fixed income

[seriousthistime]

Illinois has a senior citizen homestead exemption for anyone 65 or older who files the necessary paperwork.  It has to be filed each year to ensure the property is still occupied by the senior owner.  Illinois also has a property tax deferral for people over 65 and is based on income.  The deferral is in the form of a lien that has to be paid off when the property is sold or ceases to be owner occupied. 

I had 3 kids in public schools.  Public schools were funded with a combination of state and local taxes. In any given year, looking at my property tax bill, the amount going to the local school district covered 1 child's local tax cost in excess of what the state paid. The other two basically got a free ride.  I do want an educated populace so even in retirement I am more than happy to pay for public schools. 

I also have no problem with student debt relief to a certain point. Having so much of an individual's income go to pay off student loans is a damper on our economy.  Much of the money not spent on student debt would be spent elsewhere, stimulating our economy, keeping businesses profitable and keeping people employed.  At the very least, the interest rates should be low so people can actually pay it off as scheduled.  The portion of my taxes that is going for student debt relief is small. 

[NoNamePerson]

Apr 23, 2024 9:44:36 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

To those of us who want public schools, it feels like the governor and the legislators behind her are trying to do away with the public school system.  

I've read there is one private school in the state that is not affiliated with a religion.  

She also got funding to the agency that is in charge of special ed kids.  

The private kids won't accept kids with special needs and serious money is being removed from the public school system.  Several larger districts have announced large staff layoffs for next school year.  

This is not sustainable.

Iowa used to be right at the top of rankings for education.  Now it's in the bottom 10.  It will soon be at the bottom because of the money going to private schools.

Public schools are also required to bus private school kids to their schools on the public schools normal school days.  If the calendars conflict, at least they don't have to bus the kids.

Should have heard the screaming when the larger public school here went to a one hour later start on Friday so they could do continuing ed.  Private school parents actually have to get their kids to school because there is no special bus run for your kids.

That almost made my head explode. I put my hands on top of head to keep it in place or I would be cleaning gray matter off the ceiling instead of typing this! 

To the second bolded Boo F##king Hoo

[minnesotapaintlady]

Our public school busses have provided transportation to private schools since I was attending in the 70's.  We also get a tax-deduction for private school tuition (only up to $2500). At the beginning of the year at my kid's private school each student has to turn in forms agreeing to use books, counseling, standardized testing, and health services provided by the public district (not sure why anyone would disagree?)  We're also on the state free breakfast and lunch program.

I've had my kids at public and private at one time or another.

eta: as a side note, I always drove my kids to school.  We tried the bus for one year and hell to the no after finding out the crap that went on on those busses.

[jerseygirl]

I have no problem with state funding kids who go to private schools. I’d rather that then have kids stuck in huge failure public schools
A child has one chance to have a good education

[resolution]

Apr 23, 2024 10:31:53 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

I have no problem with state funding kids who go to private schools. I’d rather that then have kids stuck in huge failure public schools
A child has one chance to have a good education

I hate it that my tax money goes to science denying schools that teach girls to be inferior to boys.

[jerseygirl]

Apr 23, 2024 11:54:03 GMT -5 resolution said:

Apr 23, 2024 10:31:53 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

I have no problem with state funding kids who go to private schools. I’d rather that then have kids stuck in huge failure public schools
A child has one chance to have a good education

I hate it that my tax money goes to science denying schools that teach girls to be inferior to boys.

Yikes but great majority are NOT like this
Do you abandon the kids stuck in failing public schools then? The perfect is the enemy of the good
In NJ for example Paterson, the public school system gets lots of money, goes on and off under state control but still failing. About 70% of the kids fail math year after year. While nearby charter and private schools at least give kids a chance at getting a reasonable education

[resolution]

Apr 23, 2024 12:42:50 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

Apr 23, 2024 11:54:03 GMT -5 resolution said:

I hate it that my tax money goes to science denying schools that teach girls to be inferior to boys.

