I can imagine that Jessica Robinson’s job is much like working in the writers’ room at a late-night chat fest. She msut laugh and laugh as she types these e-mail delusions to the press.

To pretend that MoHELA’s problem have nothing to do with taking millions of dollars out of their portfolio is laughable–if not foolish.

But factual.

Suzy, if you knew anything about financial markets you would know that the assets sold couldn’t have been sold at a more opportune time. Selling off immediately prior to a big, I mean HUGE meltdown is about as close to perfect timing as one could achieve. The fact is, if the entire portfolio were still intact, the losses Mohela is experience would just be magnified. To think anything other is foolish.

So, Amazed: how did Blunt know the “meltdown” was about to occur?

Amazed, there is one enormous flaw in your argument. Even assuming those securities were sold immediately prior to a huge “meltdown”, look at where those funds went. THEY DIDN’T ALL GO BACK IN MOHELA. Regardless of how financially saavy you are suggesting our Governor is, the problem lies in the fact that a chunk of the money was removed from MOHELA’S coffers, much like the Republicans want to do with Social Security funding. Ordinary people aren’t mad Blunt pulled the money out of some securities, they’re mad because he took a chunk of the money away from a well-funded plan for kids’ educations and inserted it into riduculous pet projects pushed by his dirty constituents. Think next time. You’re probably the same guy that thinks Democrats will expand government after 8 years of unprecedented spending and debt. Just think. The Republican Party you loved in the 80’s doesn’t exist anymore. They may not tax, but they love to spend.

What has been done to MOHELA flies in the face of its mission and every family with a college-bound child should be outraged. If you remember, MOHELA’s own consultant advised against the asset sale, predicting exactly what is happening now. You should also remember that MOHELA board members who weren’t on board with Blunt’s plan were replaced. MOHELA administrators who spoke against the plan to sell assets were ousted. Now, the chickens have come home to roost and all you Blunt supporters can only say that it would have happened anyway.

Let me remind you one last fact: MOHELA was the best student loan agency in the nation, well respected and solvent. It was the perfect example of how a student loan agency was suppose to treat students and encourage higher education. Now, thanks to Blunt and company, it is not.

Slow down folks. I never stated that it was a great idea or a terrible idea to sell the securities and use the proceeds to invest in higher education. I was just debunking Suzy’s suggestion that taking money out of a portfolio at an almost perfect time hurts the portfolio.

Blunt never had a clue that a meltdown just as millions of other investors had no clue.

Did the funds not go to higher education facilities throughout the state? The same institutions that we constantly hear are in dire need of funding?

Every family with a college bound student shouldn’t be looking at an outside entity to provide that student the opportunity to attend college. If you want a college education, work, work, and a little more work is more than adequate enough to get a kid through 4 years at any of the state schools in Missouri. It is even more affordable if you knock out all the piddly pre-reqs at a JUCO. Jeez louise people where is your individual responsibility?

Amazed-

I am a lawyer. I grew up in St. Louis and eventually acheived my goal of graduating from undergrad and a wonderful law school in this City. My family was uneducated - and relatively poor. While my FAFSA application led to a loan in the maximum amount MoHELA could grant at the time, $18,500 per year, I still couldn’t afford law school, even with a nearly full time job. Tuition and housing totaled around $36K per year. I had to borrow money from nearly every person I could. I had to swallow my pride and even ask for money from more distant relatives and friends. MoHELA helped, and I couldn’t have recieved a higher degree without it, but it wasn’t enough. My family was wanting, but certainly wasn’t indigent by today’s standards.

You say the parents should “work, work” etc. - but what if they don’t - or don’t have the means. Should the child be penalized because the parent didn’t provide everything for the child’s future? Call social welfare systems “outside entities” or whatever you will, but please do not attempt to marginalize their purpose or effectiveness.

I hate to attempt to classify you, but I am guessing the availability of student loans didn’t determine whether you went to college. Let’s be honest. Were you to stand in the shoes of one less fortunate, I imagine you would be less callous about our Governor’s lackluster performance. The massive flaw in your argument this time is that you are assessing the “individual responsibility” of the parent rather than that of the child who is struggling to obtain a decent education. Don’t ignore this. I expect a response.

really,

Congrats on you achievement. Let me counter a few of you beliefs about me. I attended STL Public schools until my sophmore year of high school. I lived in one of the most run down areas of North St. Louis at that time. My parents weren’t rich by any means. When I graduated high school, I went to one of our fine state schools and get this, payed my own way completely.

I wasn’t referring to the parents when I mentioned work. I was referring to the individual wanting to attend college. Even if a college student were to attend class and study for a total of 8 hours a day, which we all know most do not, that leaves 16 hours. You can’t tell me that a person can’t find a way to make some money during that 16 hours. I worked an average of 30 hrs a week while school was in and 60-80 hrs a week during the summers. It can be done without help from outside entities.

