State Board of Education

Its come apparent that I will not be able to attend the forumn, as it was yesterday....
There is a Nov 5th deadline to send in comments. Not quite sure what they consider 'comments'
but I'll take it as a letter....

Dear blah blah,

My name is Zachary Chick; I am a December 2006 accounting graduate of Penn State. At the present, this 'average' field has given me employment despite the broken economy, but I am with an option on how to handle over $100K. I did take 4 and half years; I did study abroad; there was one summer semester as well. But to come out of it all with $100k in loans to private banks because the same tactics that were used in the mortgage industry were used to lore me. All throughout the process, I was aware of the enormous debt that was adding up. However, my parents and I were never aware of the responsibility of these binding debts, that, with current law, cannot be declared in bankruptcy. And that is and never was my intention; I pay every month as required, the minimum unfortunatly and obviously, since its about half my pay per month. All throughout this and to now, I have and will obviously be average 'middle class Joe', as the current canidates are putting it; but I very much feel that there should be more government mandated programs for better access to loans with less interest rates and better time tables on how to pay back fixed-rate loans at raising rates, maybe salary-induced or by the year after graduation. Also, to have mandatory counselors assigned to someone, for example, that has over or is in the process to being indebted in to borrow over $50K. I just throw several programs out there that to give an example of government action that took place. Even government loans have so many restrictions; myself, I was only granted around $6K from the government, which do in fact have better programs attached. One could postpone these for 'X 'number of years, there is better access to consolidation programs, and the interest rates are relatively lower. This private student loan industry went unregulated behind the drive of the mortgage industry boom.

I will provide figures later....


I'm done, I have to compile a professional version of this, not just sit here and blog it.

ha, I'm not professional.

I never have a computer and a blog the times I really want to write and am inspired...Is that too long to be a title of a blog.....

....Am I supposed to name it like a movie. Brother, Where art though?....Help.....the Death of College....I'll go with the last, even though, thats not particularly stating what this will be about, but the mere death of me in total...Sooo, the name of the entire blog...as I did just post a 'speech' to a State Board, which as is now, I hit a couple blocks and basically, 'pussed out'....No other way to put it other than slang; I have a desire to make a difference, or, at the very least, have a voice and use it. Instead of this stagnant, selfish society that is America...And perhaps that, is a good introduction....So, maybe I don't have a good title, but an intro is as good as a title...

So, back to my original inspiration of the moment. Football. It's seem to have taken over all my interest and my determination of my level of joy. I am telling many of this addiction, but none seem to take it seriously. But it is an addiction, I'm fantasyin, watchin football Sunday, and all Saturday, and letting my emotions be controlled by the outcome of a game, a game that, at times, I question if its even fixed. So, my level of happiness or depression is driven by this GAME. And I very much understand this situation, and its severity, but it is this. And That is an association that I have put onto these teams. I live, and was born and raised, in Pittsburgh; DUH! pretty obvious where my football priorities lie there. And I went to Penn State. by they way, Lets go State! So, as I have branded myself with this, my 'hopes and dreams' are intertwined with this GAME. I was so bad at the bar yesterday, that I literally was like real nervous that whole game. Obviously, being at a bar, I made the right to decision on how to calm my nerves, and shotted myself. Only a couple, but the beers didn't stop flowing. All, as is normal, with this generation. Although, I'm not very big on generalizations, I still put that out there. Mainly because there are always exceptions. And while grouping all of those in one category, or generalization, only shows ignorance, AND, a blatant display of it. But as much as I love State, the Steelers, and Pittsburgh sports, it is only trying to fill a void that I have of something. Love for some things and interests and hobbies are all good, but taking it to a dominating level, does not seem to me worth basing my life on. And definitely spending my whole life attached to a game, and on others lives, would be a waste. So, somewhere there is a happy medium. Hopefully, I'll find mine. But as I sit here and 'blog' I'm reminded of why I 'Blog'. To find myself, which as long as I've been writing about myself and my experiences, I have never found myself, Maybe, even stepped backwards on that path. Hell, I've even come to many psychological and societal 'generalizations', but like I just said, thats all wrong. So, I futilely write so I never stop trying. And thats one thing I believe in, and can generalize my life into. Never stop that. But I fail, and so, as Vonnegut put in the book I'm readin right now
So it goes...

ha, and, as Hunter puts it.

