Senator Webb's Letter - The Condensed Version

In my latest piece, "Next Letter Writing Campaign - Aiming For Specific Targets," I referenced the various letter writing campaigns that have taken place over the past few months. I also included links to responses I've received from my own networking and advocating, one of which was a letter I received after writing to Senator Jim Webb (D-VA). Sen. Webb's state houses the insidious Sallie Mae's headquarters. They used to be down the road from me, and it was quite difficult to even drive past their loansharking biz. Oh, on top of that, here's a list of his campaign contributors. Wow. Shocking. Sallie Mae is on that list. You can read Senator Webb's entire response here. Not surprisingly, it was more than just disappointing. One reader provided this short analysis. They did it quite well and crudely: "Summary of Jim Webb's letter: "I want you to think I'm on your side, but you're on your own. Piss off."

Need I say more?

Next Letter Writing Campaign - Aiming For Specific Targets

The indentured educated class has carried out several successful letter writing campaigns over the past several months. The primary focus has been to send Roberto Rodriguez in the White House letters. (We've also written to the Department of Education. Sadly, they have really failed to do their job and respond). The last letter writing campaign to the White House was via email. I did that for a specific reason: after 9/11 there were those anthrax scares, and many of you may recall that several Senators' offices were targets of these letters filled with the deadly poison. That's when - naturally and understandably - the White House and others in D.C. had detectors put in place for these sorts of things. That means that if you send out handwritten notes by "snail mail," it can take a very long time for them to arrive. So, the fastest way to get things to the right people is to send letters via email. Of course, if you wish to send your own notes by post, I encourage you to do so. But it's good to be aware of the delay and the reasons for it.

Here's a quick breakdown of the dates and links for the previous letter writing campaigns, as well as a few links to letters I sent off as an advocate:

(a) May 24, 2010 - the final announcement for sending off the letters to the White House;
(b) March 4, 2010 - Sen. Webb's response to my letter;
(c) February 5, 2010 - my call with the White House;
(d) February 3, 2010 - update on the first letter writing campaign to the White House.

That's actually the short-list, because I frequently email the Department of Education and have made a point to send countless follow-up emails to the White House.

While we've had some luck, I am enormously dissatisfied with this approach. Therefore I want to shift our attention to Senators and Representatives, and that can entail those at the state level, too. Currently, I am drafting a list of names of specific individuals whom I'd like the indentured educated class to make an appeal. Moreover, many of you have been involved in writing to your representatives on a regular basis, so if you have emails for actual people (i.e., the higher education policy staffer in Sen. X's office), please let us know. It's important to receive your feedback and suggestions, and I urge you to provide us with comments below.

If you're in, please send me a quick email (ccrynjohannsen at gmail dot com). I receive hundreds of emails a day, so please include this in the subject (that way, I can group them in the right file and make sure you're not left out): COUNT ME IN! (June 29, 2010). Please make sure to include the date. Thanks! 

I will draft the letter and then request your feedback. This method allows more people to volunteer, and it also provides everyone with the opportunity to give me suggestions.

Stay tuned.

Readers' Responses: Good Point/Wretched Point

Readers' responses are important to me. They mean as much as the testimonials I collect. Moreover, I think it's necessary to post the good along with the wretched. Occasionally, I like to integrate these comments into pieces. Oftentimes it's when someone writes a particularly egregious thing or makes an absolutely fallacious remark. However, I've decided that I will start to post two at a time: the good point, along with the wretched point. That way, we're striking a balance. Plus, it helps me keep my hope in humanity. (Trust me, the Internet really makes you question humanity at times, especially when Anonymous posters throw racial epithets and misogynistic trash in your direction. That's when I censor, because I don't think filth like that has a place here. There's plenty of other places on the Internet for that s---t. That's why there's no point in posting the drivel from the drooling mouth of Tormentor Sioux, who's in woeful need of an education).

We Americans always like to provide a positive point at the end of anything. Whether it's during a job interview or at the bar (unless you're one of them types who end up fightin' at the end of an evening). I like this custom, so let's begin with the wretched comment first.

