Online poker, and unpaid student loans…

[CountingMyOuts]

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You sound like one of those morons that thinks that thinks that the First Amendment applies to non-governmental censorship. There is a huge difference between prohibition, entitlement and a loan contract.

Let me be clear, I am practically libertarian as far as governmental interference is concerned. But what you have here is the Goverment through its power to tax setting up a program to benefit society as a whole by making education available to those who otherwise could not afford it.

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Practically libertarian? Based on your response, I guess it's code for "dime store" libertarian.

Would a libertarian want to spend even more tax dollars policing college students and how they use their student loans? I don't think so.

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Using student loans to gamble is indefenseable. You want to gamble, fine, just don't do it with tax-payer money earmarked for education. Using this money for gambling is tantamount to fraud, and is no different than misappropriating any other type of funding-- for which there are criminal consequences. It has nothing to do with being a Nanny state, or being responsible for oneself. It is about misappropriating money and putting a program at risk that is for the education of others.

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Did I try to defend college students spending their loans on gambling (or anything else other than the intended college expenses)?

Using college student loans for gambling has everything to do with being responsible for oneself. If you default on your loans because you gambled them away, then you pay the price.

College students are adults, like it or not. If they default on their loans, then they should be held responsible for their actions. Just don't spend my tax dollars policing them after they sign the papers and receive the loan money.

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Not only does the government have EVERY right to take steps to see that the money it is lending for education gets USED for education, in the face of evidence that it is NOT being used for education, it has a responsibility to protect the taxpayers and the future generations that this program is intended to benefit.

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In the face of what evidence? Do you have statistics to back up this claim?

Again, don't spend my tax dollars policing these adults for every possible of misuse of their loans.

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Frankly, gambling with borrowed money where the lender believes the money is being lent for some other purpose is about as unethical as it gets. I don't think anyone at 2+2, which is a site for responsible gamblers, should be condoning it.

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I don't see where I said I condone college students using the loans for their online poker pursuits. I don't condone it and yes, it is unethical.

Still, they are adults. They are responsible for their decisions and their actions. Don't use my tax dollars to police them.

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You can quibble all you want about whether the Gov. can realistically police this, (and I might agree) but don't try to pass off gambling with the Gov.s' education loans as something that the Gov. has no business interfering with.

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I'm not going to quibble about how realistic their ability is to police this, because it's not realistic.

However, if you want to make sure college students aren't gambling away their student loans, you may as well start making sure they are not using their loan money at bars, carryouts, strip joints, tobacco shops, internet porn for pay, etc. Spending the loan money on the activities is no less ethical. When does the policing end?