Women are more dependent than men on student loans. Yet we never see budget numbers divided up by their impact on women and men. Feminist thinkers and economists at Expo 96 shattered myths surrounding the federal budget. For the past several years almost every politician has railed about the need to balance the federal budget and cut the national debt. Education and student loans have been targeted for cuts, and some politicians are talking about eliminating the Department of Education.
Economists are divided about whether our deficit is a problem.
After all, every family incurs deficits all the time to buy a house or car, or to get an education. Politicians use the federal budget deficit as a way to silence reformers, said Ehrenreich. You just shrug and say, No, can t afford it. Our national parks, our clean air and water, are assets. If they were, much of the debt would be offset, according to some budget analysts.