And I digress...

To do or not to do.....

So, this isnt really about arguing with myself about to do something or not, its about what would I say if I did do that something. Which is make a speech and read that shit in front of how many people at a State Forum meeting. I feel it must be done, so I'll work toward that, failure or not...

here it goes....


......gotta continue later, bbl, thats the letters I think they use these days...

ok, so its later....and I have not reached a decision to do or not...however, I don't have the entirety of what I was to say, as I was much more motivated and compelled before....

but I'll try to put down something:


I'm not usually one to do these sort of things, however, with this issue I feel I must. As must any who has been this burdened, because even standing in our own ashes, we still must fight. So, here I lie, burdened by Student Debt because of following the path I believed the American society, and the government, had chosen for me. And as is also tradition, I headed to the State School, the only school I had wanted to go to since I was 12 yrs old and visited there for a trip to the Annual State Championships. What a momentous event, but not the most, with an acception letter, I never saw my about average grades and not to above average SAT's granting me. But it happened, and so I went, well with a minor bump in the road, I decided to SAVE MONEY and go to the closer local branch campus. Instead of the MAIN campus. I can continue on through time spent worrying about the debt I was to have, even going as far as a broken hand, which I probably should not mention. I am just here to show my story and the story of what Sarah Palin and John McCain may call 'Joe Six-pack' or 'Joe the Plumber', with an accounting twist on the last one. But as I feel that this issue should be a fore frontal policy discussed by the candidates of our current election, it without doubt, and bias of Republican or Democrat, should be discussed with our economic policy. With what some call the worst economic times since the Depression, our country's stance on education should be the main topic. We are the crop and farmer of this country that will keep it growing. Sure, there will always be old, rich people running us, but to ensure that this 'great', capitalistic country does not fall in its own policies, and die with them, we must educate. Providing life-binding loans to undereducated students is robbery and policy should be enacted to inform the youth of America of the upsides and downs to using financial institutions and acquiring binding debts. Also, the other major downfall of this country, that it is right to finance your life away. Debt is what the American Government is binded by, so how is it a surprise that the American people are believed to think and act in that manner. And while, wildly spending debt irresponsibly should not be condoned, investing in your or your child's education with this backing should be regulated and not as easily given. Maybe counselors, mandatory counselors, could be a major issue, if you were to have to incur over $50k of college debt. I just know that, in my case, as I was informed of the burdens of the debt I took, I never saw the astronomical MINIMAL monthly fee I would be required to rack in each month.

The times passes...

Wow, its been 3 years since Ive attempted one of these, and again i'd like to get my stuff, poems, words, songs, whatever, out there, even if noones there to read, at least there there, and my unread, maybe even unwritten, words will be not seen or appreciated, or understood for that matter, at least theyre there and I won't die in infamy to never have left this world with anything but ruined friendships, failed attempts to follow my creator, and a family thats just bearly hanging on...wow, long sentence, and too many uses of the word wow, I can't be amazed at everything, or can I. Well, maybe this is being started to strike my creativity so that I can proceed to write the book Ive been wanting to write*I hear they have a website for that too. They think of everything, and take it away to corporate america to make money off our needy american souls, and the rest of the world that is in our percentile, not many, and to think I complain about my economic situation, when I'm surrounded by the hood, and many people, black and white, who don't drive cadillacs and have penn state educations, even though the rest of my life, or at least 20 yrs will be spent with my hand to the grindstone trying to pay those 'blessings' that most forgo b/c they realize, like I should have, that they were not born for that. But I tried to reach for more and failed, but I'm not done yet. i'm just getting started. Losing hope along the way, but that lies everywhere, in music, in others blessings, in my familys stability. And most of all, in my head. As does the choice that we all have. To make something of what we've been given, or will we just fall away in indifference and live menial, ignorant, stagnant lives. Something I fight everyday, while going to and fro from my 9 to 5. And here I release, and try to understand all, while you either listen, don't, or I just rant to one day, hopefully(and I'm losing that daily) understand myself. Selah. An end like a great intellectual of our time once put, many times, so I shall use.