Biden repeatedly acts like he is above the law. So who’s the threat to Democracy?
Biden Tries to Overrule Courts a Third Time
The Wall Street Journal reports Biden Snubs the Courts Again on Student Loan Forgiveness
‘That didn’t stop me,” President Biden declared after the Supreme Court blocked his $430 billion student loan write-off in 2023. It sure didn’t. After striking out in court with three debt forgiveness schemes, the Administration on Friday unveiled another. Take that, judges.
The Education Department says its proposed rule would authorize forgiveness for some eight million borrowers experiencing “hardship.” Under the rule, the department can discharge debt if it calculates a borrower has an 80% likelihood of defaulting on payments within the subsequent two years based on 17 factors such as income, debt balances and assets.
The rule would effectively let the department forgive debt of any borrower any time it wants. The administration says high child-care costs could qualify as a hardship. How about high auto loan or credit-card payments? Did someone say moral hazard?
In April the department released a plan that cancels accrued interest for 25 million borrowers and forgives debt of those who entered repayment over 20 years ago or who “enrolled in low-financial-value programs”—meaning, forprofit colleges. The plan also promised to waive debt for borrowers with a “hardship.”
A federal court last month blocked that plan, but the department says its new rule “would operate separately and distinctly.” Courts are playing whack-a-mole with the Administration’s debt write-offs that end-run Congress, which never authorized such broad-based debt forgiveness.
Such lawlessness is one reason so many Americans discount the left’s assertions that Donald Trump endangers democracy. Mr. Biden acts like he’s king, and Democrats and media voices cheering him on have no standing to object if Mr. Trump follows the Biden precedent.
Queen Harris
Please recall that when Harris was asked what she would have done differently than Biden, she could not come up with a single thing.
She supports Biden’s energy policy to ban gasoline engines, Biden’s immigration policy, the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare for All, and student loan forgiveness.
She lied about supporting fracking, backed off that, and now the lie is back on again.
The NYT Has Another Great Poll for Trump
If you missed it, please see The NYT Has Another Great Poll for Trump, Tipping Point is Immigration
In yet another display of momentum for Trump, the New York Times has Trump tied nationally.
On October 21, I commented October 21: In California, Harris Is Down 21 Percentage Points With Latinos vs 2020
And while the The Immigrant Crime Spree is Real, Not Imaginary, Thank Harris and Biden that’s not really what the backlash against immigration is really about.
If people were not struggling with shelter, food, insurance, etc., they would not be so upset with immigration.
The backlash against immigration is really a backlash against inflation and the economy. That is what’s behind the shift towards Trump.
And it’s why this election is not the tossup everyone says it is.
Finally, Trump is Trump, but Harris is nothing but Biden with a very annoying laugh.
CORRECTION: No matter how hard these 2 clowns try, they CAN’T turn crap into clay! They’re not higher than anything or anyone, but they’re high on something!
No matter how hard these 2 clowns try, they turn crap into clay! They’re not higher than anything or anyone, but they’re high on something!
I am committed to an expensive champagne and caviar subscription.
Please forgive my other debts.
Thank You.
The Student loan forgiveness scheme is a total fraud aimed at getting EVERYONE in debt. This was made apparent in changes to the FAFSA student aid form this year. Those of us who pay straight up cash for our kid’s college are the target of this scheme. Until the FAFSA change, the DOE required colleges to split the cost if a family had two or more kids in college. That way, they wouldn’t be overburdened with debt. But NO MORE.
The new regs make families pay full price for two or more kids, FORCING people like us into loans since we can’t swing the whole amount. Brandon’s scheme guarantees the banks plenty of profit since student loan forgiveness is only for older loans, long after the halfway mark on amortization. Forcing people like me into taking out loans ups their profit margins, since I’m a new [unwilling] customer among many thousands more.
This evil scam is just One more major reason to vote for Orange Man Bad.
Another super-strange conspiracy theory! Let me get this straight:
You voluntarily had two (or more) kids. You voluntarily choose to send all your kids to college (to benefit their own lives). You don’t have enough of your own money to pay for your own kids’ actual tuition (at the specific college you all choose). And you refuse to take out personal loans or a second mortgage on your own home to pay for this tuition. Or make your kids work beforehand to pay for their own schooling.