In my paper, "The Plight of Current Borrowers: An Appeal For Immediate Relief," I wrote about a woman who was attacked in court for having children, the full details of which can be read here. She was grilled by the creditor's counsel about her choice to have children. At one point she explained that she was Catholic, and therefore the children were not planned. In the closing argument counsel returned to her answer, and stated, “you have to make the decision to have a family in light of what you can afford.”  

A reader made this comment:

No matter how insensitive it is to question having kids you can't afford, it is completely warranted. "Can't feed 'em, don't breed 'em..." Religion is no excuse.

This reader receives the most wretched comment award for this week. There are two striking things about this remark. First, the person is admitting that they're insensitive. But then they quickly argue that they're point is fair. Then they go on to equate a woman to an animal (i.e., "can't feed 'em, don't breed 'em). The levels of insensitivity are absurd and more than just callous. This individual could also serve to reflect upon the meaning of spirituality to other people. It's fine if you do not subscribe to religion (I refuse to use the term "organized religion," because religions like Christianity are organic in nature, and this term is painfully modern and inappropriate when describing the history of this religion or any other one that date backs centuries and centuries). This attorney had no right to go after her decision to have children. This reader is also being presumptuous in his/her assumption about the woman's finances. Like homeowners who lost their homes or who are currently underwater, many Americans who took out loans for education did so because they've been told that it was worth it. Unlike homeowners, they can't simply walk away from their debt. So now many people who have degrees feel that their education is useless. This woman probably thought the debt she was taking on for a college degree would mean that in the future she'd have a decent paying job. In turn, that would mean that she could have children and not have to worry about her student loan debt. Sadly, that's not the case, and she is just one of millions of people who are in this situation.

Enough with critiquing the wretched remark. I could go on and on about how out of touch this reader is, and how I think it's quite sad that there are so many Americans that have such uncaring opinions toward their fellow citizens. Luckily, there are Americans who do care and who are sympathetic. One such person is "Frank the Underemployed Professional." Frank is a superb blogger over at Fluster Cucked (he writes about the law school scam(s) in the U.S.) He responded to my own piece about myself, "Cryn's Story As A Student Loan Refugee And An Indentured Educated Citizen." (I'd also like to give a shout out to Edububble for mentioning this recent piece).  Frank wrote:

"Neither my readers nor I feel entitled to enormous creature comforts (we've all been unjustly accused of that on hundreds and hundreds of walls about student loan debt)."

I have been debating politics and philosophy electronically since the birth of the Internet and I think that people's standards with regards to what is acceptable for our nation, economically, have really decreased. We are slowly starting to accept widespread poverty as a way of life. Years ago it wouldn't have been regarded as being unreasonable for college-educated people to expect to be able to obtain middle class jobs and earn a middle class living without much difficulty. Today being able to earn a middle class income is almost seen as a great prize that people need to desperately struggle for. Today it seems like being working poor is the standard from which people try to rise up. It is "the new normal".

I believe that we are witnessing an epic transformation of our country from that of a first world middle class nation to that of an overpopulated second class nation with widespread poverty. This is being driven by an economic force that few people understand called Global Labor Arbitrage. It is also the reason why so many people feel compelled to flood into the universities, making it easier for schools to jack up the tuition. (Since people perceive that it is difficult to attain a middle class standard of living without a college degree today, people are attending college in droves.)  

Poignantly put, Frank the Underemployed. We are witnessing a frightening transformation in U.S. culture. Just the other day someone told me that these changes are simply necessary. But my question is this: are they really? Why do we think these cataclysmic changes in, say, employment are acceptable, especially when the Fat Cats on Wall Street are doing just fine? Even worse, we now have one of the worst oil spill disasters in U.S. history. Who's paying for it? BP? I think not. It's the same as student loan debtors. The lenders are fine. They'll be fine. The more I read about politics and how there really seems that little is being done to fight on behalf of American citizens on so many levels (health care, the environment, jobs, student loan reform), the grimmer I become. Sadly, many of my readers have already given up hope. I'm not there yet, but I ain't far behind.

