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moregraceful · 1 year

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birdcage why is college so expensive. sorry this is weird ask i am going SICKO mode right now

my friend i wish i knew. i do not know what country you are coming to me from but here in the united states of hell, i feel only rage when i think about how university is free in some countries. like rn in graduate horror funhouse college, i just paid for a semester where the line items for cost were "credits" + "fees". tf am i paying for here. give me a line item breakdown. tell me exactly where my money is going so i feel empowered as a student!!

i am sorry you are in the thick of it, you have my greatest sympathies. if you have to take out federal student aid, my main recommendation is whenever you have to call their customer service line to get some nonsense bullshit sorted out, be really careful about what you dial bc one time i misdialed my student loan servicer by one number and ended up on the phone with a sex line call center. the psychic damage i took was immense. "hey handsome thank you for calling [name of the sex line call center i forgot what it was], are you touching yourself? would you like to be?" "this is not my federal student aid loan service customer help line......is it??" and it wasn't.

#no but you are so valid for being mad. go get that college degree and then tear down the system that made you pay for it #imho state and community colleges and trade schools should be 100% free and paid for by the government #and private colleges should be empowered to assist as many first gen students and low income students as possible #and my hottest take? every school - EVERY SCHOOL - should provide ample subsidized housing for at least 1/3-1/2 of all students #including designated subsidized and/or free housing for returning students and adult students with families of multiple kids #that's a rant for another day lmao #anyway i am so sorry you are in sicko mode!! stunt on those hoes #cage replies #anon

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tcifiscal · 4 years

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Addressing Barriers to Virtual Learning for Virginia Students

As the new school year begins, students will face a back-to-school environment far more unique than any in modern history. For students returning virtually or in a hybrid manner, this challenging transition is made even more difficult for students who do not have access to or cannot afford reliable, high quality internet. This inequity has for the most part been left up to cash-strapped local governments to try and resolve. On Tuesday, the governor proposed state assistance ($84.5 million) to expand broadband access to presently unserved areas. As state legislators review the governor’s proposal, they should also consider providing additional resources to families and schools to help with financial barriers to internet access and additional rent and mortgage relief.

Despite the importance of the internet and digital devices for everyday activities, even prior to the pandemic, thousands of Virginia families still lack access. According to 2018 5-year ACS Census data, over 190,000 Virginia households with people under 18 lack an internet subscription or do not have any computing device. Missing either of these components severely limits students from completing schoolwork digitally, and attending school in the same ways as their peers.

Despite conventional assumptions, students in both rural and urban areas struggle with internet and device access. A 2019 Commonwealth Connect report estimates that as many as 1 in 3 residents of rural Virginia lack access to high-speed broadband and a new analysis from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) found that almost 40% of students without internet access actually live in or around urban areas.

Unfortunately, Black and Hispanic students face even more barriers to home internet access and digital devices. In Virginia, 12% of all white households lack a subscription to the internet or any computing device. For Hispanic households, that number rises to 15%, while for Black households, the number is almost twice the amount as white households, at 22%. For households with computers, Black households are nearly twice as likely to lack access to broadband (higher speed) internet subscription than white households.

Even for those students who have the benefit of internet access and a computing device, more support can be provided. Students without laptops or desktop computers also have more difficulty completing longer term assignments (such as research papers) exclusively on their phones.

While internet access is crucial, it won’t help students if they don’t also have access to housing. The COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession have made housing stability for low-income renters much more difficult. One in five adult renters in Virginia was behind on rent in mid-July, and national data shows that renters who are parents or otherwise live with children are nearly twice as likely to be behind on rent compared to adults not living with anyone under age 18. Black and Latinx adults are more likely to be renters and therefore are more impacted by these challenges.

While the administration has provided $50 million for rent and mortgage relief, this is a small fraction of the total need. The National Low Income Housing Coalition has estimated that it would cost Virginia $2.8 billion to provide sufficient housing assistance between May 2020 and June 2021 for all Virginia renters who have been impacted by job loss – advocates in Virginia have requested a smaller allocation of $1 billion.

Solutions to these problems need to take several factors into account. The first is the cause of the lack of internet or a device. For some students, especially rural students, it is an issue of infrastructure: broadband simply has not reached their region yet. For these students, the governor’s proposal to increase funding for the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI), a program which extends broadband to areas throughout the state, can play an important role. Lawmakers should consider adding an amendment to the reallocation instructing the program to track progress on closing the racial digital divide in the state.

