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The plan is insane. What we need is to cut tuition fees.

32 Comments

Taku Yamazoe, lawmaker from the Japanese Communist Party, commenting on reports that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is mulling a plan to forgive student debt for those who have a child.

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Free at the "point of source" Same as most education and other facilities like the fire service, for instance. Imagine having to pay for the fire service directly. If we paid for everything directly it would be much more expensive.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

THERES THAT VOTE AGAIN. CHEAP!

masterMar. 6 06:44 pm JST

Nordic nations Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden all offer opportunities to study free or at low cost: In Norway, university study is available free of charge to all students, regardless of study level or nationality.

Theres that word again;

"free"

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Education and healthcare should be free.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I have no hate for America. My parent were Americans has is a large section of my family.

Norway is a fine example of using its wealth for the benefit of its people. They invested their oil and gas wealth instead of wasting it.

The general question is about education and whether it should be free. Comparing with other countries would be natural in any debate. Just like cleo also introduced the UK.

If the question is solely about Japan, then it will be the Japanese and their government that will make all the decisions with non-citizens having no say in any aspect.

There are American international students here as there are in many other countries.

The highest costs of a degree course are in the US. The average American student debt is $40,000.

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/student-loans/average-student-loan-statistics/

Biden wanted student debt forgiveness.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

You have no idea if they would of been able to reach their potential or not. Education does not make the person.

a great point, and indicative of the current fad of credentialism, where even the most incompetent insist their voices must be heard above all others.

The past 3 years of incompetence, failure and outright criminality is proof positive that a diploma on a wall is often not an indication of ability.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

The national debt of Norway in 2021 was $200 billion. Norway has a very large sovereign wealth fund, which outweighs its public debt by a very large amount.

Any guesses as to where Norway gets that wealth, wallace?

Ill give you a hint;

its black and oily...

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

That no matter how hard I'd worked, without a decent education (paid for by the state) and in a low-paying non-skilled job I would never have been able to earn enough to pay for the education of my children, to the level that they achieved. So they in turn would have gone out into the world unable to reach their true potential, and society would be that much the poorer.

I love how people call it "Free" education when it is anything but. The State isn't paying anything, the taxpayers are.

My parents worked multiple low-paying jobs, put themselves through college, and then worked their butts off to provide and help their children go to University. Seeing their example we worked hard, made sacrifices, and didn't take their money and earned our own way through University. I wouldn't change a thing. That adversity and working hard did more for me than my education ever did and ever will.

You have no idea if they would of been able to reach their potential or not. Education does not make the person.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Yes "free at source" like "universal healthcare" and each country decides how its taxes are best used. Some put education before others.

The national debt of Norway in 2021 was $200 billion. Norway has a very large sovereign wealth fund, which outweighs its public debt by a very large amount.

Japan held $1.08 trillion (¥135 trillion) in US Treasury securities as of November 2022. That could be used to pay off student loans.

Should we only pay for what we benefit from?

The elected government gets to decide.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Nordic nations Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden all offer opportunities to study free or at low cost: In Norway, university study is available free of charge to all students, regardless of study level or nationality.

Theres that word again;

"free"

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

There are many countries providing free or very low-fee universities including free universities for international students.

https://www.edmit.me/blog/countries-with-free-or-virtually-free-college-tuition

Nordic nations Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden all offer opportunities to study free or at low cost: In Norway, university study is available free of charge to all students, regardless of study level or nationality.

Benefits from paying taxes are never distributed equally otherwise we would all have to pay higher taxes.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

That no matter how hard I'd worked, without a decent education (paid for by the state) and in a low-paying non-skilled job I would never have been able to earn enough to pay for the education of my children,

IF that is actually the case, don't you think it reinforces Mr Yamazoe's point about tuition?

So they in turn would have gone out into the world unable to reach their true potential

One minute your son is "brilliant". The next he would be digging ditches without your largesse. I don't get it.

You still haven't explained how free education to graduate level would 'only punish working class families hoping to send their son or daughter to one of these useful professions'.

I did. But you apparently didn't grasp it. Let us sit down one day and discuss "taxes".

Spreading the burden removes the burden on the weakest.

It doesn't. It punishes everyone equally.

We learned these hard lessons in the 20th century with 100 million corpses as proof.

There are those who succeed in life and those who don't. In a 1st world country with democratic principals, Its almost always up to the individual, with some slipping through the cracks unfortunately.

Thats called life.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

The money proposed is but a fraction of the increase the right wing want to give to Uncle Sam for weapons.

Just a matter of priorities.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

What was your point again?

That no matter how hard I'd worked, without a decent education (paid for by the state) and in a low-paying non-skilled job I would never have been able to earn enough to pay for the education of my children, to the level that they achieved. So they in turn would have gone out into the world unable to reach their true potential, and society would be that much the poorer.

You still haven't explained how free education to graduate level would 'only punish working class families hoping to send their son or daughter to one of these useful professions'. Those working class families at the moment have no hope of their children entering a skilled profession, unless they burden themselves and their kids with huge debts. Not to mention the fact that the lowest paid aren't going to get the loans in the first place.

