Bootstrapism is Bullshit

Daily Pepper has a fantastic entry, "Rumplestiltskin Will Get You Into College," here.

A little taste for you:

Public and private college costs are skyrocketing, and more students need to take out loans in order to attend. What does Congress do to help out the people who are motivated enough and bright enough to attend college?

Cut their student loan funding.

According to today's Wall Street Journal, Congress has given a lump of coal to college students:

Congress yesterday cut funding for several key federal student-loan programs, a move that is expected to increase the debt burden for many future college graduates and their families.

How's that for a lump of coal? Congress may as well be saying, "College is only for rich people. It's your own fault that you're poor, anyway."

Now, every time I hear that conservative crap about how people should "pull themselves up by their bootstraps," I'll shoot back, "How are they supposed to pull themselves up if they can't afford an education?"