However, affordability is also a major concern -- in many areas of the state, students may have broadband in their area, but their families are unable to afford it. Establishing mobile hotspots and distributing devices with keyboards with internet enabled are positive first steps in addressing this divide. The state government has helped some amount in the short run by designating millions in flexible emergency federal CARES funds to localities that could be used for short-term access solutions, as well as the governor’s allocations specifically for internet and device access, but localities are already worrying about when this money runs out and many other reopening costs.

With many schools on the hook for purchasing devices and internet for their students this fall, the state should provide additional flexible dollars to schools to be able to make these short-term investments. The Fund Our Schools coalition has called on lawmakers to provide $600 million in emergency flexible funding during the special legislative session that started on August 18, which could go to meet this need.

The state could also expand affordable internet access to families by establishing a statewide broadband assistance program. For example, legislation was recently considered in Illinois to create a broadband assistance program that would provide free broadband service to families whose incomes are at or below 100% of the federal poverty line ($21,720 for a family of three in 2020). Families with annual household incomes above 100% but below 135% of the federal poverty line and families who have a member who qualifies for SNAP, SSI, or other benefit program would qualify for a credit of around $10 a month at minimum to pay toward their internet service. Virginia could consider a similar program in order to distribute resources quickly and directly to families who need it most.

Federal action is also needed to address affordability and provide internet to families. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) could modify the federal E-Rate Program to allow for it to subsidize home internet access, as education leaders have requested, and Congress can approve additional funds to expand its reach. The Emergency Educational Connections Act introduced in the Senate and House would expand the reach of the E-Rate program beyond schools and libraries and provide billions in federal assistance to help cover costs. Virginia Sens. Warner and Kaine and Reps. McEachin, Luria, Spanberger, and Wexton are all cosponsors. These changes and funds are critical. Community buildings like libraries act as digital lifelines for many families, yet the public health situation changes the ability of these buildings to be used or makes it dangerous to do so.

Even if state leaders acquire additional funding to support schools purchasing hotspots and internet for students, the fact remains that if the infrastructure is not in place this fall, some students will not be able to access the internet regardless. Especially for these students and other students that have barriers to learning virtually, Virginia will need to support schools to offer remedial measures for students when they eventually return to the classroom. All students will have missed valuable instructional time, but these students will have additional barriers to instruction and will need extra support to catch up to peers who continue to have access to more learning resources.

The state could also further regulate or require action from internet service providers (ISPs) to address the digital divide. In particular, the state could require ISPs to support distribution of publicly available data showing access and subscriptions to eliminate the guesswork and individual data collection that many localities have to do to ensure equity for their students. The state also should continue discussing and researching measures that some localities and local leaders have proposed -- including paying for broadband for households that cannot afford it, considering broadband partnerships, or possibly designating ISPs as utilities under state law.

Addressing the systemic inequities in internet access will not be easy, nor will the results over the coming months be perfect. However, it is undeniably a necessary step to make sure that every student will be able to continue their education this year, reduce the achievement gap, and provide a 21st century tool for learning.

– Gabriel Worthington, Research Intern; Chris Duncombe, Policy Director; Chad Stewart, Manager, Education Policy and Development; Kathy Mendes, Research Assistant

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Learn more about The Commonwealth Institute at www.thecommonwealthinstitute.org

#broadband #internet access #virginia #virtual learning #broadband affordability

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vsplusonline · 4 years

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Donald Trump signs $2.2T stimulus after swift congressional votes

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/donald-trump-signs-2-2t-stimulus-after-swift-congressional-votes/

Donald Trump signs $2.2T stimulus after swift congressional votes

President Donald Trump signed an unprecedented $2.2 trillion economic rescue package into law Friday, after swift and near-unanimous action by Congress to support businesses, rush resources to overburdened health care providers and help struggling families during the deepening coronavirus epidemic.

Acting with unity and resolve unseen since the 9/11 attacks, Washington moved urgently to stem an economic free fall caused by widespread restrictions meant to slow the spread of the virus that have shuttered schools, closed businesses and brought American life in many places to a virtual standstill.

“This will deliver urgently needed relief,” Trump said as he signed the bill in the Oval Office, flanked only by Republican lawmakers. He thanked members of both parties for putting Americans “first.”