Spreading the burden removes the burden on the weakest.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

My brilliant son got scholarships for secondary school and for his post grad studies (again, not modern dance theory), but even so it was a hard slog, depleted our savings and put us in debt for a number of years

well, look at that, cleo.

You worked hard, as did your son, made sacrifices, and didn't unfairly burden another family with your personal choices.

What was your point again?

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

In the UK I received nonrepayable grants to attend uni.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Leave it to the socialist to not grasp that this would only punish working class families 

I was born into a working family and without the generous (at the time, it's since been criminally gutted) UK education system that allowed me and my brothers to attend university not only free of charge but with a grant for living expenses, we would all probably be working in factories or sweeping floors.

Having a decent education (no, I didn't study 'modern dance theory') meant that as a parent I was affluent enough to pay to put two kids through the Japanese education system. My brilliant son got scholarships for secondary school and for his post grad studies (again, not modern dance theory), but even so it was a hard slog, depleted our savings and put us in debt for a number of years. No way your 'working class family' could have paid out what we did. Also no reason the brilliant son or daughter of a working-class family should not have access to the best of the Japanese education system.

Now both kids are in very good, well-paying jobs, paying way more in taxes for the benefit of the general good than they ever would if they had left school at the end of compulsory education.

You see, free education eventually pays for itself, and then some.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I was surprised that high school students pay for three years of schooling. The only G7 doing so. All education up to 18 years should be provided free at source just like the rest of the schooling. Students can leave at 15 years.

I also favor free at-source education until graduation from university/college. A better-educated population is a better society.

Students should begin their working lives free from student debts.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

In what way? Everyone gets the education appropriate to them, society gets qualified doctors, nurses, architects, scientists, engineers, teachers, you name it, and the cost is spread evenly throughout society, instead of as now, squeezing blood out of families/young people trying to better themselves.

Leave it to the socialist to not grasp that this would only punish working class families hoping to send their son or daughter to one of these useful professions.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

I guess you make a principled point of not walking/driving your car on publicly-funded roads.

And if your house catches fire, you will steadfastly refuse to let the publicly-funded fire fighters put it out?

And when you get mugged down a dark alley (because of course you're avoiding the well-lit publicly funded streets), you will object vociferously to the public-funded police coming to your aid?

As I already pointed out, your argument is contemptuous and risible.

The social contract doesn't include me paying tuition for your son or daughter to be studying modern dance theory. Or anything else.

Pay your own way.

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

They always know best how to spend other peoples hard-earned money

I guess you make a principled point of not walking/driving your car on publicly-funded roads.

And if your house catches fire, you will steadfastly refuse to let the publicly-funded fire fighters put it out?

And when you get mugged down a dark alley (because of course you're avoiding the well-lit publicly funded streets), you will object vociferously to the public-funded police coming to your aid?

4 ( +7 / -3 )

What you are proposing would financially cripple many families.

In what way? Everyone gets the education appropriate to them, society gets qualified doctors, nurses, architects, scientists, engineers, teachers, you name it, and the cost is spread evenly throughout society, instead of as now, squeezing blood out of families/young people trying to better themselves.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

But look at silly me arguing with socialists.

They always know best how to spend other peoples hard-earned money.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

The cost of an uneducated populace is way higher than making sure every child has a decent education, regardless of the affluence or otherwise of the parent s/he happened to be born to.

Japan already has one of the highest standards of education in the world.

What you are proposing would financially cripple many families.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

Same as the enormous cost of a fire service, police service, roads.....

Services we all naturally agree are crucial.

As my previous post points out, this is a disgraceful, financially irresponsible notion.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Yamazoe, despite being an avowed communist, at least has this one right.

Forgiving student debt will only transfer the debt from relatively wealthy families to the working class.

And I certainly don't want to pay the way for a graduate of one of the increasing North American-style grievance study programs.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Would the enormous cost of providing free education be saddled on the Japanese taxpayer,

Same as the enormous cost of a fire service, police service, roads.....

The cost of an uneducated populace is way higher than making sure every child has a decent education, regardless of the affluence or otherwise of the parent s/he happened to be born to.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

It’s probably something you don’t want to hear , but all education has to be free right from the beginning.

its probably not something you want to hear, but nothing is free.

Would the enormous cost of providing free education be saddled on the Japanese taxpayer, or is there a Free Money Tree (TM) that socialists keep telling me about?

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

So... wait a second... if young people have a baby, making at least one of the couple (if not a single mother) basically quit any job they have or would have, they get their loans forgiven because they are contributing towards the creation of another worker?

1 ( +4 / -3 )

It’s probably something you don’t want to hear , but all education has to be free right from the beginning. Without so much natural resources for sale and while in a phase of a quickly shrinking and aging population the country can’t count only on the very few with bigger wallets. The base for potentially higher educated people who then can shine in research or development of new products and services that sell great on the global markets, that base had to be broadened. If only a few rich kids can afford top universities and half of them having the money but an IQ of an amoeba anyway, then good night, economy and good nigh, any further developments in the country.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Education subsidies and loan forgiveness plans both have the unforseen consequences of driving the cost of tuition up.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Have a child, get an education free!

1 ( +4 / -3 )

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