And then when your fellow citizens fund government loan programs (at subsidized rates) to help you pay for all these personal decisions, you are convinced it’s a FRAUD and you are being FORCED into using these taxpayer-funded loans.
WOW! You both don’t understand economic theory/consequences and are delusional. I can’t wait to see the brow-beating you should get from libertarians on this site. Going for my popcorn now.
Yeah…Yeah…now I get it, HubrisEWO!!! we are responsible for what we do we do voluntarily!
Personal responsibility for personal decisions – what a concept!
How does that square with the socialist government we now have dictating social (read: taxpayer) responsibility for the government mandates on our lives, for example…
It’s hard to cry personal responsibility when government determinism has removed (or influenced) personal decision-making to such a monstrous degree!
I think VeldesX’s point was to say that they could manage paying for college without taking out loans until FAFSA rules changes which impacted the current school year. So there is a direct connection to the current Administration and a policy change.
BTW, FedGov rolled out a new and better FAFSA website late last year. It was way behind schedule and didn’t function properly for several months (I know, shocking for a government program, right?!?) and parents and colleges/universities were scrambling and adjusting application and acceptance deadlines.
Fair enough that government policies come with costs; I agree with you. That’s why some people want a lot of government policies/regulations and some want little/none – different preferences and cost aversions. Who knew people were different?
But you’re incorrect with your understanding of VeldesX’s comment. He specifically said “The new regs make families pay full price for two or more kids, FORCING people like us into loans since we can’t swing the whole amount.” He did not pay FULL price before this FAFSA change (for his own kid’s decisions) and hates it now that someone is making him paying full price.
I’m tired of people trying to have it both ways. If VeldesX does not want government ‘fraud’ or being ‘forced’ into programs, quit taking advantage of those same/similar programs (at others’ cost). Otherwise, say thank you to your fellow citizens for the handout and quit bitching online that you actually have to pay more now to take part in a social subsidy.
I think the way VeldesX spells it out sounds exactly as you say HEWO-but what VX might really be expressing is the feeling of getting screwed in another transfer of wealth/ attempts by liberals to clip the wings of hard working people who “made it” or “saved it” -Those who can “afford to pay” based on DOE / Fin Aid standards aren’t all zillionaires- many will be forced to use a significant portion of their savings to fund kids college -the reality is there are many ways for these kids to go to college w/o draining parents savings- perhaps a community college for 2 years? maybe ROTC ? maybe in state tuition where that is offered ? The problem is that all of this disrupts the program of the upper mid class parental validation system. It all gets thrown off when Mom &Dad have to say in hushed tones “Oh yeah our kid is going to local community college 2 years then to state school” easier to say “we are losers and kid going to LoserU” – can’t really fly the Com College flag across street from all ur neighbors flying their ivy league flags !
The whole system is facocktah. The “ability to full pay” cohort of parents is the most “vulnerable” as their choices come w/ cost and consequences both socially and financially. If you don’t want to blow your savings on ur kids college then go alt routes or go all in and STFU.
All that said Uncle Joe should not be forgiving student loans or picking winners and losers. The college loan game is just another example. If the borrowers were misled into fraudulent loans then get a class action suit and go to court – put it on the banks who issued the loans not the taxpayers.
note to parents out there – kids who work their way through college (not at Daddy’s bank or hedge fund) are in high demand when they graduate- (although I guess one cld also argue the ones who work their way through at Daddy’s bank or hedge fund are also in high demand … but that’s a game as old as time lol)
somewhat irrelevant but electricians and plumbers work multiple years as apprentices in order to get full lis- there is a cost
Notice that Democrats are not up in arms over the autocracy of it? Democrats love autocracy when it benefits them. Democrats claiming that no one is above the law, is a Democrat Party political fraud. Democrats, such as Hillary and Kerry, promote censorship. Censorship is a threat to democracy, thus the Democrats are a threat to democracy.
Totally agree, except MAGA believes the same. It’s the extreme 10% on both sides that’s the enemy of the rest of us, and both took over the two-party system the founders warned us about.