Earlier Friday, the House gave near-unanimous approval by voice vote after an impassioned session conducted along the social distancing guidelines imposed by the crisis. Many lawmakers sped to Washington to participate – their numbers swollen after a maverick Republican signaled he’d try to force a roll call vote – though dozens of others remained safely in their home districts.

The Senate passed the bill unanimously late Wednesday, 96-0.

“Today we’ve all acknowledged our nation faces an economic and health emergency of historic proportions,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. She said Americans deserve a full-on government response “to address these threats to their lives and their livelihood and they need it now.”

The $2.2 trillion legislation will speed government payments of $1,200 to most Americans and increase jobless benefits for millions of people thrown out of work. Businesses big and small will get loans, grants and tax breaks. It will send unprecedented billions to states and local governments, and the nation’s all but overwhelmed health care system.

“This is not a time for cynicism or invective or second-guessing,” said GOP Whip Liz Cheney of Wyoming. “This is a time to remember that we are citizens of the greatest nation on Earth, that we have overcome every challenge we have faced, and we will overcome this one.”

Despite reservations, arch conservatives joined with progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to back the bill, which moved quickly through a Congress that’s been battered by partisanship and is itself not immune to the suffering the virus has caused. Reps. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., and Mike Kelly, R-Pa., announced Friday that they’d tested positive, bringing the number of infected lawmakers to five.

Tea party Republicans said government orders to shutter businesses merited actions that conflict with their small-government ideology. Liberals accepted generous corporate rescues that accompany larger unemployment benefits, deferrals of student loans, and an enormous surge of funding for health care and other agencies responding to the crisis.

“I’m going to have to vote for something that has things in it that break my heart,” said conservative Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz.

Many lawmakers summoned the bipartisan spirit of 9/11 and efforts to fight terrorism. Others praised the roles low-income workers play in keeping the country going and the heroism of health care workers. Some, like Iowa Democrat Abby Finkenauer, who had just learned of two additional coronavirus-related deaths in her district, came close to tears.

Others couldn’t restrain their partisan impulses. Republicans chided Democratic leaders for delays and provisions they see as extraneous, such as funding for public broadcasting and the arts; Democrats said too many elements are a bailout for corporations that may not need it.

Still, in a chamber increasingly populated by lawmakers whose chief skill often seems to be partisan attacks, Friday’s debate was a noteworthy break.

“We have no time to dither,” said Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va. “We have no time to engage in ideological or petty partisan fights. Our country needs us as one.”

The run-up to the vote contained an element of drama because libertarian conservative Thomas Massie, R-Ky., announced plans to seek a roll call vote.

Leaders of both parties united to prevent that because it would have forced lawmakers back to the Capitol or blemished their voting records if they stayed home. Instead, they made sure enough lawmakers would attend Friday’s session to block Massie’s move under the rules, and lawmakers took the unprecedented step of sitting in the visitors galleries to establish the necessary quorum.

The House promptly adjourned for a weeks-long recess but will return later in the spring to consider further legislation.

“This bill is not only a rescue package, it’s a commitment – a commitment that your government, and the people whom you elected to serve you, will do everything we can to limit the harm and hardship you face, both now and in the foreseeable future,” said Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

The massive CARES Act started as a draft plan among Republicans controlling the Senate who were seeking a greater voice in the coronavirus response efforts — especially after Pelosi was a dominant force in earlier legislation imposing a sick leave mandate on businesses.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., welcomed Democratic participation a week ago, and signed off on a major expansion of unemployment insurance, but his efforts to freeze out Pelosi and force a quick agreement were met with Democratic demands for large infusions of aid to states and hospitals, as well as an assortment of smaller items. McConnell and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York wrestled for days, along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and other administration officials.

Negotiations finally produced a deal early Wednesday morning, and the Senate passed the measure by a 96-0 vote.

The legislation dwarfs prior Washington responses to crises like 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and natural disasters.

Key elements are untested, such as grants to small businesses to keep workers on payroll and complex lending programs to larger businesses. Rebate payments will go to people who have retained their jobs. Agencies like the Small Business Administration and state unemployment systems will be severely taxed, and conservatives fear that a new, generous unemployment benefit will dissuade jobless people from returning to the workforce.

The bill amounts to a bridge loan for much of the economy and carries a price tag that equals half the size of the entire $4 trillion-plus annual federal budget.

