Board 8 > I guess I've sold out on my principles

(+) Yeah! (+)

And the price? $10,000 in student aid relief.

I once held onto my principles. Long story short, I suffered needlessly and there wasn't any benefit to anybody. This time, I think it's wrong that people who paid their debts or didn't attend college will be on the hook, but I can't justify paying an extra $10k when something like this is on the table. I worked at McDonald's to pay off $8,000 of a massive debt, giving up weekends and some evenings to make burgers, but I can't stand the idea of doing that again. This would make it far easier to pay off a few more groups in far less time. Does this make me a bad person?

As someone who has fully paid their loans as has my wife, I'm totally fine with being on the hook for this.

Help the people who need it more, we'll be fine.

My wife and I paid our schooling off and we would love for something like this to be offered in Canada. Would have made our lives way easier and I hope it makes others lives easier. Ain't nothing wrong with accepting help.

I don't have student debt, because my parents were willing and able to pay my full tuition. This is a complete accident of birth on my part, and I see no reason why other people should be punished for having gotten worse starts. I, too, am totally fine with being on the hook for this.

It'll definitely help me out, because after the last 7 years of working to pay off my student loans they're still nowhere near paid off because the system in itself is a trap

So I'm glad this should help me actually pay the loans off but I still hope for a lot more for people that are in even deeper than I am

Maniac64 posted...

As someone who has fully paid their loans as has my wife, I'm totally fine with being on the hook for this.

Help the people who need it more, we'll be fine.

Yep, agreed. We paid off our debts and have gotten to enjoy years of not having to stress about them.

It doesn't bother me in the slightest if people get their debts forgiven, and I'm glad it's happening. If anything, I want to see more of it.

No reason to feel guilty about taking it; you individually rejecting the forgiveness is negligible compared to the total, and what you do isnt gonna affect what anybody else does. I thought the universal covid relief checks werent great policy (vs targeted aid to people actually suffering economic hardship from the pandemic which was imo totally warranted), but I didnt feel a need to give away the money or anything.

I would, however, caution that there is some risk that the forgiveness is declared an unconstitutional use of presidential power (if anybody can overcome the barrier of having standing to sue over it).

You are certainly a worse person for taking the money. But how much worse? The computer you typed your post on was built on the backs of thousands of exploited people. The food and materials you use every day have ravaged millions of acres of Earth, including the wildlife that used to live there. The society that supports your life runs on completely senseless, endless war. Millions hurt and dead just so you can have sugary cereal in the morning. All that stuff is FAR worse than the $10k, and you've been enjoying it for decades with no problem.

Have you seriously never thought about this before? You think you ended up where you are today, richest country in the world, without a single blemish on your soul. But now that you've taken $10,000 from a $1,500,000,000,000 government, you're a bad person. Even children are more introspective than this.

Bad person but not for the reason you want.

Leafeon13N posted...

Bad person but not for the reason you want.

Well, certainly for other reasons, but I wanted clarity on this point.

I would do the same thing but apparently you can't access the site from overseas which is dumb

If your principles are being disrupted by not shilling for a government that would have you die if it meant the economy could be benefited for an hour or less, then your principles are fucking stupid.

MZero posted...

I would do the same thing but apparently you can't access the site from overseas which is dumb

Couldn't you have a trusted family member like a parent do it for you? The site literally only asks for your name, social, some contact information (email, maybe phone), and you have to check a box that says you certify that you make less than $125k per year under penalty of perjury. No documentation of any kind.

The principles that you shouldn't accept aid just because everyone isn't getting some is just punishing yourself. If it bothers you that other people aren't getting aid, fight for them to get it instead.

MalcolmMasher posted...

I don't have student debt, because my parents were willing and able to pay my full tuition. This is a complete accident of birth on my part, and I see no reason why other people should be punished for having gotten worse starts. I, too, am totally fine with being on the hook for this.

Also this, my parents paid my way through college. I have no issue with people getting help. I got help. Other people will get help in the future. What's the point of being a thinking feeling species if we can't use these big damn brains to help people?

Nobody can do everything on their own. You didn't hunt the animals to make your clothes or put on your plate. You didn't comstirct your own home. Societies are about reaping rewards from the work of others on some level. If you feel bad volunteer at a hospital or something.

The idea that getting any help is bad is what the ceos want you to think while they get rich off running a company filled with the work of tons of people getting paid less.

MZero posted...

I would do the same thing but apparently you can't access the site from overseas which is dumb

get a vpn

Colegreen_c12 posted...

get a vpn

I actually have one I just forgot about it >_>

Unfortunately, I don't think I can apply now because I haven't filed taxes since 2017 and am just now realizing that I was supposed to

MZero posted...

Unfortunately, I don't think I can apply now because I haven't filed taxes since 2017 and am just now realizing that I was supposed to

Is that required for the application?

The vast majority of Americans overpay taxes automatically. Filing taxes is just so you can get your money back. So if you didn't file it's not like you owe money, you just donated to the IRS. They also have all your info in the system already. Filing doesn't provide them any new info.

I affirm that ONE of the following is true for 2020 (Jan. 1Dec. 31, 2020) or 2021 (Jan. 1Dec. 31, 2021):

• I made less than the required income to file federal taxes.
• I filed as a single tax-filer AND made less than $125,000.
• I was married, filed my taxes separately, AND made less than $125,000.
• I was married, filed my taxes jointly, AND made less than $250,000.
• I filed as a head of household AND made less than $250,000.
• I filed as a qualifying widow(er) AND made less than $250,000.

None of these are true because I didn't file, and based on my income I was apparently supposed to, even though it was foreign earned

Apply anyway. I think there's an auto-file if you're too late.

He's an expat. He owes tons of taxes. He isn't getting shit back.

Leafeon13N posted...

Bad person but not for the reason you want.

yup

KingButz posted...

He's an expat. He owes tons of taxes. He isn't getting shit back.

I think my income falls under the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion because I'm well below the threshold

Then you should be able to file for that year, although you will probably have to prepare the return yourself or pay someone to do it.

Since the deadline is Dec 31 2023 you can probably just wait a couple months and file this years taxes and apply then

Give us who paid them off a tax credit. = (

I don't have a problem with people who were trying to pay them off getting it paid for them. It's those who absolutely refused to even try to repay them getting it paid for them that irks me.

There's a difference between individual behavior and policy influence

Everyone should take advantage of this if able, even if they're intellectually opposed to the policy existing

You shouldn't feel bad for taking the $10k. But you should feel a bit silly for having the "not one dime!" principle in the first place.

You and everyone you know has been "on the hook" for creating Black Hawk helicopters and F-22 Raptors and murder drones and a million other things that are of no direct benefit to yourself or your family/friends ever since you earned your first paycheck. Meanwhile over that same period the world's biggest banks have been bailed out and some of the most successful businesses (including oil and coal companies) have received trillions in tax subsidies, while billionaires have used tax loopholes to pay even less (by % of income) than yourself.

Now there's finally an opportunity for you to be the one directly benefitting from a government policy, and you're going to get all guilty about it? This is what a government is supposed to do- collect a little bit from those who are doing well to provide help to those who are suffering, because a small dose of help might be all they need to get back on their feet (and back to driving the economy forward). In other words, exactly what you requested in your opening post. So programs like this should be receiving your full support, with zero shame attached!

where's black turtle when you need him

If you didn't become CEO of your own company by 25 with at least 300k in the bank you should feel.bad