How do you see how many people have put you on ignore?

Student Loan Question

I am hoping DU can help me sort through something. My husband still has student loan debt from his Doctorate. Someone told us if he taught at a public institution for 10 years it could be forgiven, is that true? He has taught for 15 years now. I cannot find anything online about it and Sallie Mae is not at all helpful, as usual. We don't have a lot left, but it would make a huge difference in our financial life if it the last 5 years of it were gone. With my health issues, and no raises it is getting pretty tight here.

I don't want to seem ungrateful, we know we have been blessed to have jobs and be able to help our elderly parents when things got tight but it just seems like we are getting squeezed even tighter than we were when we were helping pay a nursing home bill.....

Any help would be appreciated!

Former Indiana School Super manipulated charter school grade to help GOP donor

Tony Bennett the former head of Indiana schools worked to maniplate the grade of a charter school owned by a large GOP Donor. Bennett is now in the same position in Florida.

The story is in today's Lafayette Journal and Courier

www.jconline.com

Fair hiring question

A good friend of mine is applying at a major University. She had an automobile accident a number of years ago and has rods and screws in her back and cannot lift over 20 pounds per her doctor. When looking at the University positions posted (over 100) every single one from a receptionist to a cart driver has a note that they must be able to live 25 pounds or they are not qualified.

I worked there for a long time with a back issue and it never seemed to bother anyone that I could not lift that much.

Does this sound like some type of institutional discrimination against anyone with a disability? Or are they trying to keep their health costs down by not hiring anyone with a back issue?

Can anyone beat Aaron Stiles?

This guy is a joke in so many ways. Who can run and beat this guy next time? When I canvassed door to door I could not find anyone who liked this guy but he won anyway....I just don't get it.

I may be away for a bit

Not that it matters that much, I haven't been here that long but. I got a call from my doctor today saying I may need another spinal surgery. I had a fusion about 4 years ago and now am experiencing serious pain that appears to be above the fusion. I REALLY do not want another surgery, it was brutal on me and the finances....but if it gives me some bit of normal function I'll go through it again.

Think of me tonight when I break the news to my husband....he won't take this well I can be certain...

The Snowdon Controversy on DU

is making me a bit uncomfortable. Rather than seeing a dialog on the issue, it is a "think like me or you aren't a true DUer".

I have never belonged to an organized political party, I've been a Democrat all my life. Am I a "true progressive", no, do I agree with every Democrat I talk to, no, but in the end, I vote in every election, state, local, school board and almost always vote straight ticket.

I think this Snowden/privacy thing is something we should be discussing, but I think there is room for both opinions on here. I have been concerned about my privacy every since the internet took off running with no real regulation on privacy issues. On the other hand, after 9/11 I knew that we would need to give up some of our privacy for national security. The debate is over how much do we give up and are we made aware of what we are giving up.

This Snowden guy makes me a little nervous, not because his GF is a pole dancer or whatever she is, that isn't the issue. What is the issue is his following of Ron Paul and his love affair with China, a place I distrust more than the Tea Party and Dick Cheney. There are lots of unanswered questions about this guy, what was his motivation, did he just want his 15 minutes of fame? Is he a nut job who just happened on to one of the biggest dividers of the Democratic party in years? I'm not sure why he makes me nervous he just does.

I've posted before about this and I beat myself up for being to "in your face" with it. Now seeing how people I respect on DU are going after each other it worries me for the party at large. 2014 is huge for us as a party, if a bunch of Democrats stay home or vote Republican over this we could lose big.

If all of this stuff is over an issue this complex I may not belong here. I like having policy discussions with people who have another opinion, sometimes you can learn something in the process.

Am I the only one who thinks the Republicans are having a party right now

After leaking just the right things to divide and beat the crap out of us in 2014 AND 16???? Look people, you gave up your privacy with the internet YEARS AGO!!!! Your enemy isn't Obama or the NSA orthe CIA! This stuff has been going on FOREVER!!!! It did however work beautifully to begin to destroy our party, open the door in 2014 and get that Black man out of their WHITEhouse!

Ok, start the attacks now....and then get ready for President Cruz with a Republican House and Senate!

Please Remember Oklahoma City

Today Oklahoma City gathers to run the Memorial Marathon in remembrance of the 168 souls that were lost on April 19, 1995 including 19 children. After all these years it still feels like an open wound to think any human being could drive a truck full of explosives up to a building, park it in front of the day care center full of children and detonate that bomb.

This was home grown. I remember hearing all the "get the towel head" comments and then the shock when we found out the bomber looked like the kid next door. It was frightening and forever changed the way I saw the United States.

We have more people like Tim McVeigh than we had then, they are everywhere, arming themselves, planning overthrow of our great country. We must be forever vigilant.

May the victims rest forever in peace...

Mental instability plus a diet of Fox News

equals something awful. If someone is already unbalanced and sits all day watching Fox how could they not become angry in a bad way. I guess I'm thinking of the guy who sent the ricin to Obama.