In the US, student loans were a problem that was created starting in the 90s by cutting government funding of state colleges and legislating a way to dump a ton of dept onto students under the pretense of access. Biden’s actions are temporary bandages on the open, gaping wound that will not heal until we address the actual underlying cause.
Triage in the form of student debt forgiveness, while necessary, is not progress towards a solution.
By “surprise” I assume you mean a capital-friendly, poorly implemented solution that does not solve the underlying problem. All of your examples illustrate this.
The first black president was a war criminal who enacted a right wing agenda.
Gay marriage is likely to be overturned by our billionaire-owned, unaccountable Supreme Court.
Legal marijuana is a patchwork- the best states have inefficient and nonsensical cannabis regulations, and the worst states still have inhumane, draconian punishment.
Despite the small amount of forgiveness, the total amount of student loans owed is rising. Currently we are at a record high of $1.75 trillion in debt.
And as for universal healthcare, the number of uninsured and underinsured keeps rising. The number of deaths due to lack of access keeps rising. And there are many people, like myself, who have had their lives destroyed by medical bankruptcy. The entire system is designed to maximize profit, patient health is a secondary concern.
The way the US political system works is that it really requires solid majorities to want something.
So it will take a long time where nothing seems to happen and then suddenly big changes can happen.
I remember back in the 90s, it seemed impossible to ever get a black president, gay marriage or legal marijuana.
Or look at student loans or universal healthcare. Not perfect, but steps have been made.
So yeah, I do think the USA will lag for a long time and then suddenly surprise us all.
In the US, student loans were a problem that was created starting in the 90s by cutting government funding of state colleges and legislating a way to dump a ton of dept onto students under the pretense of access. Biden’s actions are temporary bandages on the open, gaping wound that will not heal until we address the actual underlying cause.
Triage in the form of student debt forgiveness, while necessary, is not progress towards a solution.
By “surprise” I assume you mean a capital-friendly, poorly implemented solution that does not solve the underlying problem. All of your examples illustrate this.
The first black president was a war criminal who enacted a right wing agenda.
Gay marriage is likely to be overturned by our billionaire-owned, unaccountable Supreme Court.
Legal marijuana is a patchwork- the best states have inefficient and nonsensical cannabis regulations, and the worst states still have inhumane, draconian punishment.
Despite the small amount of forgiveness, the total amount of student loans owed is rising. Currently we are at a record high of $1.75 trillion in debt.
And as for universal healthcare, the number of uninsured and underinsured keeps rising. The number of deaths due to lack of access keeps rising. And there are many people, like myself, who have had their lives destroyed by medical bankruptcy. The entire system is designed to maximize profit, patient health is a secondary concern.