I urge President Joe Biden to forgive all student debt. We are no longer in the days in which a part-time job paid for tuition while taking classes. College costs have skyrocketed. I graduated from Western Michigan University with honors in 2004 with a BBA in public administration and environmental studies with minors in political science and general business. In 2013, I graduated with a Master of Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School. I completed internships with the Michigan House of Representatives and Kalamazoo River Watershed Council. After a few years of working a low-paying job at a corporate office of an insurance company processing annuity applications, I moved to Washington, DC for half a year to job hunt but had no luck.
When I make a payment on my mortgage, my principle goes down. When I make a payment on my illegal, predatory federal student loans, the principle does not go down. The system is rigged!Employers of dream jobs always tell me I'm overqualified or underqualified. In my life, I worked many temp jobs such as on congressional campaigns, warehouse work, data entry, and UPS driver helper, since no one would hire me for a full-time job due to my college education. Finally, the past year and a half, I have worked a full-time job as a janitor. I do not make enough to afford food, let alone pay back student loans. My future is taken from me. No one told me when I was 18 that a college degree is a detriment to obtaining decent employment. I feel conned.
Canceling student debt will allow people to purchase homes. Home ownership is good for the local and national economy. Home ownership creates a sense of community and a feeling of responsibility to the community. Home ownership increases civic participation. Homeowners have incentive to improve their surroundings. Studies show crime and drug use decreases in stable neighborhoods.
For safer, stronger communities and a stronger economic future for those who do and those who don't have student debt, the president must forgive all student debt of the middle and lower classes.
I urge President Biden to forgive all student debt. I urge Congress to pass the The Fresh Start Through Bankruptcy Act to make student loans eligible for bankruptcy.
