Taxpayer-subsidized scam

At a time when college students are drowning in lifelong educational debt, self-serving for-profit colleges are wallowing in wealth, enabled by profiteers, including Washington politicians, state governments, Wall Street, and debt collectors. These schools are both our country’s fastest-growing educational provider and its worst.

Unlike our community colleges, private non-profits, and public institutions, the for-profits are not in the game to provide an honest educational product, but to suck in as much money as possible, as modeled by their customary owners – Wall Street. They draw on speculators and hedge funds to finance their growth. In 2014 Apollo Education Group alone, owner of University of Phoenix and other chains, garnered over $200 million in profit.

Thousands of students have been bilked and bankrupted; nearly 40 state attorneys general are investigating illegalities. The Department of Education has finally begun actions against five of the most abusive student debt-collectors; and students and their families have launched myriad lawsuits.

The industry’s iniquity is exacerbated by their preying on low-income workers, minorities, and veterans, who hope that a degree will give them a financial leg up to the middle class.

These criminal colleges are being abetted by our own tax dollars, by enrolling students in high-interest loans, to the tune of $1.3 trillion in debt, second only to mortgage debt, which brought our economy to its knees a few short years ago. It’s time to slash public financing of these vicious exploiters of our young people.

Easter thoughts

Easter Sunday is a golden date on the Christian’s calendar, yet three-fourths of the world’s people do not believe in the Resurrection. Liberal theology has caused many to doubt this historical event.

Faith can be a mental attitude but trust comes from the heart. If you trust someone you have faith in that person. A major advance in the Christian experience comes when we learn not only to believe in God but to trust Him for everything.

Jesus asked the question … when He returns, will He find faith on the earth? Jesus is saying that when He comes back, will He find people who believe what the Bible says.

National leader?

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has all 11 deadly sins of the Anti-Christ: pride, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, sloth, intolerance, hate, bigotry, violence, and prejudice.

Pope Francis said Trump thinks of building walls rather than building bridges. Mitt Romney calls him “phony;” Hillary Clinton describes his behavior as “political arson;” Bernie Sanders calls him a “pathological liar;” Senator Elizabeth Warren describes his behavior as "petty bullying, flagrant narcissism and cheap racism;" Fox News describes his vitriolic attacks against anchor Megyn Kelly as “beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate;” and Russian leader Vladimir Putin endorses him for President and describes him as “a really brilliant and talented person.”

A British politician described him as a dangerous fool who should not be allowed within 1,000 miles of British shores. His comments about John McCain and Muslims led to the cancellation of a scheduled visit to Israel.

Trump calls women "dogs" and "fat pigs." At one event he saw a mother pumping breast milk for her baby and described her behavior as “disgusting.” He went through divorce from three wives and cheated on one of them.

The Republican presidential front-runner lacks both professional experience and a grasp of world issues. He has neither the temperament nor the judgment to lead America.

Bad idea

One of the world's most acclaimed vocal performers, a near sold-out auditorium. Columbus, Ga., home of Columbus State University’s, Schwob School of Music, perhaps the finest collegiate music program in the state. Sir Elton John, often resident of Buckhead, openly gay man, and Georgia's best-known supporter of full inclusion for all Georgians.

Sadly, Columbus may also become known as the home of legalized discrimination as proposed by Sen. Josh McKoon's, "Religious Freedom Restoration Act."

Will Governor Deal sign HB 757 into law?

The Atlanta Area Metro Chamber of Commerce said the law could cause the state to possibly loose several billion dollars in business.

This Georgian has no ill will against the Georgia Baptist Mission Board which spearheaded this proposal, but he believes that Jesus would, for sure, stand with Elton John, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, Microsoft, and Google.

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Taxpayer-subsidized scam."