I know I’m wasting my breath on you, but maybe for some of Mish’s other readers…
I’ve said this before here, but you can tell from comments that so many responders don’t know (or respect) the law.
It’s actually quite common in the US for individuals, businesses and even Presidents to go to courts multiple times for what they seek based upon previous rulings. Ex – “You can’t do that for this one particular legal reason, so we find for the other side …” Biden believes he has executive authority to address/eliminate the student debt for SOME particular people (he has not tried individually to discharge ALL student debt). The Judicial Court system (to date) has rebuffed those Presidential attempts, and he goes back with a legally differentiated strategy. All perfectly legal, even if you don’t agree with the premise (kinda like Trump stiffing so many contractors and regular American workers in the past when his companies legally claimed bankruptcy).
What Biden is doing is not autocratic. He makes a legal claim, and then removes the loan forgiveness requested when the Supreme Court says so. What is autocratic is legally losing an election and encouraging your followers to disrupt the legal certification through physical means (a la Jan. 6). What is autocratic is legally seeking redress for your question of election results, and then repeatedly lying about it and seeking retribution on “the enemy within” that disagrees with you, when different judicial courts across the US legally find no real actual evidence of election fraud.
I don’t see how forgiveness of the debt issued by the Federal student loan program since the nationalization in 2010 would be possible without a very complicated act of Congress.
The paper is an increasingly important source of revenue for the Federal Government.
Our bodies, ourselves. But our student loan debts are the TAXPAYER’S problem.
How much of the debt involved moving their bodies on travel overseas to such pricey and exotic locations like New Zealund?
I know of one such case first hand. The individual counted on working the public service program to pay off the debt. Otherwise, she was debt-free since generous parents paid tuition, room, and board all the way through a first Masters.
She’s currently working on a second.
thats deep. Really. Good one.
Replacing the income tax with tariffs sounds better every day.
The IRS agents hired by the Inflation Reduction Act can be assigned to the border patrol or find opportunities in the private sector.
And yet the root of the problem ( not allowing student debt to be discharged in bankruptcy ) never gets discussed.
Discharge of the debt is possible through the Borrower Defense mechanism written into the Federal student loan program, but widescale exercise of that option would potentially impugn the reputations of many hallowed institutions of higher learning so TPTB have sought wide scale forgiveness instead.
Within limits, of course. Blanket forgiveness would eliminate the indentured servitude that the more lucrative medical professions have become.
Borrower Defense is a joke. Student debt should be dischargable like nearly every other debt, with some provisions like a look-back period to help avoid abuse.
Student loans should be dischargeable in bankruptcy, but only after the government has gotten out of issuing or guaranteeing student loans. Banks would then only lend to student borrowers likely to pay them back. No more student loans for poetry majors.
What you’ve discovered is the racket. This isn’t a flaw, it is by design. The government guarantees stupid unbacked debt (student loans) so the banks can hand loans out that have no risk. The universities get to charge more and more for their crappy service. All the elites (politicians, universities, and banks) get free money, and the people (students, tax payers) get the bill in artificial debt serfdom.
Government backing student loans should be illegal. All of the student loans should be discharged and the bankers can all jump. College can be priced sanely without this student loan bubble pushing up prices.
Which Biden voted for as a senator from Delaware. Wonder if there is any connection?
Yes in HSBC’s pocket I believe. So he’s somewhat responsible for the student debt problem and the incarceration of African Americans with his crime bill.
I don’t like the whole student loan business, but the lawlessness that Trump is promising is in a different class. That said, I am still optimistic that the women will save democracy on November 5.
Which “lawlessness” is Trump proposing? I certainly don’t want to vote for a candidate that will knowingly and repeatedly violate the law by not securing the border, allowing Homeland Security to lose track of over 300,000 unaccompanied children, to repeatedly lie to the American Public about Hunter’s laptop of chronologically logged criminal conduct, knowingly allow over 600,000 primally convicted illegal aliens to enter and stay in the country (over 13,000 of which were convicted murderers), etc, etc..
I really want to be informed so I can make sure I vote for the right candidate!