Yikes but great majority are NOT like this
Do you abandon the kids stuck in failing public schools then? The perfect is the enemy of the good
In NJ for example Paterson, the public school system gets lots of money, goes on and off under state control but still failing. About 70% of the kids fail math year after year. While nearby charter and private schools at least give kids a chance at getting a reasonable education

I would be fine funding private and charter schools if they had the same academic requirements and were required to accept all students just like the public schools. Instead they are allowed to cherry pick the successful students and to teach whatever they please. All they do is drain resources from the public schools, which makes them less able to help the kids.

My nephew is going to a private school and all of the teachers have to sign a contract that they agree the world is 6000 years old and that women came from a man's rib. I don't think it is appropriate for my tax dollars to support that. Now that I moved my tax money isn't supporting that particular school anymore, but I expect there are plenty locally that are similar.

[daisylu]

Apr 23, 2024 12:42:50 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

Apr 23, 2024 11:54:03 GMT -5 resolution said:

I hate it that my tax money goes to science denying schools that teach girls to be inferior to boys.

Yikes but great majority are NOT like this
Do you abandon the kids stuck in failing public schools then? The perfect is the enemy of the good
In NJ for example Paterson, the public school system gets lots of money, goes on and off under state control but still failing. About 70% of the kids fail math year after year. While nearby charter and private schools at least give kids a chance at getting a reasonable education

IME a lot of them are. In my own personal experience I went to an all girls private high school in the 90s and female empowerment was still not a priority - it just "took away the distraction". 

Kids can be helped by fixing the public school system, which I already support.

I also have issues with my tax dollars supporting private and charter schools that do not align with my beliefs and pay zero tax dollars - separation of church and state WHEN they choose to apply it. That is not always subsidizing tuition but providing other services like transportation.

[countrygirl2]

On SS you will get little after the raise. They will raise the premiums for part B that will likely eat up most of it. Several years I had my net go down, as between the raises in b and the supplement were greater than the increase.

I felt bad having to quit and only get a little SS. Then I found my friend who is divorced and worked 10 to 15 years more just gets a bit more than I do. That sure doesn't sound right.

We are going to pretty much be on fixed income going forward, it will sure change our life style but we will make it. I can live very frugal if need be as can hubs. But many people retired for lots of years and made very little are really struggling. And we could be before the end of inflation keeps up. We just need a year or two under our belt after selling everything and less money coming in how it will go. I think we should be ok with no debts.

[minnesotapaintlady]

I don't live in the bible belt so have never had any experience with schools like that.  Our school is Catholic, but it's also a highly regarded college prep, international boarding school. Lots of kids from all over the world and the President is a woman, so no issues with women being treated as inferior.

There are actually more options for science and math classes at the private than there are at the public that has four times as many students. On the same token though, the public has more options for students not on the college track.  The private has no shop or industrial classes, instead everyone pretty much has to take core classes (science, math, language arts and social studies) every year.

[TheOtherMe]

Apr 23, 2024 13:05:02 GMT -5 resolution said:

Apr 23, 2024 12:42:50 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

Yikes but great majority are NOT like this
Do you abandon the kids stuck in failing public schools then? The perfect is the enemy of the good
In NJ for example Paterson, the public school system gets lots of money, goes on and off under state control but still failing. About 70% of the kids fail math year after year. While nearby charter and private schools at least give kids a chance at getting a reasonable education

I would be fine funding private and charter schools if they had the same academic requirements and were required to accept all students just like the public schools. Instead they are allowed to cherry pick the successful students and to teach whatever they please. All they do is drain resources from the public schools, which makes them less able to help the kids.

My nephew is going to a private school and all of the teachers have to sign a contract that they agree the world is 6000 years old and that women came from a man's rib. I don't think it is appropriate for my tax dollars to support that. Now that I moved my tax money isn't supporting that particular school anymore, but I expect there are plenty locally that are similar.

From the reading I have done on private schools, there isn't regulation on what is taught or how the money is spent.  

Lots of the private schools raised the tuition after they started getting voucher money.  They also implemented rules that there are no refunds for parents. 

