Student Loan

I’m on a bit of a financial kick lately.

I, and then Kath and I, made it to about the middle of my fifth year at Rice without student loans. We did a look-ahead and foresaw a shortfall — amazing, without even having a budget. The numbers that follow are by no means exact, but they’re good guesses.

We needed about $500 to get to graduation. We also needed to replace our kit-built Fisher stereo amp with a flashy new Sansui receiver. So we took out an $800 student loan. We finished the year by the skin of our teeth, listening to good music on the Sansui.

This student loan will show up again later.

During the Biden administration, there was a big push by the Democrats to forgive student loans, and I was incensed. Student loans carry no accountability. How much of those potentially forgiven amounts went toward lattes, iPhones, iPads, tattoos?

And my darling granddaughter worked three jobs — at the same time! — to fund her engineering degree at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs without incurring any debt. Amazing. If loans were to be forgiven, how do you fairly reward someone who did it the right way?