The student loan agency/firm/company/corporation Sallie Mae recently announced that they are bringing 2000 jobs back to the United States from the Philippines and India. Public officials and policymakers need to take a hard look at quasi-governmental organizations that lead to the credit crisis but lobby Congress like private firms.
The ultimate insult must have been some student loan borrower explaining that her payments are late because there is no work in her city but the person on the other end of the line is in Bangalore, India. “Why haven’t I made a payment, are you kidding me. Are you calling me from the other freaking side of the world to sweat me about a student loan that is partially a United State government loan—unbelievable? I have not made a payment because you have my job.”
And why are we bailing out people who bought too much house but people with student loan debt will watch that load grow exponentially without relief. The cute Wall Street products and devices that ruined our economy include the slippery slope of student loan deference and forbearance. A bigger threat to American security than nutty terrorists is Raj with the headset taking American jobs and China holding our national debt.
“This is Raj..how may I help you. No sir…begging your pardon…I did take your job nor food from your children’s mouths…..would you like to may a payment today.”
When Washington Mutual Bank, AT&T and other multinationals brought jobs back to the US, customer complaints were the main stated impetus. Many of the complaints revolved around issues related to cultural understanding and communication. You make a clever point, however, that unemployed, underemployed, indebted college educated Americans receiving collection calls from overseas student loan servicers may display little enthusiasm when it comes to making amicable payment arrangements during these challenging times. Perhaps Sallie Mae has considered scenarios like yours and others should too.
I believe that wherever the call may have come from in terms of geographical distance, the issue remains that the government needs to address more seriously the crisis students and new graduates face regarding their loans.
BV: as a doctoral candidate, you took analysis of the situation to a more intellectual level while I was just tripping and venting. I must admit that after years of paying Sallie Mae I can proudly say that I have paid Sallie Mae my last payment. No, I did not payoff my student loan but moved it to Direct Loan with the federal government. When people ask what my child’s name was, I would say Sallie Mae since I never could afford marriage and parenthood because that student loan was lingering. (In all honesty, I spent money that should have gone to student loan traveling and playing. I was wrong.)
I better get paying since President Obama seems to need those dollars to fix our broken economy—talk about your vicious circle. “Mr President, let’s just say the student loan will pay for itself theoretically with my new job. My brother.”
Student loan: you are right and previously on this blog I have complained that poor kids in my high school class went to college free and made whatever grades while I graduated with honors and debt because my parents were okay (not rich, but okay.) Talk about your socialism or redistribution of wealth—my folks paid taxes so Ray Ray could go to remedial class at state college free to learn what they (as teachers) tried to teach him in K-12. While my preppy behind ends up with better grades and a student loan after college. Today, Ray Ray is pushing a E-Class Benz because he started life after college (six years for an undergrad) with zero debt.
Ray Ray smiles when he drive by me in my 92 Ford Ranger but I can’t hate on the brother. I should have gamed the system by declaring myself an emancipated minor at 16 so I could have attend college with the Pell Grant also. Today, I would be a judge somewhere rather than writing on this freaking blog.
Seriously, people with student loans should have been bailed out before people who bought too much house.
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Thanks for the kind words.