"You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan".
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan".
-Beatles
It's a really interesting time we are living in; the flattening of the world. The Internet age has brought about an evolution in the worlds of science, religion, politics, business and the way that we communicate. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and others are allowing us to share our ideas in a way that gives even the most modest man a voice. They are enabling the common people, the peasants, the working class with the ability to reach out to eachother under a shared vision and goal. Whether it's the overthrow of a dictator in Egypt, the creation of call centers in India, or the pedagogical shift in thinking of the media in the U.S., the rise of social media across the entire globe is changing the way we live, and I want to be more deeply involved.
I am well-educated, well-mannered, well-spoken, and well-read. I am not well connected. I don't have a trust fund. I don't have handlers giving me advice. I am a common man and I feel stifled; not by a dictator or a way of life based on religous fanatics. I am held back by the burden that is student debt. Throughout my childhood, I was consistently hammered with the idea that success is borne from education. I started taking entrance exams for private schools when I was 11. The burden of tuition was a bit much then, but by the time high school came around, I began seriously considering it. At $7,500/year, Xaverian was "affordable" for my parents. They scraped by for 4 years because they promised admittance to a high-end college or university. Although I couldn't afford it, I chose to attend Fordham University, a private Jesuit school. That decision was based on a $20,000/year grant I was issued. Still, even at half tuition, I had to take out loans totaling about $80,000 over the 4 years with an interest rate over 6%. In high school and college, I received a well-rounded education on world history, economics, values of the media, psychology, physics, religion amongst many other helpful subjects. What I wasn't taught was how crippling those loans would be. Upon graduation in 2007, years of financial irresponsibility finally began coming to fruition in what was referred to as ther "financial crisis". Businesses adopted hiring freezes as they tried to hide the mistakes of the past while banks and investment firms were probed for corruption. I chose to pursue a career in teaching to avoid the mess. I spent 3 years working in the Catholic schools of Boston making a little more than poverty level income while deferring my loans by going to grad school, because my salary could't support my debt. I tried living on my own at the time, and I could barely afford it due to my deferred loans. All the while I was adding more debt while accruing interest. Eventually I had to move home once I finished grad school because deferrment had ended, and now the loans would need to be paid. I am now 26 years old, I still live at home, and I am paying over $500/month in loans. The kicker; that is only covering the interest I am accruing. That doesn't even begin to cover the principal balance.
I have sat and watched as banks have been bailed out, as unemployment levels have grown, and those collecting have been supported. Because I am educated, I am being punished. Unless I come up with an idea that will allow me the financial freedom to pay my debt in a lump sum, I will never be able to afford a mortgage. Let's face it, higher education has become as much a business as anything else. Tuitions for private univerisities are reaching astronomically high levels. Fordham is actually charging $56,000/year for students needing room and board. Loan providers such as Sallie Mae have been issuing loans at a debilitating interest rate for years, and they seemingly hand them out like candy. Before I go any further, I want to ensure I am not complaining, I know full well I got myself into this. My concern is that something needs to be done before others accept this albatross without proper understanding. If the U.S. wants to move forward, and out of this recession, policymakers need to consider helping out recent graduates with this debt or even before they get themselves into it. Whether it's by offering more affordable public education (UMASS Amherst is now charging over $20,000/year for residents), or by issuing loans at a lower interest rate, a change needs to be made.
I have been conditioned my entire life that knowledge equals power. We are made to believe that the U.S. government prefers an educated, aware, and active population, but this trend is proving otherwise. I am not empowered by my education, I am asphyxiated by it. I can't help but think this is our nation's plan to keep the low/middle class where it is. Education should lead toward opportunity not misfortune. I now call for my fellow oppressed to unite. We can make some noise if we ban together. If you feel the way I do, than we obviously have the education to make something happen.
