Peninsula Poll Question about Defaulting on Loans
This weekend's Peninsula Poll question has been:
Have you ever defaulted on a loan of any type?
Number of votes cast: 1028
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The question is based on this column by Lee Siegel, “Why I Defaulted on My Student Loans,” which was in the PDN yesterday but is not at the PDN website. Without the context of this column, the poll question might as well be asking “You ain't one of them there deadbeats are ya?”
Lee Siegel makes some very good points, whether one agrees with him or not.
posted by Tom Harper at 1:29 PM
13 Comments:
No, I never obligated myself to things I didn't think I could fulfill.
As globalization and free trade agreements mean countries have to more openly compete with each other, US corporations that moved their manufacturing and processing facilities over to countries like China, Americas' workforce now has to match the cost of labor. Or else, why hire a labor force that costs you many times more than you can get in another country? Can't make as much profit, that way.
And now, with India promising corporations even less regulation, and even lower labor costs, Americans trying to make themselves more attractive to employers are taking on huge student loans and debt, to try and be competitive.
On top of their already unpatriotic practices, corporations have found they can just function with temporary "contract" workers, who they don't have to pay any benefit to. Even more profits!
But, this extremely short-sighted view is resulting in a growing number of Americans who can't afford to buy the corporations stuff. They don't have jobs. Or, their jobs don't pay them enough to pay off their student debt, or much of anything else.
No worries. They just sell the stuff to the Chinese, Indonesians, and pretty much anybody else. Except Americans.
And, these great American corporations then take these profits, and put them in foreign banks where American cities and towns don't get any tax benefits from.
To keep everyone up to date, the Elwha has now dropped below 500 cfs, and is at 494 cfs.
The Dungeness is now at 157 cfs.
On June 14th!
I wrote to the Port Angeles City council members, the City Manager and the Public Works Director, asking what the plan is for residents, when the water in the river dries up.
Not one of them had the courtesy to reply, in any form.
Do they think it isn't important?
That residents don't deserve a response to a serious question?
That it isn't their responsibility?
What do they think they are there for?
They never reply why waste writing to the city council. Vote them out!!
Next, how in the HELL can you default on a student loan? They'll just keep coming after you, and after you. You can't bankrupt yourself out of them, either.
The public works director will be updating the council and any interested citizens tomorrow.
Years ago in my early 20's I defaulted on a car loan but I made it easy for them and returned it to the dealership.
It amuses me that they scare you about water up there, so the rivers may be running a little low, so what? You still have way more water than they have here in Texas on a good year, stop fussing over stupid shit.
Is the turd tank operational yet???
"The Dungeness is now at 157 cfs."
Hahahahaha, here that is called a flood.
@BBC I hope we all will be laughing in another couple weeks when the Elwha and Dungeness rivers dry up. The levels now are what we usually see at the very end of summer, just before the rains come and get everything wet again. Only, we haven't even gotten to summer yet, and it is four months or more until the rains come again.
Yes, it will be interesting to hear what the city has to say tomorrow night, given they haven't said anything, yet.
11:29, it will be a central topic at tonight's council meeting, and probably in the PDN tomorrow, as well as the minutes and audio recordings online. It's a little more efficient that way.
I agree with BBC for once. Fires and fish will be the issues, not the P.A. water supply. I'm hearing a lot of - well, hysteria, in some quarters. There's still no shortage of drama around here.
@ Anon 9:35
I'm glad you are so sure. We sure will see. The track record of the City and the leadership in this town has not been very good, when you look at what they have said, and what projects they have pursued.
But, the water will do what the water will do, regardless of what you and I think.
Funny how people are. When it comes to fires, people are told to clear brush away from around their house, and take other precautions. When driving, people wear seat belts to take the precaution, in case they are in an accident.
In advance of the flu season, people get flu shots. They take out, and pay big money for home and car insurance they may never use.
But, the source of their water drops to levels extremely low levels (only 25% of where it normally is), with months of dry weather ahead, and no precautions are taken. Concern about the situation is called "hysteria".
Funny how people are.
"However, if we are negatively affected then this will go down in history as the greatest short-sighted failure of local leadership."
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2015/06/16/california-water-cuts-leave-city-days-away-from-running-out-of-water/
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