Letter to the Editor from Kat MacHolmes, Omaha in the Omaha World-Herald
Rigged system
I am a small business owner, community organizer and social activist. I pursued college as a part of the “American dream.” I had to find ways to afford college on my own, sometimes working three jobs at a time starting when I was only 14. I went to college to have a better life than my parents, and to help better our community.
Now, as a community activist and even as a business owner, I am so far in debt that owning a home, starting a family, and simply living is impossible. Despite working multiple jobs and taking out student loans, I had to drop in and out of college because it was so unaffordable. After finishing my degree, I still have a student loan from 2007 where I borrowed $1,500. Today, interest has brought it up to $4,000. The system is simply rigged and it does not favor anyone else other than the wealthy. The number of people drowning in student debt will have significant economic consequences for the prosperity of America. Conservatives and Democrats alike should care about this and create better policies for their constituents because a loss of faith in the “American dream” is a loss of faith in civic life which threatens democracy and the fabric of this nation. We need a fair economy, one that works for all classes.
Kat MacHolmes, Omaha