Instead, in stories like last week's "Student Debt Burdened Them, So They Moved Abroad and Stopped Paying," you get characters like 37-year-old Amanda Lynn Tully, who "graduated in 2017 with a master's degree in historic preservation from the University of Oregon, $65,000 in federal student loans and no job offers in the conservation field." Tully, reports the Times, "felt misled" and so "made a drastic decision: She moved to Prague, where she had completed an internship, and defaulted on her loans. She hasn't made a payment in over seven years."

Right off the bat, something seems off. Tully, the Times tells us, grew up in Colorado and "spent her teenage years as a ward of the State of Colorado and believed a college degree was her ticket to a better life." That sounds like an incredibly rough way to start out, but how did we get to Oregon and graduate school so quickly? And then there's this:

Ms. Tully was on an income-based repayment plan, which allows many borrowers to have their remaining debt forgiven after 20 years of making qualifying payments. She was paying $60 per month when she defaulted. This amount, to many, may seem manageable. But for her, it remained psychologically burdensome.

But for her, it remained psychologically burdensome.

Guessing you have a problem with that?

I very much have a problem with someone who borrowed money to get a graduate degree in "historical preservation," ends getting a super low payback plan of only $60 a month, yet decides to skip out on that because she felt it was "psychologically burdensome" to her.

Besides the fact that I agree college costs are too high, and there needs to be better solutions to that, I just can't sympathize with someone with that attitude. I know working people who struggled to put themselves through college, working multiple jobs, pursuing degrees to actually improve they chances at a better job.

But the person in the article bails on $60, which is probably less than that she pays for her phone. Graduate degree in Historical Preservation.

You don't have a problem with that?

I know working people who struggled to put themselves through college, working multiple jobs, pursuing degrees to actually improve they chances at a better job.

"I suffered so now others have to suffer too!"

I want people to be educated no matter what, and it should be free to everyone anyway so yeah, I have a problem with your complaining about something that has 0% effect on your life.

And your elitist attitude is exactly why Trump became President.

I also believe education should be free, but if you borrow money to do something, you should pay it back. I paid my college loans back and they sure as fuck were more than $60 a month. But you know why I paid it back? Because I borrowed it. And when I borrowed it, I knew it had to be paid back.

Here, let me borrow your car for a few days. But never actually give it back to you. That's ok,right? Bro, can I borrow your house for a bit? I won't give it back to you though, because the thought of that would be psychologically burdensome to me. You don't mind tho, right?

All housing should be free. So give me yours. I promise you make more money that me. And you know what? That's unfair. Don't you agree that everyone should have good salary? So let's compare paychecks, and then you pay me some of your money so that we can be even.

Free housing, free transportation, equal pay. I love it. Let's have you be the one to step up and start this trend. When can I come over?

And your elitist attitude is exactly why Trump became President.

Oh no my european ass fucked up the last 100 years or so? No wait that was you guys.
You're speaking as if those owed are gonna starve if they don't get her 60 bucks a month.
Money is a mental construct and transportation and housing could all be free if people stopped being dicks and trying to enrich themselves instead of just doing it for the sake of it being a good thing to do.

money is a mental construct and transportation and housing could all be free if people stopped being dicks and trying to enrich themselves instead of just doing it for the sake of it being a good thing to do.

I agree. But bro, don't just talk about it on Lemmy. Let's do it. For real. So we'll start with pay. You need to give me some of your pay to even out our salaries.

I also need you to pay half of my plane ticket costs. Because you and me are gonna share rent and rides. Now here's what we are gonna do, we have to convice all your friends to do the same thing. We need to get to a place where everyone has equal housing, rides, and pay.

But you are gonna be the one to start us off. YOU! I mean, you believe what you are saying, right? So step up. When can I come over?

Sounds great but I'm in a back-to-work benefits program because of an injury and live in my parents' guest room after coming out of a foreign prison so I don't think I'm the one who needs to start sharing (or somebody you'd want to actually talk to in the first place)

Totally doable. I still make less than you though, so some of the benefits are gonna have to come to me. I believe in you and your ideas, brother. Let your parents know about our plan. I’m sure they are on board with our ideas.

When I get there and your injury heals up, we’ll go look for jobs together, both sharing paychecks and costs equally. Now, I’m just a stupid American, and Lemmy tells me that every place in the world is better about immigration than we are here in the US. So me being able to stay over there shouldn’t be an issue, right?

And me overstaying my visa-equivalent there, that should be ok too. Because Lemmy tells me that the US is the most evil when it comes to immigration, and everyone else is way better. So I should be able to stay there illegally and free, because no one is as evil as the US.

In fact, now that I think of it, holy crap. The US is soooo evil and terrible, I should probably be able to get some refugee exemption or something to be able to stay in your country for free. I’m sure they’ll help out. I mean, all countries are better than the US. I know it, because Lemmy says it every day.

So I’ll come over, live with you, share your benefits, share your housing, we’re gonna share paychecks to make sure we are both equal in pay.

Now another thing, as you know, every country in the world is better than the US when it comes to education costs. Lemmy says so. Now I do have a degree, but it’s what we call in the US, an “Associate’s Degree.”

I’m in the process of getting a higher “Bachelor’s Degree,” but since I am coming over to your country, I’ll just get one there for free.

Now I know that even though I’m gonna get a free degree in your country, I gotta study hard for it. As Lemmy says and knows, every country has better education than here in the lowly, horrible US. So we gotta count on me being pretty ignorant. So I am gonna need some tutoring.

Is tutoring free in your country? If not, well, we’ll just split those costs too. But like you said, you want everyone to be educated. And brother, I want to be educated. For sure.

This is fucking awesome! Me and you! Equal! Equal pay, equal housing, equal education. Love it, love it, love it. No wonder that chick in the article left the US and skipped out on paying her bills. You all have it way better!

So when can I come over?

You really seem to enjoy twisting words into whatever shape you want them to be so have fun finding a way to reply to these few.

Mate! What are you talking about? What have I twisted? We're together on this. Remember, mate? See, I'm even changing up my vernacular and saying words like "mate." Heck, I just started changing my spelling from stupid American 'color,' to 'colour.' That's how ready I am for this.

Wait, wait, wait...are you saying you don't believe in free education, equal housing, and equal pay for me? Don't I deserve what you have? I live in the horrible evil stupid US. Don't you want to help me out? Everything you have is better than what I have. That's not fair, is it?

We were gonna team up. I was gonna work hard too, mate. I wasn't just gonna take your stuff. We were going to go half together. Don't you think I deserve free education, and equal pay, and equal housing like you? You are in a position to help. You can stand up for your beliefs. Don't you believe in all that stuff?

What part of my plan didn't you like? I just re-read my comments. What did I ask for that was so outrageous? Serious question.

Hey, you are not holding my education against me are you? I don't have a degree in "Historical Preservation." My degree is in Business. But I can change it once I get there. I love the idea of having a degree in Historical Preservation like the girl in the article. And I don't wanna pay for it either.

So you are gonna help me come to your country so I can get the degree for free, right? Are you gonna at least help me with that part? Don't you think that's a great use of your taxes?