The state department of education has no control over them.  

They are not looking out for kids unless you are a born again Christian in many cases.  

[raeoflyte]

Apr 23, 2024 13:05:02 GMT -5 resolution said:

Apr 23, 2024 12:42:50 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

Yikes but great majority are NOT like this
Do you abandon the kids stuck in failing public schools then? The perfect is the enemy of the good
In NJ for example Paterson, the public school system gets lots of money, goes on and off under state control but still failing. About 70% of the kids fail math year after year. While nearby charter and private schools at least give kids a chance at getting a reasonable education

I would be fine funding private and charter schools if they had the same academic requirements and were required to accept all students just like the public schools. Instead they are allowed to cherry pick the successful students and to teach whatever they please. All they do is drain resources from the public schools, which makes them less able to help the kids.

My nephew is going to a private school and all of the teachers have to sign a contract that they agree the world is 6000 years old and that women came from a man's rib. I don't think it is appropriate for my tax dollars to support that. Now that I moved my tax money isn't supporting that particular school anymore, but I expect there are plenty locally that are similar.

100% this.

I will never support my tax dollars going to an institution that can deny admittance based on religion, disability, race, etc. If you're sure your private schools aren't doing that, how often are you asking who they're denying and what checks and balances are in place?

On the disability front - even "minor" disabilities the private schools are less able to support. When they don't have to provide support, could you really trust them to?

And last point - it's so easy to excel when you get to pick who to admit. Take the easy kids with involved parents and your staff doesn't need to be anymore than glorified babysitters and you'll still show great scores.

I'm much more impressed by the public schools with mediocre test scores who can show population of eld kids who go from 0 to at or near grade level.

[scgal]

Apr 23, 2024 9:56:38 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Illinois has a senior citizen homestead exemption for anyone 65 or older who files the necessary paperwork.  It has to be filed each year to ensure the property is still occupied by the senior owner.  Illinois also has a property tax deferral for people over 65 and is based on income.  The deferral is in the form of a lien that has to be paid off when the property is sold or ceases to be owner occupied. 

I had 3 kids in public schools.  Public schools were funded with a combination of state and local taxes. In any given year, looking at my property tax bill, the amount going to the local school district covered 1 child's local tax cost in excess of what the state paid. The other two basically got a free ride.  I do want an educated populace so even in retirement I am more than happy to pay for public schools. 

I also have no problem with student debt relief to a certain point. Having so much of an individual's income go to pay off student loans is a damper on our economy.  Much of the money not spent on student debt would be spent elsewhere, stimulating our economy, keeping businesses profitable and keeping people employed.  At the very least, the interest rates should be low so people can actually pay it off as scheduled.  The portion of my taxes that is going for student debt relief is small. 

I have no problem when I retire with paying school taxes. I do have a problem with student debt forgiveness. Me, husband, and both kids went to college. I know for my husband and I there was no helping parents and we did it ourselves our kids we did help but so did they and there was still student loans that we paid off. We didn't take vacations we didn't buy new cars we worked a lot of hours and paid everything off first we didn't stand around crying about the debt. 

[minnesotapaintlady]

Apr 23, 2024 15:06:17 GMT -5 scgal said:

Apr 23, 2024 9:56:38 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Illinois has a senior citizen homestead exemption for anyone 65 or older who files the necessary paperwork.  It has to be filed each year to ensure the property is still occupied by the senior owner.  Illinois also has a property tax deferral for people over 65 and is based on income.  The deferral is in the form of a lien that has to be paid off when the property is sold or ceases to be owner occupied. 

I had 3 kids in public schools.  Public schools were funded with a combination of state and local taxes. In any given year, looking at my property tax bill, the amount going to the local school district covered 1 child's local tax cost in excess of what the state paid. The other two basically got a free ride.  I do want an educated populace so even in retirement I am more than happy to pay for public schools. 