Final Installment of "The Plight of Current Borrowers: An Appeal For Immediate Relief"

Advocates must remain focused on their area of interest and the people whom they're trying to help and encourage those individuals to get involved. It is a mistake to meander from specific types of advocacy work. When doing so, you leave a lot of people in the lurch. In addition, it's important to carry through with your work and criticism of a particular problem with sound solutions. The indentured educated class should not be abandoned. In fact, it's critical that individuals in this class become more involved. That's why it's important for advocates to stick to their course and serve as models for these individuals. That said, I'd like to thank several people for their continued support - Cameron, Nick, Gail, Liza, Michele, and Dustin. You are just a few of the many people who are fully committed to helping the cause, and I am grateful to all to you.

Now is not the time to broaden the scope of one's critique. The student lending crisis is complex and inextricably bound to larger U.S. problems (excessive deregulation, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, etc.). While it's perfectly acceptable as a researcher and advocate to incorporate these various themes, it's absolutely necessary - in my view - to remain committed to this cause and to providing solutions for ways in which to end the student lending crisis. There is no doubt this work, I've come to realize, is going to require a lifetime commitment on my end. I know the ins and outs of academia, and I appreciate its depth. Alas, education truly matters to me, and I think everyone ought to have access to it.

Below is the final installment to "The Plight of Current Borrowers," my paper that was delivered at the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition's recent convention on student loan reform. If you wish to read the paper in its entirety, which includes all the footnotes, you can do so here). 

Part III: Providing Relief

There are a variety of ways by which the Administration, Congress, and the Department of Education could be helping current borrowers now and in the future. Short- and – long-term options are detailed below. Again, the complexity of the student lending industry and its relationship to the Federal Government means that hasty solutions aren’t the answer. In addition, student groups ought to be more involved in helping current borrowers. SAFRA has been passed and the next issue is the Department of Education’s attempt prospectively to limit borrowing at for-profits institutions through rulemaking. But that should not be the only focus. Although I applaud the consumer groups’ effort (POSD, PIRG, USSA, NACAC, etc.), their strategy is not as direct as it could be.  They should have said the next big priority is to help current borrowers who have been saddled with debt, drawn attention to the lives currently being ruined, and from that moved on to prospective solutions armed with survey data and case studies showing how bad the debt/default situation is right now.  Instead, they have tried to buck the money and influence monster head-on without building a convincing case.[18]


Short-Term Solutions


The Department of Education has the power to set up hotlines immediately to help answer calls from current borrowers. I investigated the type of responses one receives when calling the general line, and also asked my readers to tell me what sorts of responses they received. Overall, the Department of Education was unhelpful and informed me, as well as other callers, to “get in touch with their lenders to find out information about deferment of loans, etc., etc., etc. (if the loans were issued by private lenders).”

But lenders’ customer support lines are invariably staffed with lightly trained people making modest wages who know little more than to read scripts in front of them (not to mention the obvious conflict of interest in seeking advice about your loans from your lender). If the Department of Education were to install hotlines for current borrowers, they could in the very least provide support to individuals who are not aware of the types of loans they have. At this juncture, most borrowers with whom I am in contact (and that numbers in the thousands now) feel that no one cares about their financial situation, and many are unaware to whom they owe their debt (that is why I always make a point to ask borrowers if they have Federal loans, private loans, or both). Moreover, Secretary Duncan has the power to intervene and do something for current borrowers.

Although IBR has been implemented to help current borrowers and it is a good start, it has fallen short in a number of ways: (a) it does not cover private loans; (b) if a married couple files their taxes jointly, and both have student loan debt, both incomes are considered as one, but only one’s person debt load is taken into account, resulting inflated payments that are impractical for these couples with high shared debt loads; most importantly, it does nothing to assist with people in default. The number of people who will default is expected to rise, so it is imperative that a program like IBR or something else will assist them in getting out of this devastating situation. If these shortcomings were to be addressed, this good program could become a major part of helping – most likely – millions of people recover from default and dramatically improve their lives.


