CPT David Lowe 2881057 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div> 2017-08-31T05:15:29-04:00 CPT David Lowe 2881057

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2017-08-31T05:15:29-04:00 2017-08-31T05:15:29-04:00 CPT Andrew Wright 2881065

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>No. The BEOG, Pell Grants, and Student Loans should continue to be for students from lower income families to help them through college. We now have a very good GI bill for our active duty service members and if the current system is not broke why fix it?

2017-08-31T05:24:16-04:00 2017-08-31T05:24:16-04:00 PO2 Robert Nichols 2881066

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Absolutely not. If service was a prerequisite, only a small percentage of potential students would be able to get a loan. This would deny an education to many people who need the loan.

2017-08-31T05:25:04-04:00 2017-08-31T05:25:04-04:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 2881067

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>no. Why should only veterans be eligible for a loan at a lower interest rate that is subsidised by the taxpayers of the country, the vast, vast majority of which are not serving in the military or vets? It is in the long term interest of the nation to increase the education level of the population. College graduates as a group make significantly more over their lifetimes than high school graduates ( of course there are notable exceptions, but as a whole, it&#39;s a fact). Those who make more will pay more taxes which will more than repay any federal expenditures for the loans. Plus spending that additional income will contribute to a growing economy.

2017-08-31T05:25:57-04:00 2017-08-31T05:25:57-04:00 SSG Chris Gursky 2881126

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Wouldn&#39;t that be awesome, but no. There are a lot of bright kids out there that are not military material, doesn&#39;t mean they are bad, just not ready to be one of us.

2017-08-31T06:24:57-04:00 2017-08-31T06:24:57-04:00 SMSgt Lawrence McCarter 2881200

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>NO, of course not, there are plenty of deserving students that deserve and need the educational finance aid. I had the VA help Me and I also worked to help pay, I didn&#39;t need or take any student loans. In the case of two of My own Children however needed that assistance , that along with what I helped to pay sure helped both of them. They also worked to help pay some of their own expenses. My third offspring I paid for a course for Him to obtain His contractors license and He is a licensed building contractor with his own business. I&#39;m not scared by someone obtaining a level of education, I&#39;m scared by someone that doesn&#39;t learn anything or advance their knowledge base.

2017-08-31T07:09:04-04:00 2017-08-31T07:09:04-04:00 Capt Private RallyPoint Member 2881208

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Can&#39;t see any reason for this. <br /><br />What only the military should receive help to achieve? So many others deserve help and many do get it and become very productive citizens.

2017-08-31T07:17:54-04:00 2017-08-31T07:17:54-04:00 CPT Chris Loomis 2881603

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Absolutely not. <br /><br />However, I am of the opinion that if you serve in the military your student loans should be discharged by a scale of how long you served determining how much (percentage) of your total loans will be discharged.

2017-08-31T10:39:32-04:00 2017-08-31T10:39:32-04:00 CAPT Kevin B. 2881670

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Ready to more than double the Pentagon budget? Take a look at Israel. 5.8% of their GDP. We&#39;re at 3.3%. The sheer numbers of kids and what do we do with them? Oh, spend money, train, and lose them. That&#39;d be the largest catch and release program going. The other thing being missed is anytime a social program is laid on the military, we lose lethality and effectiveness. How much? Probably the same range of actual warfighter/technical skill training vs. everything else. The largest expense line is salary. There are a lot of countries out there with mandatory service and low GDP expenditure. How good would you feel about not having much training, crappy barracks, and crappy equipment?

2017-08-31T11:07:59-04:00 2017-08-31T11:07:59-04:00 SFC Private RallyPoint Member 2881750

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It&#39;s an interesting proposition. Our country is in debt pretty hard core and school is becoming over inflated. Fortune should favor the bold. I think student loans should be a qualifying factor to the point of demonstrated work history dependent on trade&#39;s the economy needs etc. If your a millennial high school graduate that has never had a job, smoking weed on mom and dads couch playing video games you should not qualify for Pell grant, loans etc. Those children should stay stagnant and pave the way for harder working go getters looking to advance. Also I think loans and assistance should only be given to degree programs capable of showing ROI. Don&#39;t approve someone for a $150,000 loan on a degree program designed to speak fluent language of Dothraki on game of thrones. You&#39;re wasting tax payer dollars because that person will default on the loan. I want the best for my children just like everybody else but something has to give to fix the countries situation. 20 Tril deficit will affect my daughters and your children&#39;s generation more than ours. To answer the question though, &quot;NO&quot; I do not believe military service should be a qualifying factor. Just a thought...

