Prologue

Intro

Chapter One: So…How bad is it?

Chapter Two: The Best of Intentions

Chapter Three: Take it away, Sallie Mae



Coffee Break

Chapter Four: The Tuition Death Spiral

Chapter Five: To forgive or not to forgive?

Outro

Various sources report that the Biden Administration is set to release its plan to deal with student indebtedness. Cancellation? Forgiveness? Refinance? Today’s episode covers the spirited debate surrounding student loan forgiveness and the structural issues that plague the American system of higher education. We cover the history of student loans and how perverse incentives, corporate greed and colleges with endless appetites for growth created a juggernaut of debt and bureaucracy no amount of forgiveness can fix. And, we build a case for policy measures that can restore some balance in the system.

Chapters

Prologue: 00:01:25

Intro: 00:03:08

Chapter One: So…How bad is it? 00:04:07

Chapter Two: The Best of Intentions: 00:13:02

Chapter Three: Take it away, Sallie Mae: 00:20:36

Coffee Break: 00:29:49

Chapter Four: The Tuition Death Spiral: 00:30:31

Chapter Five: To forgive or not to forgive? 00:35:25

Post Show Musings: 00:47:05

Outro: 01:09:07

Resources

The Atlantic: Who Really Benefits From Student-Loan Forgiveness?

Education Data Initiative: Student Loan Debt by Race

Sallie Mae: Annual Report

Sallie Mae: Proxy Satement

The New York Times: Student Debt Is Crushing. Canceling It for Everyone Is Still a Bad Idea.

Brookings: Student loan forgiveness is regressive whether measured by income, education, or wealth

Jacobin: On Student Debt Forgiveness, Joe Biden Is Pushing Stringent Means-Testing Yet Again

Federal Student Aid: Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Book Love

Josh Mitchell: The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe

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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

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Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week.

Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by debt and distributed by BlackRock.

Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’

Various sources report that the Biden Administration is set to release its plan to deal with student indebtedness. Cancellation? Forgiveness? Refinance? Today’s episode covers the spirited debate surrounding student loan forgiveness and the structural issues that plague the American system of higher education. We cover the history of student loans and how perverse incentives, corporate greed and colleges with endless appetites for growth created a juggernaut of debt and bureaucracy no amount of forgiveness can fix. And, we build a case for policy measures that can restore some balance in the system.
Chapters
Prologue: 00:01:25
Intro: 00:03:08
Chapter One: So…How bad is it? 00:04:07
Chapter Two: The Best of Intentions: 00:13:02
Chapter Three: Take it away, Sallie Mae: 00:20:36
Coffee Break: 00:29:49
Chapter Four: The Tuition Death Spiral: 00:30:31
Chapter Five: To forgive or not to forgive? 00:35:25
Post Show Musings: 00:47:05
Outro: 01:09:07
Resources
The Atlantic: <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/04/should-biden-forgive-student-loan-debt/629700/">Who Really Benefits From Student-Loan Forgiveness?</a>
Education Data Initiative: <a href="https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-by-race">Student Loan Debt by Race</a>
Sallie Mae: <a href="https://www.salliemae.com/content/dam/slm/writtencontent/Reports/investors/2021_Annual_10-K.pdf">Annual Report</a>
Sallie Mae: <a href="https://www.salliemae.com/content/dam/slm/writtencontent/Reports/investors/SLM-2022-Proxy-Statement-4-28-22.pdf">Proxy Satement</a>
The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/14/opinion/student-debt-cancel.html">Student Debt Is Crushing. Canceling It for Everyone Is Still a Bad Idea.</a>
Brookings: <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/student-loan-forgiveness-is-regressive-whether-measured-by-income-education-or-wealth/">Student loan forgiveness is regressive whether measured by income, education, or wealth</a>
Jacobin: <a href="https://www.jacobinmag.com/2022/05/student-loan-forgiveness-biden-means-testing-inequality">On Student Debt Forgiveness, Joe Biden Is Pushing Stringent Means-Testing Yet Again</a>
Federal Student Aid: <a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service">Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)</a>
Book Love
Josh Mitchell: <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/23377/9781501199448">The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe</a>
--
If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts:<a href="https://unftr.com/rate"> unftr.com/rate</a> and follow us on<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Unfucking-The-Republic-102319714930389"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/unftrpod"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/unftrpod/"> Instagram</a> at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at<a href="https://www.unftr.com/"> unftr.com</a>.
Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at<a href="https://shop.unftr.com/"> shop.unftr.com</a>.
Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at<a href="https://unftr.substack.com/"> unftr.substack.com</a> to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week.
Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify:<a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PpzNXBub9FLngMradJByC?si=abaed3d396504fae"> spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.</a>
Visit our bookshop.org page at<a href="https://bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod"> bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod</a> to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at<a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations"> bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations</a>.
Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at<a href="https://www.unftr.com/accessibility"> unftr.com/accessibility</a>.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (<a href="https://www.mannyfacesmedia.com">mannyfacesmedia.com</a>). Original music is by Tom McGovern (<a href="http://www.tommcgovern.com/">tommcgovern.com</a>). The show is written and hosted by debt and distributed by BlackRock.
Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer. 

Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results. 

As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives. 

Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer. 
Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results. 
As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives. 
Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR

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