President Obama Just Bribed Me for My Vote »
(David Mansdoerfer) – Yesterday, I wrote that forgiving student loan debt is a slap to the face of everyone who didn’t go to college. Today, I calculated a rough estimate of how hard that slap would be. In President Obama’s new student loan debt reduction plan, he calls for a cap of 10 percent on discretionary income and total loan forgiveness after 20 years. The amount a student would pay under this plan, would be [...]
Student Loan Debt Forgiveness – A Slap in the Face to Everyone Who Didn’t Go to College »
(David Mansdoerfer) – I got into a very interesting conversation this morning with an old grad school friend of mine. We got into talking about President Obama’s upcoming announcement on student loans. The rumor has it that President Obama will announce some form of student loan forgiveness or debt relief. My friend and I, both riddled with student loan debt from graduate school, both agreed that any plan that forgave or reduced student loan debt [...]
The Rhetorical Blame Game »
(David Mansdoerfer) – Americans consistently try and find someone to blame for our problems. This is magnified in the world of political rhetoric. People, for the most part, are generally frustrated with both the size and inefficiency of government. With millions of people unemployed or underemployed, and state budgets suffering huge shortfalls, people are longing for someone with a vision. That vision, though, can’t be based on rhetoric. Next week, I will be attending the [...]
The Occupation is Coming »
NN&V Exclusive (David Mansdoerfer) – Have you heard of the Occupy Everything movement? Well, in case you haven’t, you might like to know that the movement that started on Wall Street is now coming to Las Vegas. Yes, on October 6th, hundreds will take to the street decrying the injustice of people being wealthy, corporations earning money and government inaction during this recession. While I definitely do not agree with the premise of their argument, [...]
A Way to Increase Government Efficiency Through Privatization »
NN&V Exclusive (David Mansdoerfer) – As any real conservative would tell you, government is generally inefficient – especially when it comes to funding social services and education. Layers of bureaucratic mess, combined with funding mandates, have left many social service programs in a rut. As social service programs are often decried as being underfunded, while also lacking the ability to adapt, new funding systems need to be considered going forward. Now, imagine a system that [...]
Should In-State Tuition Subsidies Be Capped? »
(David Mansdoerfer) – The U.S. unemployment rate is at 9.1%. The unemployment rate in Nevada is at 13.4%. These numbers are disheartening no matter how you look at them. Yet, for one key demographic, the national unemployment rate is at 4.3%. That demographic, as you might have guessed from the title, are those who hold a bachelor degree or higher. Now, educational achievement has always been a strong indicator of future employment. However, now more [...]
Income, Poverty, and Economics – Analysis of the U.S. Economy »
NN&V Exclusive (David Mansdoerfer) – Today, the United States Census Bureau released Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010. This report showed a drop in median income for the middle class, an increase in the number of people in poverty, and a drop in the number of Americans that have health insurance. It is important to get past the generic political rhetoric to see what these numbers have to say about [...]
Public Policy & Social Media »
(David Mansdoerfer) – As I was tweeting away during the GOP presidential debate last night, I began to realize the full impact that social media – Twitter, Facebook, Google +, and LinkedIn, has had on public policy. Social media, for the most part, simplifies the public policy debate. While simple is good in some cases, public policy problems are difficult to address in 140 characters or less. On my first day of grad school, one [...]
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