As to your own situation, I’m going to assume you attend WashU or Slu Law. Both great schools with great price tags. I can guarantee you there are less expensive routes to earning a law degree. In fact, some of my friends from school received their undergrad in Cape and went on to law degrees at MU, SIUC, and various schools in their respective home states.

Where in the rulebook does it state that one has to complete school in a 4-5 year span? Why not take 6 or 7 and pay as you go with money you earn? My wife’s Master’s was paid for in cash and it took her about 1 semester more to get there than was expected. But she did it without debt and without any outside source to pay for it. Amazing huh?

Lastly, reallyamazed, the massive flaw in your last post is you misunderstood a sentence in my last post. The one that reads, “If YOU want a college education, work, work, and a little more work is enough to get a kid through college.” The key word is YOU. If YOU want a college education, work will get you one with a little sweat along the way.

Cranky this morning, aren’t we Suze. Your hatred has spilled over.

Let me explain slooooowwwwllly so that you may understand. If the assets had not been sold, the problems MOHELA is experiencing would still be present, only with much, much bigger losses. Get it?

You are linking the sale of assets to the current troubles and the two are not related.

Should have known that Amazed is from North St. Louis.

Just deleted 3 comments — by Suzy, Amazed and Mr. Haas, because they used a certain four-letter word not allowed on Political fix — or an obvious characterization of it.

Apologize for not catching them earlier, but I’ve been out of town for a couple days, and no Internet was available.

I’m still out of town, but also back on the job.

Come on folks, you all can come up with better language.

Here we go again amazed. Thanks your for your last post by the way. I truly do appreciate your thoughts. Anyway:

Mistake #1: “I can guarantee you there are less expensive routes to earning a law degree.” Wrong. Between scholarships and being able to live at home with my parents, the private school I attended was much more affordable than UMKC, Mizzou or SIUC could have been.

Mistake #2: “the massive flaw in your last post is you misunderstood a sentence in my last post. The one that reads, “If YOU want a college education, work, work, and a little more work is enough to get a kid through college.”” Go back and read your post, you’re talking about the parents, not the kids. Example #1 - you say: “EVERY FAMILY WITH a college bound student shouldn’t be looking at an outside entity to provide that student the opportunity to attend college.” If you were talking about the potential student financing the education, you would have eliminated the first three words. Example #2 - your immediately following sentence is “If you want a college education, work, work, and a little more work is more than adequate enough TO GET A KID through 4 years at any of the state schools in Missouri.” Note, “to get a kid” - you didn’t say to get YOU or YOURSELF. After my post, you realized the flaw in your argument and tried to recharacterize your comments. Nice try actually.

Mistake #3: I’m not sure when you went to college, but I finished 8 years ago. Even in this short period of time, tuition has increased exponentially. Those who could afford to work their wany through college 10 years ago have a much more difficult time doing so now. A simple GOOGLE search will show tuitions across the country rising at rates much higner than the Consumer Price Index/inflation - and most agree it will get worse before it gets better. With this being the case, and with higner importance being placed on higher education, loan programs like MoHELA are becoming increasingly critical.

Mistake #4: Not all people can work and wait. I could have earned $20-$25K a year with the type of job I was qualified for out of undergrad. Between living expenses, car payments, gas, food, clothing, etc. - I’d have been 60 years old before I could have gone to law school. I would have gone nowhere fast without a TEMPORARILY subsidized education. Let’s look at another example - doctors. Everyone loves doctors. You know what in-state UMKC tuition is? About $25K a year. Probably the cheapest med school in the Midwest. How long do you think it’s gonna take a kid coming out of a state school with a BS in biology to get enough money to go to medical school? What are you gonna do with a BS in biology? Though you need it for med school, you can’t do anything lucrative enough with it in the real word to prepay for medical school at even the cheapest of institutions. And let’s not forget how much that tuition’s gonna go up in the 20 years it takes you to build up a nestegg to get into school.

College is more important these days than it’s ever been. The price is also higher than it’s ever been. We gotta help these kids get through school. Again. I NEVER could have received a higher education without MoHELA, and I guarantee you there are many, many others out there in the exact same position. Just one more reason that we need people who have experienced real-life problems to be in public office instead of those from the “ivory towers”.

If you are still around to care, I have a question for you Reallyamazed.

Did I have this conversation with you awhile back? At the time I listed what Missouri, Missouri State, and SEMO listed on their website for what an “average” student would need in school. Between 12-20,000 was the range that I believe they fell into. Now if you are college bound and abled body, you can EASILY earn 15-20,000 a year. You may have to suck up a little of your college bound pride and do some not so glamorous jobs like eliver pizzas or landscape, but it you can certainly make a that money.

Great job on picking two professions to try to get your point across about tuitions. Yes med school is very expensive. Law school can be and is definitely higher than a BS at a state school. Why not address the 90% of degrees issued that aren’t in the aforementioned professions?

Mohela wasn’t the only way you could make it through Law School, just the most convenient for you. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s much more convenient to keep student loan debt to a bare minimum.