The legislation also establishes a $454 billion program for guaranteed, subsidized loans to larger industries in hopes of leveraging up to $4.5 trillion in lending to distressed businesses, states, and municipalities.

There is also $150 billion devoted to the health care system, including $100 billion for grants to hospitals and other health care providers buckling under the strain of COVID-19 caseloads.

It also seeks to strengthen the safety net for the poor and homeless. Schools and students would get relief, small business loans payments would be deferred. Evictions from public housing would be put on pause.

Republicans successfully pressed for an employee retention tax credit designed to help companies keep workers on payroll. Companies would also be able to defer payment of the 6.2% Social Security payroll tax. A huge tax break for interest costs and operating losses limited by the 2017 tax overhaul was restored at a $200 billion cost in a boon for the real estate sector.

Most people who contract the new coronavirus have mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.

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kansascityhappenings · 4 years

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Trump signs $2.2 trillion stimulus after swift, bipartisan congressional votes

WASHINGTON D.C. — President Donald Trump signed an unprecedented $2.2 trillion economic rescue package into law Friday, after swift and near-unanimous action by Congress this week to support businesses, rush resources to overburdened health care providers and help struggling families during the deepening coronavirus epidemic.

Earlier Friday, the House of Representatives gave near-unanimous approval by voice vote after an impassioned session conducted along the social distancing guidelines imposed by the crisis. Many lawmakers sped to Washington to participate — their numbers swollen after a maverick Republican signaled he’d try to force a roll call vote — though dozens of others remained safely in their home districts.

The Senate passed the bill unanimously late Wednesday.

“The American people deserve a government-wide, visionary, evidence-based response to address these threats to their lives and their livelihood and they need it now,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

“This pathogen does not recognize party lines, and no partisan solution will defeat it. Neither will the government acting alone,” said GOP Whip Liz Cheney of Wyoming. “This is not a time for cynicism or invective or second-guessing. This is a time to remember that we are citizens of the greatest nation on Earth, that we have overcome every challenge we have faced, and we will overcome this one.”

Despite reservations, arch conservatives joined with progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to back the bill, which moved quickly through a Congress that’s been battered by partisanship and is itself not immune to the suffering the virus has caused. Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., announced Friday that he has tested positive, just the latest infection in Congress.

Tea party Republicans said government orders to shutter businesses merited actions that conflict with small-government ideology. Liberals accepted generous corporate rescues that accompany larger unemployment benefits, deferrals of student loans, and an enormous surge of funding for health care and other agencies responding to the crisis.

“I’m going to have to vote for something that has things in it that break my heart,” said conservative Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz.

Still, in a chamber increasingly dominated by lawmakers whose chief skill often seems to be partisan attacks, Friday’s debate was a noteworthy break.

“We have no time to dither,” said Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va. “We have no time to engage in ideological or petty partisan fights. Our country needs us as one.”

The run-up to the vote contained an element of drama because libertarian conservative Thomas Massie, R-Ky., announced plans to seek a vote. The leaders of both parties united to prevent that because it would have forced lawmakers back to the Capitol or blemished their voting records if they stayed home. Instead, they made sure enough lawmakers would attend Friday’s session to block Massie’s move under the rules, and lawmakers took the unprecedented step of sitting in the visitors galleries to establish the necessary quorum.

The House promptly adjourned for a weeks-long recess but will return later in the spring to consider further legislation.

“This bill is not only a rescue package, it’s a commitment — a commitment that your government, and the people whom you elected to serve you, will do everything we can to limit the harm and hardship you face, both now and in the foreseeable future,” said Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

The legislation will give $1,200 direct payments to individuals and make way for a flood of subsidized loans, grants and tax breaks to businesses facing extinction in an economic shutdown caused as Americans self-isolate by the tens of millions. It dwarfs prior Washington responses to crises like 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and natural disasters.

Negotiations finally produced a deal early Wednesday morning, and the Senate passed the measure by a 96-0 vote.

The bill amounts to a bridge loan for much of the economy and carries a price tag that equals half the size of the entire $4 trillion-plus annual federal budget.

There is also $150 billion devoted to the health care system, including $100 billion for grants to hospitals and other health care providers buckling under the strain of COVID-19 caseloads.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/tracking-coronavirus/trump-signs-2-2-trillion-stimulus-after-swift-bipartisan-congressional-votes/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2020/03/27/trump-signs-2-2-trillion-stimulus-after-swift-bipartisan-congressional-votes/

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