2017-08-31T11:40:26-04:00 2017-08-31T11:40:26-04:00 CPO Glenn Moss 2881776

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Nope.<br /><br />Not everything in our society revolves around the military, nor should it.<br /><br />And some people just aren&#39;t suited for the military. But that&#39;s no reason to make getting a higher education more difficult for them.

2017-08-31T11:49:50-04:00 2017-08-31T11:49:50-04:00 SFC Stephen Smithers 2881817

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>No, what about the kids that can&#39;t join? My daughter is 5&#39;2 and 100 lbs. she can&#39;t join any branch.

2017-08-31T12:08:35-04:00 2017-08-31T12:08:35-04:00 CPT David Lowe 2882140

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I thank everyone for their response. I posed this question for a research paper last year, and came up with some surprising answers. The two main reasons this would never work are:<br />1) this would be akin to a draft, and it would be political suicide for any politician who suggested such legislation.<br />2) Colleges and Universities are, at their core, highly lucrative profit centers, and would stand to lose profits due to standardized tuition and regulated fees.<br /><br />The fact is there are too many barriers to military service. Teenage obesity is on the rise, violent gangs, drug use, and high dropout rates have created a problem of crisis proportions. Nearly 41 percent of teenagers already have a criminal record (beyond traffic citations), which could exclude them from military service. For those that can qualify, there is no guaranteed entry. Currently, the military is not able to accept the number of potential applicants. For those that are able to enter military service, about 15 percent never complete basic training and therefore do not qualify for educational or VA benefits. For those that do successfully complete a minimum enlistment, usually two to six years, funding for college may not be available. <br /><br />We have a student loan debt crisis. Student loan debt is currently $1.3 trillion dollars with $31 billion currently in default. The average non-specialty four year degree will cost approximately $100,000.00 for in-state tuition plus books and living expenses. We, as a country need to find a way to either subsidize higher education or lower tuition cost. Nearly 20% of college graduates find themselves unemployed or under-employed, impacting their ability to repay their loans. Predatory lenders swoop in to buy up defaulted loans sending interest rates skyrocketing and destroying the credit worthiness of the graduates. The dominoes fall fast leaving the bill to rest of the country. Does anyone have an answer?

2017-08-31T14:18:28-04:00 2017-08-31T14:18:28-04:00 Cpl Justin Goolsby 2882839

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I don&#39;t believe so. Kids had to sign a Promissory Note to promise to pay the money back before they were even approved. Some even had to have their parents co-sign it. It&#39;s called being an adult. Military service shouldn&#39;t be a prerequisite to act like an adult.

2017-08-31T18:26:55-04:00 2017-08-31T18:26:55-04:00 SFC Thomas Butler 2889195

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>What&#39;s next? Military service as a prerequisite for a mortgage, food stamps, WIC, health insurance? Give me a break. The things/people which make our country great also include things/people which have nothing to do with military service. Hell, I&#39;d sacrifice a few divisions worth of troops for a couple of million more dedicated teachers, polie officers, EMT&#39;s, firemen, nurses, and civil servants.

2017-09-03T11:18:01-04:00 2017-09-03T11:18:01-04:00 CA Delete D. 3283357

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Of course not. Not everyone is eligible for enlistment. It&#39;d be nice to require a short enlistment to bring back a sense of deference, responsibility and propriety in America, especially given the millenial &quot;1st place ribbon just for showing up&quot; crap. But no, student loans should just be used less. Why does everyone feel the need to get a bachelors anyway? Plenty of trade schools that are quicker, easier to get financing, and provide much needed skills. The stats about higher pay are a little too general......people need to get on dept. Of labors website and start researching a course of career action for themselves before signing off on debt.

2018-01-22T15:28:22-05:00 2018-01-22T15:28:22-05:00 2017-08-31T05:15:29-04:00