We saved using the 529 UFund, perfect if you have one child, two good salaries and aren’t living paycheck to paycheck. Which means we aren’t rich, but still atypical. My daughter recognizes her privilege. She has friends graduating with five-figure debt, which will oppress them for decades. So I don’t begrudge cancelling student debt, or making college free. We need to stop being so selfish and shortsighted. I don’t believe that just because I paid, others who didn’t have my opportunities should suffer. A rising tide lifts all boats. If we started thinking as part of a community, we won’t be so hateful and uncharitable.
Now is the time! This conversation actually just came up at our family dinner on Easter. The notable part is that I have three siblings, all of whom are extremely conservative in their politics, and two of the three are what most would consider to be radical. Although we agree on nothing, we don’t stray away from discussing (arguing) about our political positions knowing that our love for one another is much stronger. But I can honestly say that this issue is literally the ONLY thing we all four agreed on in terms of our political opinions.
If my divided family can agree on something, I’m quite sure people can come to their senses and realize this is a no-brained.
Thanks, Abdul, for providing this essay. It’s one that I’ll be sharing to the masses.
As a single mom with a really smart kid, I was overwhelmed. This young woman is studious. College Tuition increased by 25% at State Schools. I eventually sent her to a great little private college with an endowment.
Their financial aid office helped us; they wanted a student who was smart and not rich. She rubbed up against a lot of kids who rubbed her the wrong way. But this is real life and so much of being in college is learning how to manage oneself. She worked hard, had 3 PT jobs and went to school FT. She graduated 10 years ago. With all the grants and loans she still has about 40k in debt, 10 years later. She still reads voraciously and makes $20/hour today.
We saved using the 529 UFund, perfect if you have one child, two good salaries and aren’t living paycheck to paycheck. Which means we aren’t rich, but still atypical. My daughter recognizes her privilege. She has friends graduating with five-figure debt, which will oppress them for decades. So I don’t begrudge cancelling student debt, or making college free. We need to stop being so selfish and shortsighted. I don’t believe that just because I paid, others who didn’t have my opportunities should suffer. A rising tide lifts all boats. If we started thinking as part of a community, we won’t be so hateful and uncharitable.
Great newsletter. We need your silver haired guy to talk to Joe - Better yet, a senior at an HBCU trying to afford graduate school .
Also, how about services to help kids graduate???
Now is the time! This conversation actually just came up at our family dinner on Easter. The notable part is that I have three siblings, all of whom are extremely conservative in their politics, and two of the three are what most would consider to be radical. Although we agree on nothing, we don’t stray away from discussing (arguing) about our political positions knowing that our love for one another is much stronger. But I can honestly say that this issue is literally the ONLY thing we all four agreed on in terms of our political opinions.
If my divided family can agree on something, I’m quite sure people can come to their senses and realize this is a no-brained.
Thanks, Abdul, for providing this essay. It’s one that I’ll be sharing to the masses.
As a single mom with a really smart kid, I was overwhelmed. This young woman is studious. College Tuition increased by 25% at State Schools. I eventually sent her to a great little private college with an endowment.
Their financial aid office helped us; they wanted a student who was smart and not rich. She rubbed up against a lot of kids who rubbed her the wrong way. But this is real life and so much of being in college is learning how to manage oneself. She worked hard, had 3 PT jobs and went to school FT. She graduated 10 years ago. With all the grants and loans she still has about 40k in debt, 10 years later. She still reads voraciously and makes $20/hour today.