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Occupy Wall St - Occupy Everywhere, Occupy Together!

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Marleyman

Banned
Evil Benius said:
Sorry I forgot my cell phone bill so another $50 and $50 for car insurance. You make it seem like this is insane and it is not. Even with those bills I mentioned I still had several hundred dollars a month for food, gas, and miscellaneous expenses.

Tack on a, let's say, $400 a month car payment. Throw in another $100 or so for expenses that comes with having a child and add another $200 in credit card payments; are you still making those student loan payments?

Evil Benius said:
Also it is not like this situation had to last forever, we are talking first year out of college. In my case I got a new job in a year making $20,000 a year more.

That makes sense then. I hope you continue to be employed but let's just say you end up on unemployment; how do you make those student loan payments at that point?
 
Zabka said:
Regulation of for-profit universities, a public health care plan and keeping speculators out of consumable markets.

I am completely in support of regulation of for-profits uni's, but I'd wager that 99+% of the people complaining about their student loan debt (in articles, photos, etc) are in non-profit universities. Aside from the token U Phoenix, ITT-Tech, and so on, every recognizable college in America is a non-profit.
 

Marleyman

Banned
marrec said:
Hey, I go to Century III all the time.

I used to but wow has it went in the shitter. I went about a month ago and couldn't believe the horrible shape it was in. Even the damn roads leading up to it are shit.
 
i just want Wall Street to be more regulated and taxed fairly. They were one of the main perpetrators of this whole mess and they got a free bail out through taxpayers money, yet they have the nerve to whine and complain about govt intrusion or being "unjustly" taxed. Obviously, letting them have free reign on the market unchecked didn't work out. There needs to be accountability.
 

ezrarh

Member
Marleyman said:
Ok, so no credit card payments, no car payment, no kids, no cell phone bill? You could afford it without those.

Not everybody gets into credit card debt. I make a little bit more than 40k but I have a car loan, 350 a month in student debt, 700 for rent (I live in Buffalo so it's cheap and in a nice neighborhood), and I pay for the entirety of my family's cellphone plan at the moment (mom&brother). Even after paying for health insurance and 401k I have a decent amount left over for savings usually. It's easily doable if you don't have a car payment and don't buy extraneous stuff. Obviously no kid here.
 

Marleyman

Banned
The Albatross said:
I am completely in support of regulation of for-profits uni's, but I'd wager that 99+% of the people complaining about their student loan debt (in articles, photos, etc) are in non-profit universities. Aside from the token U Phoenix, ITT-Tech, and so on, every recognizable college in America is a non-profit.

I work in the for-profit industry and I disagree completely with this.
 
My loans are still in deferment. I need to lock in a low interest rate so when the economy starts inflating all over again, my income can match or exceed the payments necessary.
 

Dartastic

Member
Manos: The Hans of Fate said:
No, I just gave you evidence of me doing so. I'm sorry you can't get past your left/right divide and see a hard working immigrant.

Trust me I've done work in immigration law, I know just how hard many new Americans and those who want to be an American work to succeed. I've seen it first hand. I'm sorry you can't see or care about that, but I do.
Well I'm sorry to see that you can't get past your ridiculous trolling and realize that a lot of young people have been working just as hard if not harder than your "hard working immigrant" and are now saddled with large amounts of debt, and no way to pay it off due to their inability to find a job. Hence, one of the reasons for this movement. Didn't you say you'd stay out of these threads?
 
Marleyman said:
Tack on a, let's say, $400 a month car payment.

If you're scrapping by ... $400 car payment? For real? I wasn't driving a dream boat, but my 2002 Camry, after college, was like $180/mo, and if I needed to, I could have definitely downgraded and not had a car payment. Insurance, though, was really high for me then, but that was as much Massachusetts archaic government insurance laws that have since been rescinded.
 
Marleyman said:
Tack on a, let's say, $400 a month car payment. Throw in another $100 or so for expenses that comes with having a child and add another $200 in credit card payments; are you still making those student loan payments?



That makes sense then. I hope you continue to be employed but let's just say you end up on unemployment; how do you make those student loan payments at that point?

If I was in that situation you are describing I would have completely reevaluated whether or not to go to college or a college that expensive. No one was holding a gun to my head forcing me to attend a $30,000 a year school. Also if you keep forcing big credit card payments and an outrageous car payment into this we are assuming the person is not the best at making financial decisions. I get the feeling you are trying to prove a point, but you are just making yourself look ridiculous doing so.

As for if I lose my job, that is what savings are for and if things still look bad I am allowed to defer payment until I can find a job.
 
Dartastic said:
Well I'm sorry to see that you can't get past your ridiculous trolling and realize that a lot of young people have been working just as hard if not harder than your "hard working immigrant" and are now saddled with large amounts of debt, and no way to pay it off due to their inability to find a job.

No one forced them to take those loans or go to the schools that they did.
 

Marleyman

Banned
ezrarh said:
Not everybody gets into credit card debt.

Everyone doesn't get into cc debt; most do though.

ezarh said:
It's easily doable if you don't have a car payment and don't buy extraneous stuff

Of course, but most folks in my age group(I am 32) usually have a newer car, kids, cc debt to name a few that you don't seem to have.
 

marrec

Banned
Marleyman said:
I used to but wow has it went in the shitter. I went about a month ago and couldn't believe the horrible shape it was in. Even the damn roads leading up to it are shit.

