This week’s question: What do you think about proposals to cancel up to $50,000 of student loan debt?

Student loans should not be forgiven at any amount. That was money borrowed for a purpose. Money borrowed must be repaid according to the signed promissory note. I took out loans for my nursing education and I paid them back in full. I expect that other borrowers do the same.

Susan Reynolds MS, BSN, Suffolk

Idiocy! My parents paid for my education, with only one parent employed as a welder in an oil refinery. My husband and I paid for our children’s educations. It is called setting priorities. Education has become perhaps one of the most wasteful businesses in the country; the cost, in many cases, far exceeds benefit.

Dewanna Jackolski, Virginia Beach

Funding for education in college had been blooming up for years. I cannot see eliminating loans for students. But at the same time, the cost colleges charge now has gone out of sight. Adjusting college fees and working your way through keeps things under control.

W.W. Mason Jr., Norfolk

Instead of canceling student debt, why not initiate a two-for-one matching program? In other words, if the student pays $100 a month, the government would pay $200. This would encourage students to pay as much as they could, while the government’s contribution would pay the debt down faster.

Sarah W. Corneliussen, Poquoson

I believe this is a very poor idea. We need to look at how many foreign countries, such as Germany and Japan, select and pay for university and adapt some of their procedures and limitations. But simply cancelling ill-advised debt is not the way to go.

James Taylor, Newport News

Only if the government cancels $50,000 of my mortgage. I promised to repay my mortgage; they promised to repay their loans. Pay what you promised.

Bill Wallace, Gloucester

Cancel $50,000 in student debt? Is that fair? Fair to those who worked their way through school? To those who paid their debt? And, above all, to those who served in our military and earned their educational benefits? National service in exchange for debt reduction would be the more equitable alternative.

David Forbes, Chesapeake

I think that act alone, given that many students were attacked by predatory for-profit colleges with outsized promises, will juice the economy more than any tax break for the wealthy ever has.

Nancy Pope, Virginia Beach

Student loan debt should be canceled in $10,000 increments per length of time based on performing some type of government service. Military, teaching, Peace Corps, police department, etc.

Jennifer Strother, Norfolk

This is one segment of the 50-year-old welfare system that creates dependency and does not motivate people to strive to better themselves. Read Matthew Korfhage’s Feb. 28 Pilot article “A century of perseverance,” reporting on the pride of successes and self-reliance experienced by Hobson oystermen without government help during Jim Crow.

Joseph L. Bass, Hobson

People with student loan debt are responsible adults who made the decision to borrow money for college tuition and promised to repay that debt plus interest. They need to fulfill their loan contract. It would be unfair to give them a $50,000 tax-free gift by cancelling this debt.

Paul Ruffle, Williamsburg

Forgiving student loans insults responsible people who have repaid or avoided loans. Responsible taxpayers should not be required to reward people who borrowed irresponsibly for degrees that are not worth enough to pay off the debt.

Don Gartrell, Norfolk

It’s not fair to those parents and students who worked tirelessly to pay their debts. On a recent newscast, a student had been paying on a $30,000 student loan for the past 10 years and she still owes $28,000. The problem here is not the debt, it’s the interest rate.

John C. Brown, Virginia Beach

I think this is a ridiculous idea. All it would do is show the taxpayer how the government is using our money to bail out a bunch of deadbeats. If those debts are canceled, then all the people who paid theirs off should be reimbursed for what they paid.

Average mark 22 words

Time limit 30 minutes

Can you find 26 or more words in MENACED?

PREVIOUS WORD | SPOOKIER poor pore pork pose poser pries prose oops kepi

Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not used. 3. Only one form of a verb is used. For example, either “pose” or “posed” not both. 4. Proper nouns are not used. 5. Slang words are not used.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Take the initiative if you want to get things done your way. Leave nothing to chance.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Use your clout to orchestrate what you want to happen. Refuse to let someone strong-arm you into something you disagree with.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Take a close look at what’s going on around you. Listen to the opposition and make assessments before you respond.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Step back. Use your experience and intelligence to figure out what’s best for you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Show everyone what you are capable of doing. Use your skills to encourage others to help you bring about change.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Uncertainty will set in if you get involved in a joint venture. Reserve judgment.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Refuse to get caught in an emotional argument. Put your energy into making positive gains.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Put your head down, and focus your energy on something meaningful to you. The more you put in, the more you will get in return.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Stop worrying about the inevitable. Get the clutter and dead weight out of your life.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Opportunity will come at a price. Weigh the pros and cons before you make a decision.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Take a different approach and you’ll get remarkable results. Think outside the box in order to turn a skill you have into a moneymaking project.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Nurture your relationships with friends. Let go of situations that aren’t working for you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Spend more time with people who bring out the best in you. Motivation combined with desire will bring about positive change.