rights. I believe that US will lose in the deal if most other countries are practicing more protectionism than we are. ...we can't, and should not "go first" into free trade.

Based on my perception of the world, I think it is time for the US to embrace free trade "more".

Moving on to NAFTA, yes, I believe it has achieved what I seek:

-It has allowed the participating countries to make net gains in the quality and quantity of goods and services they consume.

-It has caused the wages and employment of many Americans to gradually fall toward those of the other countries participating. This has lowered the pressure on poor people in other nations to immigrate here, and hopefully prevented a sudden drop in US wages in the future.

-It has (as one might expect) caused the wage and employment rates of other countries to rise. This has improved their standard of living and to less exodus to the US.

-It has caused people to innovate and cut costs to compete.

While not a goal, it has caused many people to go through very difficult periods. Some are now in poverty for the first times in their lives. It is painful to watch, and while their pain can be eased, the collective pain and suffering we must go thru as a country can not be prevented or ultimately avoided.

I am not a patriot. I do not understand those who are. Others may share my opinions, but often do so for radically different reasons than mine. For example, they often pursue my goals because it will allow them to advance their self-interests.

Unless a country (or individual worker) has a set of goods and services that is consistently in demand, I believe we are often collectively better off if they do not have a steady income. Some refer to it as chaos, but I prefer to think of it as an environment that rewards adaptation, saving and innovation.

If we are unable to embrace free trade, I would endorse opening the borders of the US to lower our wages. The well being of other countries would be increased thru overseas remittances.

One. world.