Ross: Donald Trump Jr. aligns with China on education policy
Aug 31, 2022, 7:38 AM

Donald Trump Jr.speaks during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit held at the Tampa Convention Center (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
The latest critic of student loan forgiveness is Donald Trump Jr., who called it 鈥渋nsane and disgusting” that 鈥渢housands of Harvard Law grads need hard-working blue-collar workers to help them pay off their loans for them.鈥
He also said the reason for all the student debt is because left-wing 鈥渦niversities keep on raising tuition while graduating kids with worthless degrees.鈥
I know it鈥檚 reassuring to blue-collar workers that Don Jr. has their back, and I don鈥檛 doubt his sincerity, but when you talk about 鈥渨orthless degrees,鈥 what exactly are you saying?
Obviously, some degrees open more doors than others. But where does that argument lead us?
I鈥檒l tell you: the implication is that someone other than the student should be choosing the course of study.
Are we OK with that?
Some countries do it that way:
Years ago I spent three weeks in China, escorted by a student who explained that in his country, you took a government exam that determined what you were good at, and the government then assigned you to the appropriate school. His talent was for languages 鈥 so he became an escort for foreigners.
If Americans are making dumb decisions about their careers, maybe Don Jr. would prefer that the government choose which academic fields are loan-worthy. That鈥檚 what it sounds like to me.
But no one ever comes out and says that.
And as for the claim that the cost of these forgiven loans is going to fall on 鈥渨orking-class taxpayers.鈥
There’s another meaningless statement.
Sooner or later the cost of everything falls on taxpayers: Student loans, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the border wall, and the clean-up after January 6th. Taxes pay it all.
And yet I keep seeing these claims that student loan forgiveness will 鈥渃ost the average taxpayer $2,000.鈥 What does that mean?
I鈥檒l tell you what it doesn’t mean 鈥 it doesn’t mean that the average taxpayer or any taxpayer is going to get a bill for $2,000.
No one is going to get a bill from the government for $2,000 to pay for someone else鈥檚 student loan.
Your tax rate doesn’t change unless Congress changes it.
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