“Finding Nemo” the Seagulls’ chorus: “Mine, mine, mine, mine”

I would of recommended going to a community college for two years and then transferring. The point that is valid is that education costs are too high. There is some truth in his message…I am 26 years old. There is a secret hope in me that all my debt is erased and I get a clean start. But that is not going to happen. I made the choices to put myself in this position, maybe the best thing for me is to “scrap by.”
My generation must learn that you have to work hard for what you have. Maybe we will have to work a few years before going to college to save up. Maybe we need to go to community colleges for 2 years and then transfer. We want it all without the cost.

He seems surprised, like, genuinely surprised, that a politician used our generation for his own purposes to get elected and then ignored them once they were no longer useful to him. He seems surprised that the independently-wealthy president would rather hold private concerts in the white house than address the young-adult, transient, laden-with-debt generation’s concerns.
Is that what he was honestly expecting? Because Obama must be a better politician than I thought to be able to convince him of that …

Grow up and buckle down. As a person just beyond the iGen years, it would bother me to see my tax money bailing someone out of a set of circumstances that were my own not too long ago. It’s amazing what a difference a decade of nose-to-the-grindstone, less whining can do.

1) Stop whining about your debt. If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it.
2) Stop whining about the government not paying your debts. The government is not obliged to pay your debts, you are.
3) Politicians will generally say whatever it takes to get elected. You’ll learn this, eventually, when you get a little older and a little wiser.

1) Why are you relying on the government to bail you out??? You took out the student loans, signed them in good faith, now you pay them off. Just like a car loan, home loan, etc. It is your responsibility to pay them.
2) Now that the stimulus package has taken effect, you have a little more money in your paycheck (less taken out for taxes) that you can use toward your student loan debt.
3) Learn to live within your means and stop taking out loans/debt that you can’t repay – yes, even school loan debt.

all of the above plus–two months into a presidency and YOU are sure you are being ignored! How can you even know that yet. Be patient and in the mean time–yes, work hard, pay your bills, that’s actually how we old people got to finally retire. Buying a house is not your first task. Learn about how our ecomony works–see the big picture.

Maybe this generation will learn not to vote based on what people promise to give them.
And not to think politicians aren’t lying to them. Post-partisan? Not just a politician? Right.

whiners, whiners whiners, just like so many in our country today. Where is responsibility? Frugality? and scrappy hard work when you need it? I hear way too many of my generation and this young generation whine that their debts are too much, their pay is too low and Government needs to bail them out. hooey.
Quit the whining , become responsible with time, money and self and get on with life and service and work.
Also it shows an ignorance of the role of government. way too much involvement in my life already. Keep to defending the constitution and let us get on with life liberty and the pursuit of happiness (as defined by the founding fathers)
Nuff said. thanks

Seriously? Two months into the new presidential term, and you feel ignored? You’re worried that you need to work your a** off and pay off your school loans and credit card bills?
Would you like some cheese to go with that whine?
That young man might want to turn around and look at his furnished room, complete with flat screen tv.
Seriously?

Wow, not a lot of love for this guy’s post. I understand all the stuff said above but, the kid has a point on the cost of tuition and the debt created by it. Kids for the past 20 years have been told going to college is a must. Then they are told that they should see the loans as an investment in themselves that will pay off with higher wages in the future. In many ways these were pushed on kids just like non-traditional mortgages were on people who shouldn’t have taken them but didn’t really know any better because the “finacial experts” were the ones selling them the loans. Yes it is true they signed the documents and now have responsability for them but I think there is something to be said for the way our culture has pushed people to take on debt. Also, college cost is out of control and noone seems to care which means more debt. I don’t agree with him completly but I sympathize with his lament.

Wow, not a lot of love for this guy’s post. I understand all the stuff said above, but the kid has a point concerning the cost of tuition and the debt created by it. Kids for the past 20 years have been told going to college is a must. Then they are told that they should see the loans needed to pay for it as an investment in themselves that will pay off with higher wages in the future. In many ways these loans were pushed on kids just like non-traditional mortgages were on people who shouldn’t have taken them but didn’t really know any better because the “finacial experts” were the ones selling them the loans. Yes it is true they signed the documents and now have responsability for them but I think there is something to be said for the way our culture has pushed people to take on debt. Also, college cost is out of control and noone seems to care which means more debt. I don’t agree with him completly, and yes he sounds a little selfish but I sympathize with his lament, considering the ones getting bailed out are the “experts” who pushed, bought and sold thes high risk loans.

