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Guys I know tumblr is western centric but why is everyone radio silent about the Ukrainian elections yesterday

Like I am not saying you’re a bad person for not talking about it just that it’s, like, legitimately one of the most baffling political events I have ever witnessed in my life.

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Summer time is almost here. Getting the urge to start writing again. But write about what? That’s the real question here.

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Thoughts on Financing Continued Education

As many young Americans know, it is nearly impossible to secure gainful employment without first having a college degree. Usually that entails 4 years of schooling at an institution that costs around $20,000 a year to attend. There are alternate routes like 2 + 2 transfer programs and distance learning which can save students a lot of money. Regardless, 4 years of schooling is going to cost tens of thousands of dollars.

This begs the question, how can someone, yet alone the young adult, afford that? For most students the answer is federal financial aid and outside scholarships coupled with a series of loans. This means that most young adults are already stricken with crippling debt before they’ve even had the chance to start their careers, purchase a home, or start a family. The issue of college debt is one that’s just begging to be alleviated and reforms to the federal system of college financial aid need to be implemented.

The issue with federal aid is that it’s not merit based. It’s based solely on the financial needs of the student. These needs are usually determined by the combined income of the student and their parents. If the total income of the family is above $50,000 the student is not eligible for ANY Pell grant money, which means all of their college has to be paid for through personal funds, scholarships, and of course loans.

This usually isn’t an issue for the impoverished and the lower middle class as they are eligible for financial aid, nor is it much of an issue for upper class families as they have the excess money to throw around. The issue is for the upper middle class students whose families live at their income level. In other words they spend around the same amount that they bring in. Students from upper middle class families are forced to rack up a considerably larger amount of debt than students from lower income households because they are all but forced to borrow.

What if these people don’t want to borrow any money? There’s only a few options out there. They can immediately enter the workforce out of high school, but if they’re lucky enough to find a good paying job that they halfway like then it’s much less likely that they’ll ever go back to school. They could also join the military and use their GI Bill benefits, but since the military is at its smallest size since before WW2 and the recruiting pool is larger than ever, it’s become harder than ever to join up. The final realistic option is for the student to wait until they’re 24 so that they can file as an independent student, but again if the prospective student is somehow making over $50k on their own, they’re eligible for nothing. Otherwise their only hope besides a large inheritance from a distant relative is the lottery or a lucrative scholarship.

What this system of federal aid for college ultimately does is create a cycle. Prospective students from upper middle class families often start out their careers heavily in debt or they never even get out of the gate at all because their families couldn’t afford to send them to college. Still others are forced to sign away eight years of their lives to the military in order to afford a college education. Students from lower class families usually don’t come out of college with as much debt and therefore accumulate wealth at a faster rate than their upper middle class counterparts. A switch often occurs during this time and the upper middle class student becomes lower middle class due to their debts and late start in life, while the lower middle class student becomes part of the upper middle class. If nothing changes with the current system of financial aid, the flip will occur again when their children decide it’s time to go to college.

So, how do we go about fixing this problem? I propose a system that is merit based, rather than need based. If a student graduates from high school with a 4.0 GPA regardless of their family’s income level, then they deserve a full ride to a community college and the maximum grant amount to a 4-year school. From there it would be tiered based upon the student’s GPA. A student with under a 2.5 GPA would not be able to receive any federal aid to a 4-year school, but would be eligible for a small amount for a community college. This system is based upon my belief that in everything, people should be rewarded upon the merit of their actions and efforts. No one is entitled to anything without first earning it. In my opinion such a merit based system would be among the most effective ways to start building a smarter and stronger America.

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Archer text posts pt8

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Can we have cute girls doing not cute things? Or not cute girls doing cute things? Or even not cute girls doing not cute things

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going here today by myself, supposedly it’s haunted. hopefully I’ll find out c;

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Christmas: The Post!

I just want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and I hope that Santa will be good to you guys this year. No matter how many gifts you get, be sure to thank whoever gave the gifts to you. Most importantly, be sure to thank God for the gift of Christ and everything else you've been blessed with no matter how small or trivial it may seem.

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Random Thoughts on Christmas Eve Eve

Well it's two days until Christmas and I've been thinking about some things:

First off, why is depression so prevalent during what's supposed to be the most joyous time of year? I've got several friends both irl and online that are down in the dumps right now. Even though I try cheering them up they're still a bit blue, but I gotta keep trying to make them smile smile smile.

I'm excited for the snow days in GTA Online. Snowball fights are going to be awesome and I'm wondering if driving on the snow in the game will be realistic or if it'll just be a texture mod. I'll be doubly impressed if it's slick. I'm betting the changes will start tomorrow, but who knows with Rockstar.

The first Santa Clause movie was good. The second one wasn't bad and the third was just a typical Disney cheese fest. Like most modern Santa movies the concept of Christ is avoided altogether, thus advancing the commercial idea of Christmas and speeding up the gradual degradation of the holiday's Christian meaning and values.

Lastly, anyone who opposes hunting, either for sport or sustenance, and still eats meat is a hypocrite. Have these people ever seen how the animals that bear their meats are slaughtered on an industrial scale with cold and ruthless efficiency? I love meat, don't get me wrong, but the meat industry is not a pretty thing. So, to all of the carnivorous animal rights activists, at least I know where the meat I've harvested comes from.

But hey, these are just like my opinions, guys.

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The truth about guns and gun control... Don't let the Left get you down, friends~ Go back at them with the facts!

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Jimmy pens some Christmas-themed thank you notes!

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Get to Know Your Tumblr-Er

what is your middle name? Sorry. Not giving that one out~ do you have any fears? Failure in general. where are you from? Virginia first career you wanted as a child: NASCAR Driver what’s your sign? Virgo future names of your children: I always liked the name Gavin for a boy. what are you listening to right now? MUSE - The Small Print do you believe in fate/destiny? Not really. You make your own destiny. what are your career goals? ATM it's to teach high school social studies. what is your favourite colour? Yellow what is your favourite flower? Daisy I guess. Not really a flower fan. what was the first concert/show you attended? Heart Brigade Heart Tribute Band something you are working on right now: WWE 2K15 have you ever had a near-death experience? I almost got t-boned once. left or right handed? Shoot with my left, but for the most part right handed on everything else. tv shows you watch regularly: Football and racing related stuff. last movie you watched? The Santa Clause

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A Boba Fett painting I did. You can purchase this piece and more at my etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtofAnthonySalinas

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The Taste of Battle

Lineart by myself and colored by my good friend EdwinprGTR

It's based on a moment in our skype RP where in a flashback the character Sorrel descended into madness after an intense battle in the jungles of Oatia.

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world war I: assassination of archduke franz ferdinand

world war II: expansionism of nazi germany

world war III: seth rogen movie