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Tethers of Modern Life

I’m willing to bet that even the most down-to-earth person has at some point sat back and reveled in the proverbial daydream of starting a different life where no one know their name—basically the “I should just get up and leave!” mindset that tempts us in times of stress or boredom. However, I’m also willing to bet that the majority of time, they rationalize to themselves all the reasons that they can’t. Then they shake the thought from their minds and go on with their normal lives.

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The Economic Fraud of the American Dream

The quintessential “American Dream” is one of the most pervasive and iconic themes of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries — our mentors push us toward it; the media glamorizes it; poor Jay Gatsby died trying to achieve it. However, as young graduates across the nation return to their parents’ homes with diplomas in one hopeful hand, the goal of proud, self-governed homeownership seems to slip further and further away.

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Smart Students Crushed by Dumb Debt

We have created at least two generations of highly educated people who are unwillingly being crushed by student loan debt.  The housing crisis will look like nothing compared to the massive hit our economy will take if these student loans are ever called in or forced into default.

The dirty little secret that is keeping these loans in play — and always ready to tip on the borrowers with the slightest nudge — is the ability to “forbear” and “defer” in a vicious circle where you don’t have to pay what you owe, but what you owe gets compounded and pummeled and jacked back into what you already owe.  Every day you live, you dig your financial grave just a little bit deeper until you know what you’ve always known: There’s no way out; so give in to that punishing reality and live with your ruined financial debt, but never give up.

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Being Forced to Pay the Debts of Your Friends

We have already seen how one state can put people in prison for failing to pay their court fees.

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Debtor Prison Nation

We believe the United States doesn’t imprison people for failing to pay their bills — and that’s generally true — unless, that is, you happen to live in Florida and you owe the state court system money. 

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