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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsStudent Debt - For The People Act Video
https://represent.us/drowning-in-student-debt/?akid=127335.937525.wgsa48&rd=1&source=ak-em-uaeh-20210204-kicker&t=12&utm_campaign=uaeh&utm_content=20210204&utm_medium=em&utm_source=ak&utm_term=kickerGot this in an e-mail and thought it was cute, so I'm passing it on.
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44 million Americans are carrying over $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. Many cant become homeowners, afford medical treatment, or even buy groceries because of it. It is a crisis. And like so many of Americas problems, its caused by political corruption.
Watch our new short film to see why corruption is at the root of the student debt crisis, and how right now we have a huge, urgent new opportunity in Congress to fix it.
Lets be clear: Student debt isnt about irresponsible young people taking out more loans than theyll be able to pay back, its about a corrupt cycle between loan companies, lobbyists, and our lawmakers, designed to make them rich and powerful at your expense.
President Biden may make some progress on student debt and while this short term fix would be a big step, it wouldnt solve the root of the problem: Corruption.
Right now, a new anti-corruption law called the For the People Act is moving through Congress. It would break the cycle of corruption by fixing campaign finance and ethics laws, modernizing and securing our elections and voting systems, and ending the pay-to-play politics that lets big money and special interests co-opt our government for their own gain.
But it wont solve anything if it doesnt pass, and thats where you come in. Check out our brand new short film Unbreaking America: Drowning in Student Debt to learn how corruption created this crisis, how the For the People Act would address it, and how you can make sure it passes.
After years of grassroots action and state and local victories, the anti-corruption movement has built nation-wide momentum for democracy reform. Lets use it to win big. We have the best opportunity in decades to pass vital legislation at the federal level. Now, the movement has to double down, up the pressure, and take the fight to Congress.
Thank you for being a part of this movement.
captain queeg
(10,035 posts)Theres been a lot of messaging that you need a college education to get some kind of job that pays well enough to live on, but I think that message is not correct. Lots of careers that pay very well dont require college, like electrician or plumber. They might not have the same status as some college educated jobs, but can pay very well. Young people should be encouraged to look at some of these. Many of these jobs start out as apprenticeships where you are paid while learning rather than going into debt. Also the rise in for profit schools play a big role in the current crises. Add in the spiraling costs of a college education and its a bleak picture for someone just starting out. I think at least nowadays kids realize that a college education isnt an automatic ticket to the good life and are paying more attention to what kind of degree they pursue.
Like a lot of people here, I worked my way thru college incurring minimal debt. But college was way cheaper back then. I could make enough over the summer to pay for tuition. By the time I graduated in 89 tuition was up to $900 per semester which was quite a bit more than when I first started. That was at a state school, and now its 10 times that. I really think rather than trying to make it so everyone can go to college we ought to be looking at other career tracks like technical school and apprenticeships. Things are just way different these days. I tell my son, who is in college now, that I dont really have good advice to give him, other than finding something you like and can make a living at. Not sure Id do things the same myself today, though it worked for me at the time. I figure hes a smart guy and will figure it out, and Ill help as much as I can. I hate seeing kids buried in debt before they really get out and get going in life. But there are certainly some of them that borrow indiscriminately and I dont see forgiving their debt to the same degree as someone who is working and scraping by to get their education.