I also have no problem with student debt relief to a certain point. Having so much of an individual's income go to pay off student loans is a damper on our economy.  Much of the money not spent on student debt would be spent elsewhere, stimulating our economy, keeping businesses profitable and keeping people employed.  At the very least, the interest rates should be low so people can actually pay it off as scheduled.  The portion of my taxes that is going for student debt relief is small. 

I have no problem when I retire with paying school taxes. I do have a problem with student debt forgiveness. Me, husband, and both kids went to college. I know for my husband and I there was no helping parents and we did it ourselves our kids we did help but so did they and there was still student loans that we paid off. We didn't take vacations we didn't buy new cars we worked a lot of hours and paid everything off first we didn't stand around crying about the debt. 

When did you go to college though?  In the 80's?  My son's tuition for ONE CLASS is more than I paid for an entire year of tuition in the late 80's.  I looked up historical tuition at our flagship and in 1987 (the year I graduated) it was $1860 per year.  Now it's 17K/year...and if you want engineering or business college there's a $2600/year surcharge.  So, more than 10X what it was when I graduated.  I was making $6/hour back then and was able to pay my own way through college AND buy a house while I was attending.  Kids would have to be making $60/hour for it to be equivalent today. 

[daisylu]

Apr 23, 2024 15:06:17 GMT -5 scgal said:

Apr 23, 2024 9:56:38 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Illinois has a senior citizen homestead exemption for anyone 65 or older who files the necessary paperwork.  It has to be filed each year to ensure the property is still occupied by the senior owner.  Illinois also has a property tax deferral for people over 65 and is based on income.  The deferral is in the form of a lien that has to be paid off when the property is sold or ceases to be owner occupied. 

I had 3 kids in public schools.  Public schools were funded with a combination of state and local taxes. In any given year, looking at my property tax bill, the amount going to the local school district covered 1 child's local tax cost in excess of what the state paid. The other two basically got a free ride.  I do want an educated populace so even in retirement I am more than happy to pay for public schools. 

I also have no problem with student debt relief to a certain point. Having so much of an individual's income go to pay off student loans is a damper on our economy.  Much of the money not spent on student debt would be spent elsewhere, stimulating our economy, keeping businesses profitable and keeping people employed.  At the very least, the interest rates should be low so people can actually pay it off as scheduled.  The portion of my taxes that is going for student debt relief is small. 

I have no problem when I retire with paying school taxes. I do have a problem with student debt forgiveness. Me, husband, and both kids went to college. I know for my husband and I there was no helping parents and we did it ourselves our kids we did help but so did they and there was still student loans that we paid off. We didn't take vacations we didn't buy new cars we worked a lot of hours and paid everything off first we didn't stand around crying about the debt. 

You do know that a lot of people live their life that way to begin with, right? And the only way those people can go to college is student loans. And that college is much more expensive now? 

[raeoflyte]

Apr 23, 2024 15:43:13 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Apr 23, 2024 15:06:17 GMT -5 scgal said:

I have no problem when I retire with paying school taxes. I do have a problem with student debt forgiveness. Me, husband, and both kids went to college. I know for my husband and I there was no helping parents and we did it ourselves our kids we did help but so did they and there was still student loans that we paid off. We didn't take vacations we didn't buy new cars we worked a lot of hours and paid everything off first we didn't stand around crying about the debt. 

When did you go to college though?  In the 80's?  My son's tuition for ONE CLASS is more than I paid for an entire year of tuition in the late 80's.  I looked up historical tuition at our flagship and in 1987 (the year I graduated) it was $1860 per year.  Now it's 17K/year...and if you want engineering or business college there's a $2600/year surcharge.  So, more than 10X what it was when I graduated.  I was making $6/hour back then and was able to pay my own way through college AND buy a house while I was attending.  Kids would have to be making $60/hour for it to be equivalent today. 

I just want to like this post again.

[seriousthistime]

I didn't have a family that could pay for college.  I did my first year living at home.  It was difficult to commute to school and hold down a full time job at the grocery store, so I dropped out and worked, took college courses here and there, etc. Bottom line, it took me a lot longer to get my degree.  Imagine if I'd been able to graduate in four years.  I would have been earning more money, paying more in taxes, and spending more to boost the economy than I did.  