Yep, if you believe all these MAGA lies, Trump is indeed the right candidate for you. He will also sell you incredibly cheap sneakers and bibles.
They aren’t lies. The FBI confirmed the Hunter laptop was legitimate. It was CBS’s Leslie Stahl that lied that the laptop couldn’t be confirmed, “because it can’t.” CBS News lied.
We’re so sorry Uncle Albert. But we haven’t cast a bloody vote for Harris all day.
Hopefully the women will save me from the Big Bad Orange Man.
Sounds life a typical male Democrat
Democrats cannot save democracy, when they support censorship. Democracy dies in the darkness of censorship.
I am tired of hearing about vaginas.
Shirley, you can’t be serious. Haha!
The idea that even 40% of voters want to elect Kamala and are voting democrat is preposterous unless the rigged system wants you to believe that either by fake polls and eventually by fake votes
It’s exactly this sort of end around nonsense, that shows us All, just how this Parties Leaders behave. Pander, Block, Disregard, Dictate, and even decry when felt needed. The funding will need to dry up for it to stop, but they have mounds of it. The Colleges have mounds of it, and the families have small mounds of it as well. It’s disgusting quite frankly IMO…
So why not impeach him for this then instead of chasing the will geese that he accepts bribes? What a joke.
Considering his term ends in 3 months as and he has been for months on effective leave at his beachhouse then what purpose would impeaching him achieve? A better solution is for the Supremes to declare any such middle finger actions of contempt to the courts rulings as contempt of court and with penalties including fines, disbarment, court costs to be paid by the individuals ( not the taxpayers) and liability both jointly and individually for any debts that are illegally discharged. That puts every member of the Admin liable for possibly billions of debt with seizure of their homes, investments, government pensions etc.
The government already offers programs to work off student loans. It’s called enlisting in the armed services.
Risk your life to defend Tel Aviv? F that. Better to pay off your own student loans.
You can defend Italy, I heard they have a spot open after Walz resigned…
Free tuition, even paying off student loans for potential officers was the main recruiting tool in the 90’s. There were no recruiting shortages and the quality of recruits was high.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The architects that built up the military after the low point of Vietnam slowly started to ride off into the sunset.
What replaced them? You’re looking at it. A large group of liars and sycophants who have no loyalty to anyone but themselves. They know paying off student loans hurts their recruiting but coward away from the topic entirely.
Who would want to join the military and put yourself at the disposal of the likes of Anthony Blinken and Jake Sullivan? If no one joined, we’d be in danger of peace breaking out.
This obsequious military worship has got to stop. Make the fuckers board the plane with everyone else.
Good article, Mish. We really can’t remove these deranged goons from power fast enough. So many things to fix, halt and reverse.
TRUMP 2024
Public Service Loan Forgiveness program…
“The program was created by Congress in 2007 but was plagued with administrative problems before Biden took office.”
Quote from:
“How Biden is continuing to cancel student loan debt despite Supreme Court ruling”
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/22/politics/biden-student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court/index.html
All this brazen bribery will do is motivate working class voters who aren’t getting free money to make sure they vote.
Let’s hope so!
It’s Taxpayers money after all, so not truly free, or deserved…
Nothing is forgiven. The loan still has to be paid and they will pay it through inflation. Fine with me. Inflation is far more damaging to the lower tiers. I firmly believe the draft will be implemented before 2030. That will be the student loan repayment method. Straight to the frontline in eastern Europe. Debt paid.
They can’t even get a good chunk of the able people in Ukraine to fight now, by the reports I have read. We can’t even get many of them to sign up here either. In fact a draft of sorts has been floating in the wind. No sail attached yet to see, well you know…
How will a draft work when women are not subject to the draft and men can pull a Ladyballers and call themselves women? The Dems would have to come out and either declare that there are only 2 genders and you can’t change them or that the draft will apply to all genders. Either option wold lose the Dems millions of votes and for the Repubs the only ones in favour of the draft are the neocons. Trump hates the neocons and his Admin will likely be filled with people with military experience like Vance and Tulsi who also hate the neocons. Come 2028 to 2036 the most likely president will be Vance.
– How will a draft work when women are not subject to the draft?
