Saturday, April 21, 2012

Some Unsurprising News

Some times I just want to crawl back into bed, pull the covers over my head, and stay there until somebody I trust delivers some good news. This is one of those times and involves Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and her most recent moralizing.

Representative Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) has been attracting a lot of attention on the Web -- in large part because of the comments she made over the weekend in a radio interview that she has "very little tolerance" for people who graduate from college with huge student loans. ...

First of all, Foxx's opinion on student loans does matter -- she's a member of the House's Education and Workforce Committee and chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training. It's not one of the powerhouse committees known for helping its members attract a lot of campaign cash, but since Foxx was named committee chair in January 2011, she has become a magnet for campaign contributions from for-profit universities - a recent hot topic on the Hill. ...

In her first year on the subcommittee, Foxx picked up at least $48,668 from PACs or individuals affiliated with for-profit colleges. We counted 22 companies or trade associations in the for-profit college industry on the list of her top contributors, including: Bridgepoint Education, the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, the Apollo Group (which owns the University of Phoenix) and student loan lender NelNet Inc.
[Emphasis added]

So, Congress finally begins to realize what a staggering problem student loans have become and decides to at least talk about it. It lands in Rep. Foxx's committee and suddenly ... only the sound of crickets. The 'for-profit' colleges moved in quickly and Rep. Foxx was one of the recipients of their largess. And then Ms. Foxx has the audacity to diss those students who have that student debt, many because of the scamming done by those for-profit schools.

For a more complete list of contributors to Rep. Foxx, check out this list compiled by Open Secrets.

Finally, Open Secrets has been nominated for a Webby. If you appreciate the critical work they do, please consider taking a moment and voting for them.

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1 Comments:

Blogger Charles said...

Gave 'em the bump, Diane.

I use that site regularly.

3:50 PM  

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