[giramomma]

Apr 23, 2024 15:06:17 GMT -5 scgal said:

Apr 23, 2024 9:56:38 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Illinois has a senior citizen homestead exemption for anyone 65 or older who files the necessary paperwork.  It has to be filed each year to ensure the property is still occupied by the senior owner.  Illinois also has a property tax deferral for people over 65 and is based on income.  The deferral is in the form of a lien that has to be paid off when the property is sold or ceases to be owner occupied. 

I had 3 kids in public schools.  Public schools were funded with a combination of state and local taxes. In any given year, looking at my property tax bill, the amount going to the local school district covered 1 child's local tax cost in excess of what the state paid. The other two basically got a free ride.  I do want an educated populace so even in retirement I am more than happy to pay for public schools. 

I also have no problem with student debt relief to a certain point. Having so much of an individual's income go to pay off student loans is a damper on our economy.  Much of the money not spent on student debt would be spent elsewhere, stimulating our economy, keeping businesses profitable and keeping people employed.  At the very least, the interest rates should be low so people can actually pay it off as scheduled.  The portion of my taxes that is going for student debt relief is small. 

I have no problem when I retire with paying school taxes. I do have a problem with student debt forgiveness. Me, husband, and both kids went to college. I know for my husband and I there was no helping parents and we did it ourselves our kids we did help but so did they and there was still student loans that we paid off. We didn't take vacations we didn't buy new cars we worked a lot of hours and paid everything off first we didn't stand around crying about the debt. 

Look at it this way...at least you all made enough money that you could forgo vacations and new cars to pay off student loans.

I'll never own a new car in my life. And that's just to make ends meet. 

We are pretty much down to taking a long weekend as our yearly vacation, because I cannot justify another expense.

We couldn't even afford to have more than a 100K mortgage. 

Again, just to make ends meet.

And it's not that I don't work hard. I think working 55-65 hour weeks for 35 years justifies some frivolity beyond movie night at home. 

If we didn't family help (or presumably merit aid for kid #2), at least my older two kids would follow the GenZ trend, which is to go to trade school.  

[Deleted]

I worked at places with a tuition reimbursement benefit. I worked full-time and took college courses part-time. Do employers still offer that benefit?

Edited: I was in my 30s when I finally got my college degree. Not only did I have a college degree but I also had work experience. 

[wvugurl26]

My sister in law is currently living in Florida. Because some areas don't have enough schools for the enrollment, they will get $8,000/year to send my nephew to a private high school. FIL/MIL are kicking in a good portion of the remaining bill which is about $10k. The public high school his sister currently attends is "too big" for him.

I suppose one should expect this from Florida.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Apr 24, 2024 10:57:38 GMT -5 @blue said:

I worked at places with a tuition reimbursement benefit. I worked full-time and took college courses part-time. Do employers still offer that benefit?

Edited: I was in my 30s when I finally got my college degree. Not only did I have a college degree but I also had work experience. 

Yes, but if you can find a company that does that near the college you're attending it's typically limited to the IRS limit of about 5K/year. That is 1.5 classes at the current tuition rates if you're going on a per credit basis...which btw is more expensive than putting all your time/effort into just going full time and getting the flat rate.  At my son's college everything over 13 credits is free.

The whole going PT while working FT backfires so much. I know it did with me.  I was also in my 30's when I finally finished my degree due to just slogging along PT, and that was AFTER I quit my job to stay home with my oldest. We have two universities in town and lots of the production workers on the off shifts are students and I can count on one hand the number that have actually got a bachelors over the years (there are more that get technical degrees). So many take forever or never finish. It's hard to attend school working a factory job with mandatory OT and inflexible hours.

Meanwhile, my son graduates with an engineering degree next month at 21. He also has valuable work experience from internships and being a TA at the university for the past 3 years.  Who knows what he'll do with it (so far his plans just involve a cross country hiking trip!), but he has a big head start over me at that age. 

