It's All About Me, Man: [ItsAllAboutMeMan] Re: Washington Post cover-up

Thursday, February 24, 2011

[ItsAllAboutMeMan] Re: Washington Post cover-up

Why don't you talk to your buddy the Coward In Chief about doing something about this? Why is it that every time somebody is doing something in the world that cries out for him to be presidential, he's MIA?

Like BP in the gult, heard about how they are trying to with hold money from their victims just this morning. Where is he?

The question isn't "Where's Waldo," it's "Where's Barach?" Maybe he's off clearing weeds at the ranch of the politician he most closely resembles...

I'm fed up with him, and I'm fed up with you.

On Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 10:27 AM, Judith Meskill, Change.org <mail@change.org> wrote:

Tell the Washington Post Company to stop defrauding low-income students.

Dear Matt,

Here's how the Washington Post Company makes billions of dollars:

Veterans, single moms, and working parents are lured in by admissions counselors at Kaplan University Online (a for-profit college owned by the Post). Students use federal loans to sign up for classes that can be 14 times more expensive than a comparable community college class.

It's basically a scam. Sixty-nine percent of students drop out. A third of students default on their loans, meaning taxpayers are stuck with the bill and the students have their credit destroyed -- while Kaplan keeps all the money.

Shannon Croteau, for example, was 11 classes away from a degree from Kaplan when she learned she was out of financial aid, $30,000 in debt, and that the degree she was working toward would be worthless in her state of New Hampshire.

She was billed for loans she never signed up for, enrolled in classes she didn't choose and, when she complained, was given the runaround by a succession of fake "loan officers." "They lied and cheated," Shannon told Change.org. "It has ruined me."

Shannon has started a petition on Change.org, demanding that the Washington Post Company change its practices or shut down Kaplan Online. More than 10,000 of us have already joined her. Click here to add your name.

A Kaplan University training manual uncovered by Senator Tom Harkin told employees: "If you can help them uncover their true pain and fear...You dramatically increase your chances of enrolling this prospective student." A separate presentation to employees declared that single African-American mothers raising two children were the most profitable, because they were the most likely to drop out.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office even found last year that Kaplan and other for-profit schools "encouraged fraud and engaged in deceptive and questionable marketing practices."

Instead of investigating these practices, the Post has instead tried to cover it up, personally attacking Shannon -- even publicly disclosing her personal financial information in an effort to discredit her.

Shannon isn't backing down -- she's widened her campaign to target the entire Washington Post board, which includes billionaire Warren Buffett; Columbia University President Lee Bollinger; and former General Motors CEO G. Richard Wagoner.

With a surge of attention, we can pressure the Washington Post Company to get out of the business of preying on people's dreams of better educations and better careers.

Please take action today to tell the Washington Post Company to stop the predatory practices or shut down Kaplan University:

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/tell_kaplan_the_washington_post_stop_cashing_in_on_low-income_students?alert_id=CiAruIYDKB_rJmAnEWhUS&me=aa

Thanks for taking action,

Judith and the Change.org team

This email was sent by Change.org to mattlove1@gmail.com.
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