Long-term Solutions


Most of the solutions I suggest also come with a number of questions about why the Obama Administration and Department of Education are failing to address the devastating effects of how the student lending industry is structured and operated. Instead of dealing with the crisis directly, the legislation that has recently been passed only addresses a few aspects of the problem. Most worrisome is how millions of current borrowers have been left out of these solutions. While restoring bankruptcy rights to student borrowers is crucial, that is not the best possible approach to helping the indentured educated class. Indeed, restoring consumer protection rights is important. However, declaring bankruptcy is not a simple task, and it also leaves the borrower in a problematic financial situation. Instead, it would be more beneficial if additional legislation were proposed to ease the burden of owing mountains of debt. For instance, Sen. Sherrod Brown drafted a bill called the “Private Debt Swap Proposal.” (This bill proposes that the Federal Government take on private loan debt – i.e., assumes ownership of it – and therefore allow borrowers more flexibility with the terms of repayment). So far, there has been no interest or traction on this bill, and yet it could be a productive way to help current borrowers.


In my opinion, the biggest mistake the White House and the Department of Education are making is tackling the debt crisis on a prospective basis. Individuals in tax trouble are not being told to wait for new legislation so future generations of taxpayers are helped; rather, the IRS is trying to help current taxpayers resolve their debts.  Likewise, homeowners facing foreclosure are not told to wait for legislation to help a future generation, but are being provided with assistance now.  Why are student loan borrowers, who do not even have the same consumer protections to start with, being treated so differently?


It is more than possible to work out programs to help borrowers get back into repayment and allow them the opportunity to become productive citizens. If borrowers are expected to pay their loans back, which most of them wish to do, why can’t the interest rates be abolished, along with as the huge penalties people must pay in order get out of default? How do those fines and penalties help someone who is struggling financially to get back on their feet?


Conclusion


Substantial evidence supports the claim that the student lending crisis is real and devastating. All of the testimonials I’ve collected over the past year and a half illustrate that the lending crisis is far-reaching and affects millions of U.S. citizens. Indeed, it’s not just the borrowers who are suffering, but those who co-signed on their loans, their children, and so forth. As an inter-generational problem, it has the potential for long-term devastating impacts. While Japan has its “lost generation,” it is no exaggeration to say we risk losing many generations. Indeed, at this point they have no legal recourse, which could be used as leverage against their lenders. Current borrowers should not have to wait for future solutions. A two-part approach that includes both dramatic short- and long-term solutions could help millions of current borrowers get back on their feet and allow them to once again to become productive U.S. citizens. It’s time to listen to these voices and consider taking an approach that will affect their lives in a powerful way – they have been punished long enough.

President Obama said in his State of the Union Address, “‘in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college.’” Unfortunately, this reality has to come to pass for millions of Americans. While we need to continue to innovate, and reform education and education financing for future generations, we also owe it to current debtors, who have unfairly funded an unregulated industry, to help them pay back their debt in a reasonable, non-punitive way. It is time to move beyond high-flown rhetoric; it is time to act.

Instead of evacuating from areas like the Midwest for California, student loan refugees are fleeing the country for opportunities in South Korea and elsewhere (it's a strange thing that I'm now teaching The Grapes of Wrath here in South Korea. It's oddly similar to the current crises affecting the U.S., and it's a tale that's uncannily similar to my grandmother's upbringing in Kansas). Moreover, I had to evacuate my home in D.C. I sold everything, gave mementos away much like Ma Joad did, also said painful goodbyes to my family and friends, and fled to Asia. Even the simplest idea of the American dream is over.

Cryn's Story As A Student Loan Refugee And An Indentured Educated Citizen

Harsh critiques of the inherent and systemic problems of a democratic society are necessary. Such critiques allow these societies to flourish, and the most noteworthy critics are those who explicitly yearn for real change. Moreover, their critiques help democratic societies maintain a healthy equilibrium. Of course, critiques must be followed with a set of solutions from the critics (that's why they must show us how they yearn for something better), and those in power must always be open to these suggestions for improvement, even if that means that a shift in policy, or policies, may be politically dangerous.