> Are You suggesting that they should be?
– men can pull a Ladyballers and call themselves women?
> Got Junk, it gets removed immediately. No Junk, you can take a test. Pass the required testosterone level to participate, then “Sally Can Play” but “If Not” then Sally goes back to Sam as far as being able to participate. Not!
– Come 2028 to 2036 the most likely president will be Vance.
> Not sure how that was even remotely conjured up, by what’s been discussed, but I might be OK with that, but we will wait and see in this seat.
One step at a time…
Oh, women would be included in any future draft.
After Bibi spanked the paper tiger the fear of regime change in Iran might force the 85Y Ayatollah to cut his losses and change directions, before resigning due to health issues. Iran’s president wants to focus on the economy and to improve relationship with the west and especially the US, bc the combination of Trump/Bibi is more threatening than Kamala Harris/Bibi. In the next 90 days, until Jan 20, Biden might sign a ME ceasefire.
All Bibi spanked was the monkey.
Her voice is annoying
These are Biden’s actions, not the VP’s.
I await her disavowing it…
She’s repeatedly said she wouldn’t change a thing about his policies. Hence she’s 100% committed to it.
Who is the woman in the picture?
That’s not Harris.
Looks like an AI generated image. Mish mentioned in another post a few days ago he’s used AI to create some images for his blog.
Probably asked for an image of Joe and Kamala in king/queen robes on royal throne type chairs and this is what it generated.
Hardcoded feature of Google Gemini.
If Kamala looked like that… even I might vote for her!
Artificial Attractiveness (AA)
LOVE IT He thinks hes on a never ending vcr tape of Saturday Night Live Episodes And hes the star LMFAO President Trump, America’s History Buff, explains to Joe Rogan that President Lincoln was very depressed because he lost his beloved son, Tad. Thomas “Tad” Lincoln died 6 years after Lincoln’s death.
He may have been referring to Willie.
That’s, like, only your opinion, man.
She’s not only Biden with an annoying laugh. She also wants 8 years of it.
This nonsense of end running the courts on the same thing repeatedly needs to stop. Not just for this but for all such things. Once you end run twice on the same thing and fail, that should qualify as grounds for impeachment under disobeying court orders.
Lame ducks try to run things through at the last minute.
Remember Trump and his pardons, lol?
Almost every presidents issue pardons at the end of thrir terms. Issuing a pardon is a far cry from buying votes and saddling the taxpayer with billions of dollars of deficit and debt.
Pardons are in fact things that the President can do and are part of the duties of the office.
If you think Trump issued a lot (200ish in 4 years) check out Obama who issued 1900ish in 8 years.
@Flavia:
U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 2:
The President … shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.
——————-
Show us where the President has Constitutional authority to repeatedly flout Supreme Court rulings regarding student loans?
For that matter, please show us where any part of the U.S. Government has any power to fund or finance student loans?
In 2010, Congress passed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act.
Title II of this bill established that the Dept. of Education would loan funds directly to students.
Prior Congresses had passed bills that permitted Federal subsidies to banks, for the purpose of providing low-interest student loans.
The 2010 bill ended these subsidies to banks, and set up the direct loan program.
Yes, and where is the Constitutional authority for either a federal Department of Education, or that particular loan program?
For Constitution-level research – you’re gonna have to do that yourself, jack.
There is none. Education is a state and local program.
The President is trying different strategies, to see what might get past the Court. Nothing improper about that.
The Court will just say no. Again.
Wasting court time that would be better spent on the hundreds of other cases that are scheduled or on the cases that the Supremes should take up but decline as they can only handle so many in the roster.
The Court is going to miss sparring with Biden.
They’ll prob have their hands full with Trump this time. Some of his campaign promises sound vaguely unconstitutional.
And will he take a “no” from a Court he mostly appointed.
Every D and R president signs scores of pardons in their final days before the next president is sworn in. Many are justified and some are not, plus it doesn’t cost the taxpayers millions let alone billions as debt cancelling does.
If she pays off my mortgage I’ll vote for her, otherwise it’s Trump all the way.
Get what you know or a fake. You nailed it MISH.