Vain Jangling
Pay your fair share.

Perhaps one recognizes this as a phrase often used in relation to paying taxes, and more specifically in regards to those some may consider the wealthy or more wealthy. Basically, one set of persons deciding the “fair share” of another set of persons. Even if the term “everyone” is sometimes used.
(As in: Everyone pays their fair share.)

However, nowadays, “pay your fair share” takes on a whole different meaning. Thank you for “paying your fair share of your taxes” and thank you for “paying your fair share of your student loans”, but now we need you to “pay your fair share” of someone else’s debt.

True, you have been paying your taxes and worked diligently to pay off your student loans (maybe even still paying them off), but it is only fair that others reap the benefit of having “up to $10,000” (or more) reduced from their student loans. A way to “give back”, to “pay it forward”, right?

What has happened to Personal Responsibility? We can have discussions on the costs of higher education. We can have discussions on grants and other helps for lower income persons. However, personal responsibility cannot be removed or glossed over in such talks. It simply isn’t fair and the debt isn’t being shared, because those who made the choice are not being required to pay (the portion given to others to reimburse).

Imagine if the plan was based on grades, educational performance. Similar to how scholarships and tuition assistance currently works for those who achieve academic excellence in high school. That would give incentive, a reward. Simply passing on someone’s debt (whether school, home, car, etc.) to another (especially when they have and are paying their own debt) is merely vain jangling, creating yet another means for some to have an “owed” mentality instead of personal responsibility.