Don’t Garnish Social Security to Pay Student Loan Debt! (E action)

[Omaha Steve]

Sign at link.

http://www.signherenow.org/dont-garnish-social-security/ssw/

Americans used to be able to get a college degree without going into debt. But politicians dismantled that debt-free college system, and the burden is now so heavy that student loan debt follows people to their graves.

Today, over 700,000 people relying on Social Security are still paying their student loans. Over 160,000 Social Security beneficiaries have their monthly checks garnished to pay off federal student loans.

Until 1996 it was against the law to garnish Social Security benefits to pay debts, but that protection was stripped for debts owed to the federal government.

But we can fix this. It doesn’t even require an act of Congress. The Department of Education can declare a moratorium on garnishing Social Security benefits for student debt. We can make this happen -- and bring relief to the many Social Security recipients still struggling to repay their student loans.

Sponsored by:

Social Security Works
AFL-CIO
AFT
AFSCME
Alliance for Retired Americans
Campaign for America's Future
Center for Global Policy Solutions
Common Cause
Courage Campaign
CREDO
Daily Kos
Democracy for America
Demos
Justice in Aging
People For the American Way
Project Springboard
RootsAction
Student Debt Crisis
The Nation
The Other 98%
The Zero Hour

[Faux pas]

1. Signed!

[yeoman6987]

5. Aren't senior the ones that went to college very cheap?

My grandmother paid 15 dollars a semester and 3 dollars for books. I can't imagine that she would y have paid this off by now. I'll have to ask her. Something is strange with this article. And we want to go back to this?

[Thav]

6. Some probably got caught up in "retraining"

They had to go back to school to "retrain" for new careers that didn't pan out or last very long. So they're out of work and in lots of debt.

[yeoman6987]

7. Well even if that is the case,

The new program whatever it ends up will not pay for more then one degree per level I am sure of that. The rules and regulations for free college will be strict I am positive of that. So many may be in this position anyway.

[dsc]

8. Not everyone on SS is old

some are disabled and they are being garnished as well.

[yeoman6987]

9. Very good point!

[Quackers]

2. I almost signed it

I believe it is what should happen, but I'm not sure about them giving my info to all of these groups. It makes me wonder if they're piggy-backing on a good cause just to drum up some contact info to market. Am I wrong?

Note: This petition is sponsored by AFL-CIO, AFT, AFSCME, Alliance for Retired Americans, Campaign for America's Future, Center for Global Policy Solutions, Common Cause, Courage Campaign, CREDO, Daily Kos, Democracy for America, Demos, Justice in Aging, People For the American Way, Project Springboard, RootsAction, Social Security Works, Student Debt Crisis, The Nation, The Other 98%, and The Zero Hour. By signing, you may receive emails from one or more of these sponsors updating you on the progress of this campaign and other important projects. (You may, of course, unsubscribe at any time.)

[Omaha Steve]

4. You don't have an e address for these situation

G mail, hotmail, second address from your net provider etc?

A valid point though.

[lumberjack_jeff]

3. Why are student loans being repaid with SS benefits?

Student loans are justified on the basis that they increase earning potential such that repaying the loan plus interest is economically rational and viable.

A student loan being repaid with SS benefits is a loan that should have been denied. The loan was sold on a bullshit premise to exploit a student's insecurity.

A home mortgage has three main advantages;
a) it is dischargable via bankruptcy
b) it is secured by something tangible
c) it is accompanied by due diligence from the lender (i.e. an appraisal)

[Igel]

11. Typically they're old loans.

In default until SS monies are available.

To not garnish would be in violation of the law. Then again, not enforcing laws that are deemed undesirable used to be a bad thing; now it's a moral imperative. It gives the executive the power of the legislative. Instead of it being a unitary executive, meaning a single source of all executive power, it's sort of a super-unitary executive, uniting the powers of the executive (the Constitution invests the president with all executive power) with much of the legislative and judiciary.

[smirkymonkey]

10. Signed and Kicked!