Today’s hot topic is student loan relief, and since it directly affects me, I’m obviously writing about it.
See, I went to a private high school, where everyone was expected to graduate with NY Regents diplomas and go directly to college. I never made the Regents because math exists, but I did get accepted to D’Youville College’s 5 year Master’s Education Program. Then came the task of paying for it. I knew I would receive some financial aid, but even then I thought it strange that despite me being over the age of 18 and paying for it myself, they were taking my parent’s income into account. Still, I got a little FA, and then it was time to search for loans.
I have no problem telling you that I, at the age of 18, did not know what I was doing. My parents told me that if I signed some forms, I could go to college-so I just signed the damn forms. I knew I would pay it back someday, but by then I would have my teaching license and could make enough money to do so…right? RIGHT??
Thing is, I had a breakdown when I was a freshman in college. My brain fritzed out on me and the next thing I knew I was literally pulling my hair out and could not get out of bed. I realized that I had no real desire to teach for the rest of my life…I was called to the profession, but I just couldn’t do what they do, at least not in that capacity. I realized I had just wasted a lot of time and money on a year of life that brought me nothing and took me nowhere, so that May I signed my resignation form.
That June, I got my bill…fourteen thousand dollars, for one year of utter disappointment. I joked that I wanted to return it to sender and demand a refund. I joked that I would be paying it off until I die. I joked that eventually the economy would collapse and I would be bartering with my college over chickens.
Then yesterday, Biden sends me $10,000 of relief, and I am thrilled. I hear that Pell Grant recipients get another 10G’s, and I am intrigued, because I think I got one of those too, which would wipe out most of my debt.
Oh, I say “most,” because there is still the interest. I truly do not know what the number is up to these days, after years of deferrals and such. I know I don’t get taxes back, because they swipe those right up, and once they garnished my paycheck. Truth be told, I’m not sure my loan companies even know where I live at this point in time, Other than this, though, I haven’t paid in years…because I have no money. I have no money because I have no college education. Hilarious, isn’t it?
I mean, I make do. I usually have enough to live on, but to pay off a massive debt on something I never should have been allowed to do in the first place? Not a top priority. So, I was quite happy yesterday to find that most, if not all of my loan is about to go away. This is good for me…I might start getting tax returns, and it puts me a decade closer to owning property. So, yay.
Wait, what’s that? Some folks are up in arms about it because they already paid off their loans and think we should have to as well? Oh, right… like if tomorrow we cured cancer with a pill but still insisted all the patients go through chemo.
Just because you suffered doesn’t mean others should, and the fact that you find satisfaction in other folk’s struggle is a bit telling as to your capacity for human compassion.
That’s all I have to say on that.
Ham 'N Eggs 