I was loath to use the words "real change," because, in my view, that term has been sullied. But as a political engaged citizen, I think it's time that I reclaimed those words. The student lending crisis is not being solved, and that's why we must insist that our public servants turn their attention to our needs. Real change should no be out of reach for us.

Furthermore, if there are any countries that may be considering adopting the way in which the U.S. funds students who pursue higher education, it is my hope that this entire paper, " The Plight of Current Borrowers: An Appeal For Immediate Relief," will serve as a cautionary tale. 

Currently the U.S. faces grave problems. The entire structure and stability of the country, in my view, is enormously vulnerable. It is out of balance, thanks to thirty plus years of excessive deregulation, which allowed for the growth of a despicable type of corporatocracy. The result of this deregulation enabled U.S. agencies to lay with the very groups they should have been policing. Instead of maintaining boundaries and enforcing policies that would protect U.S. citizens, their behavior gave way to the most despicable forms of cronyism and nepotism. (Former employees, for instance, of Sallie Mae have burrowed themselves into the U.S. Department of Education, and it is certain that these individuals are not there to help student debtors). There is reason for why people despise government in the U.S., for it has turned a blind eye on it citizens for decades. But that does not mean that government is by nature corrupt and wicked. If there is a way to solve this issue within a specific agency, it is that which belongs to things pertaining to the funding of higher education, and what role the U.S. Government ought to be playing.

One reader recently told me that education and the cause for which I'm fighting is really nothing compared to the larger global issues that the U.S. is facing now. But I beg to differ.

I rarely if ever discuss my own personal struggles as a student debtor. However, the time has come for me to share. After all, so many of you have opened up to me. In so doing, you've invited me into your world of secrets, telling me the most intimate aspects of your everyday life struggles vis-a-vis the student lending crisis. And so it is my turn.

I write this entry as an expat who longs to one day return and work for others in my own country. As I've said before, it is a privilege and an honor to be teaching in the R.O.K. However, I'd much rather be carrying out good deeds and fulfilling my civic duty in the U.S.A. But at this juncture, my own country has made it impossible for me - and millions of others - to earn a decent wage and live a decent life. Neither my readers nor I feel entitled to enormous creature comforts (we've all been unjustly accused of that on hundreds and hundreds of walls about student loan debt). We are only asking for a fair chance, and hoping that our voices will be heard inside the beltway.

I long to be home! Oh, how I long to be home!

However, at this point I may never return, the reasons for which pertain to my personal finances and my political fury. As for finding a real career in my country, I searched exhaustively for one that would allow me to:

(a) flourish intellectually;
(b) put my degrees - especially my training in the social sciences- to work;
(c) continue building on years of professional experience;
(c) help others;
(d) and help contribute to building a better, more just U.S. society.

Like so many other educated professionals, I finally gave up. It is degrading and depressing (as one of my colleagues said last night to me) to search for a job and end up getting no where, and it's not easy sharing that truth with all of you. I recall how the days would pass with the phone never ringing. It was infuriating, that silence. I remember how I sent out specifically tailored cover letters and resumes, all of which - save for a few - were left unanswered. I did have some interviews. But these potential employers were quick to let me know that I was one of 10 candidates. Even when I made it to the second round of interviews, there would be 5 of us at that point. These interviews were grueling, because there were so many additional steps. When I was finally offered a job in Korea, I was in shock with how quickly that offer was extended to me. In the States, I had to write pieces, go for second interviews, etc., etc., etc. I grew tired of jumping through so many hoops. I began to wonder: what's wrong with me? Haven't I done everything right? I have all these degrees, all this professional experience, so what am I lacking? (Incidentally, there is a great blog called "But I Did Everything Right!" and it discusses these issues in the field of law).

My story does not have a tragic ending (for some debtors that's not the case). However, I did have to make the most difficult decision in my life - leave my country for a job abroad. I sold almost all of my belongings, left my cat behind with lovely people, and headed for work in Korea. Here, I have discovered an entire community of student loan debt refugees. That is both comforting and unnerving.

Stay tuned for the final installment of my paper.

  I left him, and so much more, behind  . . .