<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t know, maybe you should ask the banks that got bailed out to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, and the CEOs that walked away with eight-figure severance and “retirement” packages while their companies laid off tens of thousands of workers.</p>
<p>If corporate America doesn’t have to take responsibility for its own actions, why do you expect average Americans to do it?</p>
<p>If corporate America doesn’t have to take responsibility for its own actions, why do you expect average Americans to do it?</p>
<p>I don’t make decisions for my life according to what I see the neighbors doing.
Especially when I know it is wrong for me.
Whatever happened to common sense?</p>
<p>Ek4 is right.</p>
<p>And while I don’t claim to understand all the whys in regards to bank or other corporate bailouts (cuz I don’t), I’m guessing that it has something to do with the economy at large and that millions (maybe many millions) would greatly suffer if the bailouts didn’t happen. If it just meant letting a lot of fatcats ending up on Poor Street, I don’t think these bailouts would have happened. </p>
<p>Anyway…Polarscribe…I hope you now understand my criticism of a 26+ year old who still is placing the blame on the wrong thing. Everyone understands that a 17/18 year old might not understand debt, interest, payments (which is why parent co-signers are req’d), but a 26 year old should be able to recognize exactly what her wrong decision was.</p>
<p>Polarscribe, I just don’t believe in the “everyone else is doing it so I will too” way of living my life. That’s exactly what has gotten us into trouble.</p>
<p>Two words: caveat emptor. Or as my dad likes to say, never ask a barber if you need a haircut. </p>
<p>Lenders (mortgage, student loan, car, the guy down the block) are in the game to get your money by hook or by crook. I’m sure this comes as a shockerdoodle to some but that’s on them.</p>
<p>2X - “shockerdoodle”, that’s priceless!</p>
<p>Having listened to many college sales pitches over a period of years I would note that a current 26 year old made this foolish decision back in 2005-2006 or so. At that time college recruiters were using phrases like “college choice should never be about money” and many variations on that theme. I haven’t heard a single college recruiter utter such nonesense in the past three years. </p>
<p>Several years ago a well-educated parent tried to convince me that a child only needed to be able to pay for their freshman year, that somehow the college would come up with the money to keep my little cherub in subsequent years should the cupboard be empty because they wouldn’t want to jeopardize their freshman retention rate! Just the kind of thinking that would lead some to look down their noses at my kid’s in state public education.</p>
<p>Back when this impressionable and naive young woman made her college choice college myths and marketing had a very firm grip on the “going away to college” mystique that was supposed to magically mature over indulged teenagers. 2007+ has brought a dose of reality to the college experience that was sorely needed.</p>
<p>This young woman is one of many who could be “poster children” for better math education in the K-12 curriculum - along with a healthy dose of critical reading skills applied to marketing materials of any kind.</p>
<p>According to “Academically Adrift,” in their study 45% of college students managed to avoid developing critical thinking skills (at least through their sophomore years).</p>
<p>Why am I wondering whether the subject of this thread is in that subset? And how do you get through a criminal justice degree, of all things, without critical thinking skills?</p>
<p>So based on one quote from one article on a single subject, you have leaped to the conclusion that this young woman ENTIRELY LACKS ANY CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS WHATSOEVER.</p>
<p>I think that logical leap shows a lack of critical thinking skills.</p>
<p>While these stories may be outrageous and/or sad, the simple fact is that the SOLE responsibility for this kind of debt lies with Congress. If (private) ed loans were dischargeable in bankruptcy, such loans were no longer exist. Thus, this girl, while accepted to Auburn, could not have even considered attending because she would not have been able to pay the first semester’s tuition/fees.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yup, and by exempting ed loans from bk, such corporate behavior is enabled by Congress. Better business than your local loan-shark. :)</p>
<p>*So based on one quote from one article on a single subject, you have leaped to the conclusion that this young woman ENTIRELY LACKS ANY CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS WHATSOEVER.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Actually, her quote, her decision to borrow so much, and the fact that her (idiot) parents co-signed so much, all suggest that she lacks thinking skills and is from a family that is similarly lacking…and the leaf doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’m glad that her parents are having to help her pay these loans; they bear equal responsibility and even more blame.</p>
<p>
We’ll have to disagree on that. I think the responsibility lies more with the borrower. You can’t legislate stupidity.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Did you perhaps note the question mark in my post?</p>
<p>However, since the quote in question is:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>and since,</p>
<p>at least one description of critical thinking ([Defining</a> Critical Thinking](<a href=“http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766]Defining”>Defining Critical Thinking)) provides in part:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>and since,</p>
<p>the quote from the article indicates that the individual in question either (a) lacked the “information generating and processing skills” to understand that she was borrowing a huge amount of money that would need to be paid back, or (b) had those skills but did not use them to guide her behavior,</p>
<p>then,</p>
<p>I think there is a significant likelihood that the subject of the article does in fact lack critical thinking skills.</p>
<p>and thus I repeat my question:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>EDIT: And, I would add, the fact that she evidently cannot find a job in her field in spite of a degree from a reputable and prestigious university provides further evidence that she’s probably not the sharpest knife in the drawer.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if she can’t find a job in her field because she’s not too bright (which is possible), or that she can’t pass the background check because she has too much debt. She’s considered a risk for bribes.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Fair point, ErinsDad. But OTOH, since we know with certainty that ‘stupidity’ exists, should Congress then legislate a license to essentially steal from those who are economically-challenged? Particularly since there is near-zero downside risk for the lenders, which includes some colleges like NYU who also make private loans to their students. (Perhaps only death makes the debt go away?)</p>
<p>
Yes, they weren’t thinking critically. “Everyone is telling me to do it” is not critical thinking. Instead of voting with their dollars, refusing to buy a house overpriced by government interference with the free market in housing, this family helped to inflate the bubble.</p>
<p>
Shouldn’t you be mad at the federal government for providing them with these bailouts? How does it make sense to be mad at the banks for accepting them? You’re right, those banks shouldn’t exist anymore, but it’s only because the government created TARP that they didn’t simply go out of business and disappear.</p>
<p>
Hmmm… so the government interfered in a free market and it’s turned out badly? Wait a second… I’m starting to notice a pattern here…</p>