debt – The Matticus Kingdom

A little boy runs up to me. I am at my mom’s house, but she isn’t there. The house seems inhabited by 20 to 25 children plus my sister and brother in law. Most of the children ate indifferent but a couple are hostile; a little girl gives me the middle finger and a little boy kicks me in the leg. I wonder why I’m here at all.

This boy seems different. He raises his arms and begs me to go “uppie”. I ask his name and he relies, “Halo.” He has moptop blonde hair and is wearing nothing but a pullup and bruises on his face. I ask him about his owies and he responds that he fell. Reluctantly, I pick him up and sit him on my lap. I tell him that if he pees on me, we are through. He laughs as if this is the funniest thing he has heard.

My sister and brother in law enter. We rarely speak. My brother in law tells me he needs the money back. I don’t remember borrowing from him but I ask him how much? He responds that I owe him $200 plus 18% interest. Halo jumps off my lap and says , “potty.” I’m so glad he chose not to pee on me.

I tell my brother in law that I need to pay by the archiac means of a check. He agrees. I find a log that appears ro be mine. The hockey guy is in the left hand corner and it has my info. As I attempt to write a check, the info changes to a business I don’t recognize. We are all confused. I hunt for another set of checks. The same thing happens four more times. My brother in law becomes agitated. I am too, as I want to pay my debt, even though I have no memory of it.

I offer cash. I have $500 in my car, in various denominations. I run to get it. As I come back I hear my sister and brother in law laughing and saying they could get double. I don’t understand. I try to give them two hundred dollar bills and a fifty. This is my food budget. Each time the funds try to exchange hands, the money turns to plastic toy money. It seems like the myth Tantalus, where he can’t quite reach the water or grapes. By this time I am frantic and just want out. My brother in law is furious and i don’t know what to do.

Suddenly, I remember that my brother in law owes me money, not the other way around. Simultaneously, Halo returns and in the most adult voice says, “Pay her bad.”, then kicks my brother in law in the leg.

Thank you for reading the crazy that goes on in my brain while I sleep.

(This challenge isn’t all that difficult for me as I will often argue both sides of any argument depending on which one needs the most support. What follows is the point of view of a friend from the last “disagreement” I had with them regarding the need for everyone to have a college education.)

College is for everyone.

We, as a society, benefit every bit as much as the individual benefits from that advanced knowledge and experience attained by those who attend college and seek a degree. A more educated populace means more demand for higher paying jobs, which means more taxes being collected, which means those unable to work have better resources at their disposal, which means health care costs go down for everyone, which means more money in the pockets of everyone, which means more people are willing to spend money, which means more jobs at all levels are needed… This creates a self replicating cycle, because more highly educated people will be needed to fill those jobs, and we start again.

While you may argue that not every job requires the skills and experiences attained from a 2 or 4 year degree, I believe that perhaps if someone with a higher education took up one of those careers they would see a way to improve it, to reduce cots, to increase output, to benefit the company they work for and the society as a whole.

While you may argue that the sheer cost of college will become a detriment to those who are unable to find a high paying position despite their advanced education and thus create a burden on society rather than a bonus, I believe that the overwhelming majority of people will be able to find work. That majority will easily cover the cost of those unable to pay back their college debt. Besides, to make college a goal for us all to realistically achieve we will have to greatly reduce tuition anyway.

What other arguments do you have? What flaws do you see in this plan?