Republicans: Deliver Student Loan Relief for Parents Like Me or I’m Switching Parties
Although I think I measure pretty close to the center of the political aisle, I consider myself to be a Conservative. And despite my willingness to vote for Democrats here and there, I’ve never really considered switching to the other side of the political aisle until recently. The reason is Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and according to a recent article in the Washington Post, I’m not the only Conservative who admires her economic policies. The difference between private and government student loans probably wouldn’t be that big of a deal if this were 2004 and we were all riding high in a strong economy. In between my first and second years in law school, the economy tanked and it tanked hard in the legal field. Attorney positions seemed to dry up overnight and disappear forever. I was left with one such job and both government and private loans to repay. Along with millions of other people who carry the weight of private loans, I struggle through the current economy trying to make the monthly payments. The added pressure for me is that the burden is crippling my ability to provide for my family, or, gasp!, purchase health insurance. In the end, Senator Warren’s bill was rejected by the Republicans. Why? The other reason? The Republican’s reasoning implied that such a tax on rich people would have stifled the economy—in other words, those millionaires need help but the people with “potential” do not. Ridiculousness. I’m tired of the games. The cost of attending school has skyrocketed and the rewards for going to school have plummeted. None of these people who went to school in the ’90s or before had to deal with any of these factors, and it’s time to show some compassion and give some of these people, people like me, who only have “potential” a bit of a helping hand. If Republicans aren’t willing to do it, maybe it’s time for me to move to a party that does. Photo Credit: Flickr
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