Students victimized by for- profit schools, debt

I completely agree with your editorial in Thursday’s paper.

You covered most, but not all the ramifications of student loan debt, especially to private, forprofit colleges. What is missing is the fact that in 2005, Congress revised the U. S. bankruptcy code to exempt student loans from being discharged in bankruptcy, which, by the way, was while I had worked in the commercial — not consumer — collections field.

As you say, many of these stu- dents who find themselves, still, “. . . without an education, without a job and without a dream . . . ” with still “… an obligation to pay back a student loan, often running into the thousands of dollars.”

The bigger catch is if those students “without a job” — forget “the dream” — find themselves forced into filing for bankruptcy, those thousands of dollars are non- dischargeable in the proceedings. In other words, while a car loan, mortgage, credit card charges, medical bills, you name it, are dischargeable, ( i. e., forgiven), that student loan will be their obligation until the day they finally pay it off or die. Almost forgot, all the while, that debt will continue to accrue interest . . . and then there’s that additional 16 percent tack- on.

Rich Rzadski, Portage Park

Alarming silence

As concerned and caring citizens of Illinois we are alarmed that Gov. Bruce Rauner has been silent concerning the necessity of protecting the ACA from the onslaught of the destructive Republican health care replacement bill. For 24 million Americans it amounts to a death care bill. In Illinois, that number is over a million! And, because Rauner refuses to negotiate and compromise with the Illinois legislature about a budget, those same citizens will not be able to get help, after losing their health care. Hospitals will be forced to close, agencies will suffer huge reductions in services, and citizens of all ages will suffer. Rauner wants to be elected to a second term. His indifference towards the citizens of Illinois, and his lack of concern and compassion for what is morally correct, will certainly affect his ability to be re- elected.

Phyllis Markus, Evanston

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