[NastyWoman]

Apr 23, 2024 16:08:43 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

I didn't have a family that could pay for college.  I did my first year living at home.  It was difficult to commute to school and hold down a full time job at the grocery store, so I dropped out and worked, took college courses here and there, etc. Bottom line, it took me a lot longer to get my degree.  Imagine if I'd been able to graduate in four years.  I would have been earning more money, paying more in taxes, and spending more to boost the economy than I did.  

In my country college was tuition free. But housing was not and my family did not have the resources to help pay for that (I am one of seven). Public transportation was mostly good and heavily subsidized for students.
We lived in the middle of nowhere so my "exciting" student time went as follows:
- leave the house at 6am to walk 20 minutes to the bus stop. That early there was like 2 hours between buses. Later in the day that was better - once an hour.
- 30 minute bus ride
-walk to grandma's house and wait for about an hour before walking to the train station. One mile each way followed by a 40 minute train ride
- the easy part - just a 15 minute walk to college.
- all day classes and start the journey in reverse
I would have been able to skip the trek to grandma's house but I went there to do some chores that she needed help with like for instance filling all coal shuttles in her  four story house or help refill shelves in her haberdashery store.
I would normally walk in the door at home around 8:30 pm.


There was no time for a "student experience", no hanging out with friends or parties. But that was the deal - it was either do what was needed or no college for me and I really wanted that degree. It was a good thing that I needed very little sleep and have (or rather had) an extremely good memory and could get by with very little studying. But in the end I was not burdened with loans either. I don't even know if those would have been available to me but I have always been very debt averse so even if they were I am not sure I would have done differently

[resolution]

I was really privileged. Back when I went to the U of A, tuition was only $1100 per year. My parents saved up for it and paid my tuition in full. An apartment off campus was $365 per month, which I shared with my sister. I worked part time for the university for minimum wage ($4.25 per hour) and was able to graduate with no debt and some savings. It gave me a great start, and I was able to buy my first house six years later.

Currently tuition is $13,200 per year, so an increase of 12x. Minimum wage is $14.35 per hour, so an increase of only 3x. I imagine it's even worse in states that didn't index their minimum wage to inflation.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Apr 24, 2024 18:27:18 GMT -5 resolution said:

I was really privileged. Back when I went to the U of A, tuition was only $1100 per year. My parents saved up for it and paid my tuition in full. An apartment off campus was $365 per month, which I shared with my sister. I worked part time for the university for minimum wage ($4.25 per hour) and was able to graduate with no debt and some savings. It gave me a great start, and I was able to buy my first house six years later.

Currently tuition is $13,200 per year, so an increase of 12x. Minimum wage is $14.35 per hour, so an increase of only 3x. I imagine it's even worse in states that didn't index their minimum wage to inflation.

Yeah, like in the half of them where minimum wage is only $7.25.  Including Alabama (if that's what U of A you're referring to) so not even double what it was.  

My state just recently bumped it, but it's still only $8 something for small employers and 10 something for large companies. 

[haapai]

Apr 24, 2024 19:03:09 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Yeah, like in the half of them where minimum wage is only $7.25.  Including Alabama (if that's what U of A you're referring to) so not even double what it was.  

My state just recently bumped it, but it's still only $8 something for small employers and 10 something for large companies. 

Do these rules apply to agricultural workers? 

[minnesotapaintlady]

Apr 24, 2024 19:29:44 GMT -5 haapai said:

Apr 24, 2024 19:03:09 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Yeah, like in the half of them where minimum wage is only $7.25.  Including Alabama (if that's what U of A you're referring to) so not even double what it was.  

My state just recently bumped it, but it's still only $8 something for small employers and 10 something for large companies. 

Do these rules apply to agricultural workers? 

