I’ve Got An Issue – second in series on running for Congress
When last we met, I was thinking about running for Congress. Now I have filed papers and been publicly exposed as a candidate. I’ve started to wear contacts, taken my clothes to the cleaners, built a campaign website, had a portrait taken at J.C. Penny, participated in a “debate” with eight of the other candidates for Congress (representing the Central Coast of California) and — oh, oh…started to think I can win.
Why?
Because I have an issue that is resonating with a lot of people and maybe if you have an issue that people really care about they’ll give you the chance to go to Congress to try to do something about it.
My issue is the high cost of public college education and the growing burden of student loan debt.
College debt is an issue whose time has come. Both Bernie and Hilary are talking about it. Even Donald says it’s wrong for the U.S. government to make a profit by borrowing low and loaning high (the U.S. Department of Education made a greater profit in 2013 on student loans than the profits of Exxon Mobil or Apple. Aren’t we nice to our children – good little profit centers.)
What got me going on this issue was my son’s experience when he graduated from a top law school in 2008 in the midst of the great crash and there were no jobs. Law hiring is a conveyor belt. By the time the legal industry had recovered, the class of 2008 was left behind with massive debt. Eight years later, they are almost all in default on loans whose interest has grown to the point that they owe up to half a million dollars. They can’t borrow to start business (i.e. grow the economy), buy homes, or even act as good consumers because their credit is tanked forever.
Their loans are a mishmash of public, private, deferred, in collections – a royal mess nearly impossible to straighten out, at least not in bankruptcy. You can have ten cars, five wives, three houses and go bankrupt. But if you borrowed to go to college – sorry you’ve got a lifetime bad credit sentence.
I’m out on the campaign trail trying to stir things up on the campuses of Central California. I tell the students, “In the last century when I was in college (and the costs were $25 a unit) we raised hell about everything. You can move the system if you get organized. Now go burn that building down…” No, not really, I am after all running for higher office.
Ready for my speech?
I’ll spare you, but happily it’s starting to take hold. I’ve been getting good press and the donations are starting to come in.
But I need more $, lot’s more just to get on the ballot.
It takes $1,700 to place your name on the ballot and another $8,000 for a 250-word candidate statement. This seems like an unconstitutional barrier to running to me. I’m told it’s to cover the cost of printing and translation into Spanish.
The $8,000 candidate statement (a self-scripted 250 words about how great you are) is not required to get on the ballot. But if you’re a serious candidate (as I am starting to think of myself) do you go without it? How will it look if I don’t have one and all the highly-funded candidates do? Definitely a case of keeping up with the Jones.
If anyone wants to chip in a dollar or two so I can write a brilliant statement about college loan reform, here’s the link to my ActBlue account (the same non-profit who is handling Bernie Sanders contributions).
And if I don’t make it past June (in California the top two vote-getters go on to the November election, the rest go home) that’s all right with me because I’ve got an issue and it’s starting to take hold.
