President Obama signed into law the last piece of his mammoth plan to overhaul healthcare Tuesday, and achieved another dramatic and far-reaching change with the very same pen stroke — revamping the way most Americas help pay for a college education.

The healthcare provisions and changes to the loan program for college students were sandwiched into a single piece of legislation — the budget reconciliation bill approved last week by the House and Senate.

via Obama signs reconciliation bill with major student loan change – latimes.com.

This is good news.  I’ve gotten loans through my local bank and directly from the program through the financial aid office at my university and in my experience the second method worked my better.  Tuition was taken directly out of the loans saving a step in billing and payment.  Then, when there was a delay in the loans, there was no hassle because the financial aid office of the university was processing them and knew the issue.

By far the most ridiculous point made in this debate, however, was that made by Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) who said

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