What rules?  Minimum wage?  Yes. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Apr 23, 2024 15:06:17 GMT -5 scgal said:

Apr 23, 2024 9:56:38 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Illinois has a senior citizen homestead exemption for anyone 65 or older who files the necessary paperwork.  It has to be filed each year to ensure the property is still occupied by the senior owner.  Illinois also has a property tax deferral for people over 65 and is based on income.  The deferral is in the form of a lien that has to be paid off when the property is sold or ceases to be owner occupied. 

I had 3 kids in public schools.  Public schools were funded with a combination of state and local taxes. In any given year, looking at my property tax bill, the amount going to the local school district covered 1 child's local tax cost in excess of what the state paid. The other two basically got a free ride.  I do want an educated populace so even in retirement I am more than happy to pay for public schools. 

I also have no problem with student debt relief to a certain point. Having so much of an individual's income go to pay off student loans is a damper on our economy.  Much of the money not spent on student debt would be spent elsewhere, stimulating our economy, keeping businesses profitable and keeping people employed.  At the very least, the interest rates should be low so people can actually pay it off as scheduled.  The portion of my taxes that is going for student debt relief is small. 

I have no problem when I retire with paying school taxes. I do have a problem with student debt forgiveness. Me, husband, and both kids went to college. I know for my husband and I there was no helping parents and we did it ourselves our kids we did help but so did they and there was still student loans that we paid off. We didn't take vacations we didn't buy new cars we worked a lot of hours and paid everything off first we didn't stand around crying about the debt. 

If you and your kids went to college prior to about mid 1990s, the state government supplemented the bulk of your college education.  After then, states decreased their contribution to state supported schools and required that students (and their parents) shoulder a heftier burden.  I am talking a difference from being 80% state supported to being 20% supported.

So what this boils down to is you and likely your kids received educations at the taxpayer expense, but it’s not ok to help those who happened to be born later……when schools expected a much greater student/parent contribution because schools received less from the state taxes.  You think that’s fair?

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Apr 24, 2024 10:57:38 GMT -5 @blue said:

I worked at places with a tuition reimbursement benefit. I worked full-time and took college courses part-time. Do employers still offer that benefit?

Edited: I was in my 30s when I finally got my college degree. Not only did I have a college degree but I also had work experience. 

Yes, or at least they did 10 years ago.  I received a good chunk of my MS and 100% of my PhD classes via employer paid tuition.  However, taking 2 classes/semester it is really a long haul to get through an undergraduate curriculum.  Graduate degrees do not require near as many credit hours.

[haapai]

I worked a few agricultural jobs three or four decades ago.  At the time, the state minimum wage and the federal one were the same.  But I sure didn't get paid time and a half for hours over 40.  

I honestly have no idea whether a state law mandating a higher minimum hourly wage would actually mean that anyone working an agricultural job must be paid the state minimum wage. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Apr 24, 2024 18:27:18 GMT -5 resolution said:

I was really privileged. Back when I went to the U of A, tuition was only $1100 per year. My parents saved up for it and paid my tuition in full. An apartment off campus was $365 per month, which I shared with my sister. I worked part time for the university for minimum wage ($4.25 per hour) and was able to graduate with no debt and some savings. It gave me a great start, and I was able to buy my first house six years later.

Currently tuition is $13,200 per year, so an increase of 12x. Minimum wage is $14.35 per hour, so an increase of only 3x. I imagine it's even worse in states that didn't index their minimum wage to inflation.

I recently went back to check what my undergrad tuition now runs.  In the years 1977-1981, my tuition ran about $428/semester (that’s the number that sticks in my brain).  These days, it’s around $4600/semester.  since I lived at home and commuted, I got my BS for about $4000 (and that includes gas and books).  

My first job out of college included tuition at Harvard, so I started taking graduate classes immediately.  I thought it was strange that the graduate classes I took at Harvard were essentially repeats of my last 2 years of undergrad at SUNY.  I changed jobs, and m6 new job had employer paid tuition at Northeastern.  Those graduate classes were much more challenging.  Between Harvard and Northeastern, that was about 50% of my MS which I finished up at the University of TX (on my dime).