higher education

I was a little disappointed yesterday. One of the guys from the Progressive Caucus called and we went over the new progressive budget proposal. They have a good idea built into their budget... but it only goes halfway to where we need it to go. If Republicans and conservative Democrats don't team up to kill the proposal-- which they do every two years like clockwork-- it would reduce the cost of current loans while creating a system for debt-free higher education for college students.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says he had nothing to do with having air removed from game balls.
The NFL, following an investigation, says he did. It gave him a four game suspension, which he is appealing. That four game suspension could cost him somewhere between $2 million and $4 million of his $14 million 2015 salary. If he plays well with others, doesn’t get into any more trouble, and injuries and retirement don’t stop his career before he becomes 40 years old in 2017, he will earn $31 million for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Compliments of John Kline (R-MN)Earlier today I spent some time on the phone speaking with Angie Craig, a candidate for Congress from southeast Minnesota, MN-02, which butts right up against St. Paul. The seat is currently occupied by one of the worst Members of Congress, John Kline.

Private, for-profit "colleges" have spent a great deal of money-- and they get a great deal of tax-payer money-- bribing Members of Congress to cut them some slack on their shoddy operations. Last cycle alone, for-profit education spent $1,727,926 on legalistic bribes to Members of Congress, $1,143,883 to Republicans and $582,043 to mostly conservative Democrats.

DOONESBURY     by G. B. Trudeau[Click to enlarge.]"We're capitalists, and we have to look at what the demand is, and we have to respond to the demand."-- Steven B.

John Kline's constituents are reading about their crooked congressman this weekEarlier this month we looked into the astounding legalistic bribes John Kline takes from the for-profit college industry, far more than any other Member

Last week we took a look at two revealing interviews of Elizabeth Warren, one by Bill Moyers and the other by Steve Inskeep.

The debate above on the topic: The Rich Are Taxed Enough-- Robert Reich and Mark Zandi vs Glenn Hubbard and Arthur Laffer-- took place in 2012. At its core, the question came down to whether or not the richest are paying their fair share in taxes.

The battle over refinancing student debt has been playing out-- badly-- in the Senate. Senate Republicans have filibustered Elizabeth Warren's bill so that it couldn't even be formally devoted on the floor.And in the House? Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman, John Kline, has bottled up the House version, H.R.

a whole lot of writing going on, but no more shaking . . . rattling the cages
I’ll get to the school and the yard and the fights in a minute. But . . . .
Okay, a guest on the “alternative radio show” in Portland, KBOO-FM.