Saturday, October 1, 2011

Occupy Sallie Mae!

How about occupying Sallie  Mae, and demanding that usurious companies can no longer turn Americans into indentured educated servants?!? I'm in! I'll organize.

Follow @OccupySallieMae on Twitter!

Help AEM get back to Washington, D.C. in November! Pitch in $10 today. Every dime helps. 



Also, I am writing about comprehensive book about the history of the student lending crisis. The book includes testimonials from debtors, and also offers solutions to how we - together- can solve the problem. Please let me know if you'd buy this book! Thank you. 

17 comments:

gail said...

A great idea! BTW, I'd buy your book in a heartbeat!

gail said...

I think that's a great idea! BTW, I'd buy your book in a heart beat!

Cryn Johannsen said...

@gail - I think this can be done. It will just take planning and coordination. But with the energy from the people in this country increasing, and our willingness to get out on the streets, the time is ripe . . .

Excites me!!!

Rebecca in Houston said...

Hi Cryn, I'm excited about your book. I'm trying to educate myself more on the student loan issue and find out which concrete actions I can take to help the issue. I'm happy to support you as you seem like the only student loan lobbyist I can find who is actually going to DC and talking directly with the politicians. Please let me know if there are other individuals like yourself to support.

Anonymous said...

As long as it is a peaceful protest, it would be a good first step.

My guess is that mainstream media won't pick it up though anyway.

Anonymous said...

I think it's a silly pipe dream.

Anonymous said...

Mislead parents too! Because our son was not yet 18 we were told we had to get the loan for him. Parent Plus. 30,000 in debt more kids to put threw, it's a hardship and if your child gets ill university forgives but sallie Mae charges

Cryn Johannsen said...

@Anonymous 12:10 AM - yes, you are part of a legion of millions of co-signers who are struggling and being hunted down. You don't deserve this treatment. Join us and Occupy Sallie Mae - parents of debtors unite with their indebted children! Take a stand against these usurious companies.

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to see your book.

Your idea of occupying Sallie Mae is great. But, for it to work, we'd also have to go after the banks and other companies that participate in the system--not to mention the colleges and universities that are profiting, not only from charging such high tuition rates, but from all of the guaranteed money they get.

The system is too complex and complicated to be brought down by a single "surgical strike." However, occupying Sallie Mae would be one good, useful action in the movement.

Cryn Johannsen said...

@Dona - as you and I both know, these lenders have direct ties to the financial industry. There are indentured bonds that are bought and sold, and that's $$ being made off of keeping us indebted. So, it's part of how sick the global economy has become, i.e., how people make money from usurious practices. Occupy as a nationwide movement is condemning the banking industry, so a focused protest that is related but targeting Sallie Mae makes sense to me - does that make sense? Let me know, because I really appreciate your feedback.

Anonymous said...

As others have mentioned, it is a complicated problem with many players. Sallie Mae though is kind of the posterchild of student lending corruption. It has a vile record and is truly sociopathic. Demonstrations at their headquarters would be wonderful, because many still believe Sallie Mae is a government organization- and this would enlighten them. That's how I learned about Haliburton- from the outrage of others!

Anonymous said...

Cryn--

Edububble has some raw numbers that suggest that the college industrial complex is better paid than the banking industrial complex. Not very scientific, of course, but okay for the back of an envelope.

http://edububble.com/dpp/?p=2107

Chris said...

I am with you 100%. I am a middle-aged person- I borrowed $24K from Sallie Mae ten years ago. Now, I owe $40K because of the INTEREST!!
Sallie Mae called my neighbors when I missed a few payments due to illness.
I am writing to my senators and congressman, asking them to pass H.R. 2028, and S.1102 (these bills will return bankruptcy protection to us).

Unknown said...

I am TOTALLY on board! Sallie Mae has harassed and abused me even while I was on medical disability. They get away with tactics that the Mafia has gone to jail for.

Their headquarters are in Newark, Delaware, BTW, and they have a major servicing center in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Cryn Johannsen said...

@dommerboy - thanks for your comments. Sallie Mae used to be headquartered close to where I lived in VA (not far from D.C.). I remember when they moved to Delaware (probably for tax reasons). It's a good location, b/c the area is densely populated, so we could definitely - if organized well - get A LOT of people outside of their HQ.

Join us on FB!

http://www.facebook.com/groups/278716756621/

http://www.facebook.com/groups/243047042413543/

http://www.facebook.com/groups/123449065669/

In solidarity,
Cryn

Tiffany said...

Hi Cryn! I think this is a great idea! I too am a student scorned, working to spread the word about the debt from student loans. I created a crowdfunding platform for education that students can try instead of student loans. You can check it out here: http://www.smartn.org . We're launching soon! Good luck with your book, I can't wait to read it.
- Tiffany W. ( @smartNme )

Cryn Johannsen said...

Thanks, Tiffany. I appreciate your comment. Let's connect - shoot me an email (ccrynjohannsen@gmail.com).