Economy

Why Student Loan Debt is Holding Back Your Dating Life

October 31st 2014

In this new video made exclusively for attn and Yahoo, Sean Leary, a 25 year old college graduate, details his views on America's student loan debt crisis and what can be done to remedy it. 

Sean who possesses over $30,000 in student debt says "It hurts. It's $400-500 dollars a month [in repayments]. It's like I am providing money for a ghost family I don't know." He goes on to detail how his debt payments recently prevented him from being able to afford a plane ticket to participate as a groomsman in his best friend's wedding as well as how it hinders his dating life. "I have to pick and choose who is worth going on dates with; I don't know if we can do full entrees for both, do you want to share an entree?," he jokes.

Sean also explains how student loan debt is hurting the macro- economy. Senior citizens owe 18 billion dollars in debt, he says, and people can't afford to buy cars and homes. 

Student debt, which now exceeds credit card debt at over one trillion dollars, is also forcing an unprecedented amount of young Americans to drop out of college, and question 'whether college is worth it' in the first place—especially given high youth unemployment among recent graduates.

To read our piece about about whether college is worth it, click here. 

So what is Sean's solution? He supports Oregon’s Pay It Forward program, which would eliminate tuition at state public colleges and universities in exchange for students paying 3% of their income back to the schools over the course of 24 years after graduating. In essence, this will shift tuition from a debt-financing model to one where we pay for college as an income tax.

To pledge to vote in 2014 to reform student loan debt, click here