College costs have always been high relative to the economy of the time, standard of living, etc. Student loans were no easier to pay off 20-30 years ago than they are now, but pay them off you must. Go to a college that you can afford. And please don’t blame the “culture”, banks or “financial experts” who did not sign on the dotted line for the loans. Of course a bank wants you to take out a loan because they earn interest on you, but YOU make the final determination on whether or not you can afford a loan. It is each of our responsibility to determine what we can afford, to learn how to budget, to say “no” to credit card debt, etc.

Student loans are a serious issue – especially with jobs rather scarce. Considering I will have a child in college likely 8 of the next 9 years – costs concern me. But…many of us had to work (hard) to pay off loans, and work while in school, and sacrifice in the process (go without).
But a bigger issue is credit card debt. There is no excuse here – if you don’t have the money to pay off at the end of the month, don’t buy … period. Very few exceptions to this rule.

I’m 27, married, and we’ve had all our short-term debt (including college loans) paid off for about 3 years. Our only debt is our house payment (which thanks to low rates we will pay off in 15 years or less). My wife and I are both private school teachers with a joint annual gross income of around $50,000. Admittedly, we live in the cheap mid-west, don’t have kids, and have had a lot of help from our parents, but because we have worked hard, saved, and put our money into the right places first, we do not need (or want) a “bailout”. We follow rule #1 in regards to money: Live within your means.
IMO, this type of complaining is a disgrace to our generation, because I don’t want a bailout. I work and spend in a way that guarantees I won’t need one, as long as the bank that holds my savings isn’t in cahoots with Madoff and inflation doesn’t rise to the moon.
I change my world with my vote – the dollar I vote with every day. And people our age need to invest in the future of local, humanitarian and environmentally friendly corporations, not look to Washington to send us bigger tax rebates.

I am afraid we have engendered a “bail out” mentality across the board. Philippians comes to mind…something I am focusing on:
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:11-13

The iGen needs to learn sacrifice and the art of simple living.
I’m a 29 year old youth pastor with small but ample salary with 7 years of private Christian school loans (B.A. & M.A.). I have plenty of school loans but no credit card debt, car loans, cable TV bills, and other non-essential expenses dragging my famiiy down. I make less so I spend less. Is this rocket science?
I am disturbed by his sense of entitlement. Sacrifice coupled with simplicity and wise stewardship are lost on many of my generation. I pray the “going green” phenomenon so embraced by my generation will lead to a “going lean” phenomenon when it comes to our consumer habits.
Jeremy

While we’re talking about college loans I wonder if Scot would comment on the high cost of Christian liberal arts education being on faculty at North Park. Many of my students want to go on to Christian colleges like North Park to pursue ministry degrees but can’t swallow the tuition. Wanna comment, Scot? Is it irresponsible for a student wanting to pursue a ministry/Bible degree to enroll at a private Christian liberal arts school and go into significant debt? What other options are there for those pursuing vocational ministry?

Jeremy,
Have you seen NPU’s tuition? Very low for a private, liberal arts, Christian college.
It is never wise to go in debt beyond what can be paid reasonably quickly.

Tuition is a real concern – despite what we may think education isn’t free. Infrastructure must be maintained, facilities upgraded, faculty and staff paid. No college or university attracts good faculty without paying a competitive living wage. No college or university will survive long without upgrading to provide up-to-date facilities and options.
Many institutions are “controlling” costs by relying on temporary lectures and adjunct faculty. Is this really the best option?
It is a complex problem.

Goodness gracious! Who are all these people commenting on that young man’s video (except, of course, RJS)? The Jesus Creed community usually comes across (to me, anyway) as being overwhelmingly liberal, overwhelmingly pro-Obama (not that any group anywhere is overwhelmingly pro-Bush any more), but these new voices tell me there is yet hope among the younger evangelicals. Even if it takes the shock of being ignored by those you supported to accomplish it.
And the grace of God.

Welcome to hopey-changey reality.

Bob – I was just thinking the same thing but with chagrin. The community here has recently become far far more conservative, way more critical of differences, and apparently ready to scapegoat young people for all the ills of society. It used to be more balanced with a diversity of voices… its hard to join the conversation though when the one or two dissenting voices will automatically be mocked and ripped apart. I still read everything – and many days type out comments, but then I say “why bother?” and delete them. So I wouldn’t be so quick to proclaim your “hope” in young people just because some of us are now silent.

