Thank You Student Loans

I was at my sister's graduation this past weekend at Kent State University. The keynote speaker was Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, who was recently replaced by Stephen Knapp as Dean of George Washington University. He gave a rather unforgettable, clichéd speech (not that any graduation speech is free from being unoriginal) about baseball statistics. A successful batter in baseball hits only 30% of his at-bats, so you can afford to fail in life and still be successful. If you haven't heard the speech, there are plenty more graduation ceremonies to catch and the success of hearing it is probably 30%.

I myself have a stage to cross in the next month, and sitting watching the graduating class of 2009 up in Kent, I couldn't help but feel uneasy about our future. I plan on labeling the top of my graduation hat with the current unemployment rate for the nation. The job market is easily one of the worst in the history of our country, and there are billions of dollars in unpaid student loans. I feel fortunate that I will be continuing my education further, but what about the rest of my peers. Are we expected to take unemployment benefits to cover loan repayment? Or is this our golden opportunity to become community organizers or join the coming Civilian Volunteer Corps?

I, like many in this country, are upset with the economy. It will be interesting to watch how inflation takes rise from the ashes of the Government's bloated and poorly conceived "stimulus bill". I expect more State Government conflict with the Federal Government. In a lot of ways, the economy can be compared to a passenger jet. You must use all your training and experience to gentle control the plane. Any sudden direction changes, or overcompensation will lead to a catastrophic crash. We are headed for that crash still. I just hope I can get a job that pays what I should earn to take care of my debt myself. Last thing we all need is to be paying taxes in order to in-debt future generations with the Class of 2009.
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