Jason R #12 and Julie Clawson #23 sum up my feelings about this pretty well.
Sure, the guy needs some perspective, but consider the culture he’s grown up in and the messages he’s received growing up. How can you expect him to feel any differently?
When I signed my student loan forms I was told to consider it an investment much the way a home mortgage is. Supposedly, my education would allow me to earn more and eventually pay off the debt over time. After two years in a lucrative job I left to work in vocational ministry at a church plant raising my own support. My parents (my dad is a pastor), took my loan book and paid off my debt to help me and my husband out. I’m glad my parents didn’t feel as judgmental about my debt as some of the people commenting on this boy’s video seem to be.

I agree with Julie. Many of the above posts have been truly ugly.
Yes, my first response is “dude, why don’t you start by selling your TV and your webcam and move into a smaller apartment”. Yes, he’s a very poor choice of spokesperson, but this doesn’t mean that his message is totally off the mark. I have worked very hard, have not given myself many luxuries, and I’m also deeply in debt.
I share his concerns about how debt has become normalized in the larger culture. Not all of us have high credit card debt because we were buying flat-panel TVs. Many of us have this debt because our parents WEREN’T able to help us out, and so when our old, broken down cars flaked out on us or we needed a root canal, or we had to get a computer because we were “unofficially” expected to work from home, or we needed to get home for Christmas, etc., etc. guess who paid?
As far as student loans go, my parents urged me strongly to go to a small, private institution. Neither of them went to college, and they had big dreams for me. If I had my druthers now, I would have stuck to my guns about not acquiring the debt and gone to a state school, but I can’t go back on that now.
I don’t have a TV, a webcam, a nice stereo, or even a car, because I can’t afford these things and work in education in the DC area. I do my job because I believe in it, and I accept that this means I will be able to pay my debts very slowly. I also am saving and making very small investments with my limited income while also being as aggressive as I can with the debt.
I don’t expect the government to bail me out. I also expect that the government won’t bail out those who have broken the law and jacked up the economy. I share his frustration at this… not because I expect the government to help me, but because those responsible for an economy where folks just out of college can’t find jobs aren’t being HELD responsible, and are getting massive bonuses to boot(ex. AIG).

AprilK, Amy, Julie,
Many of us – even not just out of college – are not exactly pleased with the fact that many of those who are responsible for the mess are not held responsible.
Loss of investments and lay-offs hit many people, and especially some of my peers who are now out of work – with families, mortgages, and kids heading off to college. High interest credit-card debt plagues many of these people as well – it isn’t just the younger generation.
We live in a culture that has not valued “living within one’s means” and many are paying for it.

#13 Gloria, I’m not quite sure your statment concerning college costs is correct. One relatively recent book on this subject is called “the two income trap.” That book states that three areas have sky rocketed in terms of price (that’s adjusted for inflation etc..). The three are: 1. Healthcare 2. Home prices (this was written before the housing bust), and 3. Education. Education is much more expensive in relation to other products than it was 30 years ago. I believe if you do a little research you will find out that this is true.
As for college Christian colleges, I often wonder how it is that Grove City college keeps their tuition so low compared to other Christian colleges such as my alma mater Geneva college right down the road from Grove City. whatever Grove City’s model is other schools might look to them for help. They are a respected academically, always attract students and manged to keep their tuition costs competitive even with some state schools.

I agree with many of the posts here. The irony is that the people who want small government are support of our wars, and support of bailing out wall street!! Think of the way people lived during WWII, and think of the way we have lived in this country during 2 wars over the past 6 years. Wars are big government, you either tax or borrow. We have been borrowing, and now it is time to work hard, sacrifice and realize there is no ‘fast money’ as our culture has been promising. Yes, I think investment in education should have taken higher priority over the last 30 years (I did sit-ins in High School against prop 13 in CA), and it needs to get to the top again. Meanwhile we need to pay off the national debt and get out of the wars. Someone said it above ‘everyone wants a bailout’.

The congress is responsible for incentivizing the banks to make the bad loans that caused this and no one is holding them responsible. The “bailout” is really loans and such to these institutions so if you want more loans then that is what they are offering. The government is not giving free money, they are giving loans.