Ya, but the Comic shop there is dope... though the people there don't like outsiders.
 

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
Manos: The Hans of Fate said:
No one forced them to take those loans or go to the schools that they did.
Unfortunately there is a lot of social pressure that pushes people to taking these loans when they are probably at their most impressionable and optimistic.
 
Divvy said:
Unfortunately there is a lot of social pressure that pushes people to taking these loans when they are probably at their most impressionable and optimistic.

There's a lot of social pressure to smoke weed too.
 

marrec

Banned
Divvy said:
Unfortunately there is a lot of social pressure that pushes people to taking these loans when they are probably at their most impressionable and optimistic.

I'm protesting Peer Pressure now.
 
Marleyman said:
Everyone doesn't get into cc debt; most do though.



Of course, but most folks in my age group(I am 32) usually have a newer car, kids, cc debt to name a few that you don't seem to have.

They also have had ten years to improve their job situation and possibly get married which in a lot of cases helps your financial situation. Also you include a lot of optional choices in this. There is no need to buy a new car, have kids, or get in credit card debt if it will cause you to be hurting for money.
 

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
Marleyman said:
Everyone doesn't get into cc debt; most do though.

I don't understand credit card debt. For me, I use my credit card, get the monthly bill, pay that, rinse and repeat. Is the debt based on people just spending too much and not paying those bills?


teruterubozu said:
There's a lot of social pressure to smoke weed too.

There is a bit of difference between trying to get a good education and future, and smoking a joint.
 
Marleyman said:
I work in the for-profit industry and I disagree completely with this.

yeah, 99% is hyperbolic sorry, but the student loan debt problem in the US is not driven by for-profits. I think that the national enrollment of for-profit universities is ... what 5%? But that 5% represents a much different demographic than the 95% at non-profit universities.

A lot of people confuse private college with for-profit. There are relatively very few for profits colleges and they are not the motivator for the overwhelming student debt or the increase in tuition.

(edit, though for somebody who's employed by a private college and follow the Higher Ed industry closely, I 100% completely whole-heartedly want more regulation of the for-profit industry)
 
Divvy said:
I don't understand credit card debt. For me, I use my credit card, get the monthly bill, pay that, rinse and repeat. Is the debt based on people just spending too much and not paying those bills?

Or losing their jobs? Like the mortgage crisis?
 
I know people who were making at least 100k a year, my uncle who is an architect and a friend of our family who owned a housing construction company. Worked hard all their life, now they are both bankrupt.

Isn't the anecdotal game fun!
 

marrec

Banned
teruterubozu said:
Or losing their jobs? Like the mortgage crisis?

So most people don't have a safety net? They don't have a couple months of Salary in savings just in case they lose their jobs? They don't qualify for unemployment?

I may not be able to relate here, but I lost a job and had to be on unemployment for 3 months... didn't change my lifestyle in the slightest. Only thing that was different was that I couldn't put money away like I used to, hell my son was still able to attend his School.
 

marrec

Banned
Karma Kramer said:
I know people who were making at least 100k a year, my uncle who is an architect and a friend of our family who owned a housing construction company. Worked hard all their life, now they are both bankrupt.

Isn't the anecdotal game fun!

I'm not playing Anectdotal games, I'm speaking purely from experience.

I know that we're kinda getting off the point here... the point of this whole movement should be corruption in Wall Street and Congress, not the fact that College costs a lot of money.

teruterubozu said:
Yes, because we can all predict when we lose our jobs. Got it.

See my above post. Everyone should assume that they will lose their job at some point and have some savings to catch them in case.
 
Karma Kramer said:
I know people who were making at least 100k a year, my uncle who is an architect and a friend of our family who owned a housing construction company. Worked hard all their life, now they are both bankrupt.

Isn't the anecdotal game fun!

Who fault is it though? I mean didn't they keep money aside and other investments?
 

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
teruterubozu said:
Yes, because we can all predict when we lose our jobs. Got it.

I wasn't being snide. I was legitimately trying to understand. I've never been in that situation before.
 

Deku

Banned
marrec said:
I'm not playing Anectdotal games, I'm speaking purely from experience.

I know that we're kinda getting off the point here... the point of this whole movement should be corruption in Wall Street and Congress, not the fact that College costs a lot of money.

I think we'll eventually get to equal rights for furries.
 
marrec said:
I'm not playing Anectdotal games, I'm speaking purely from experience.

I know that we're kinda getting off the point here... the point of this whole movement should be corruption in Wall Street and Congress, not the fact that College costs a lot of money.

Your generalizing a group of people who are struggling economically based on the fact that you haven't suffered. Is that right?
 

ezrarh

Member
Marleyman said:
Everyone doesn't get into cc debt; most do though.



Of course, but most folks in my age group(I am 32) usually have a newer car, kids, cc debt to name a few that you don't seem to have.

Yea I can see where you're coming from. I'm thinking just out of college (23 here). But when you're that old, should you not think about that repercussions of having a kid and getting a newer car if you're still paying 500 a month on student loans at that point in time?
 

entremet

Member
Manos: The Hans of Fate said:
Except I pay it.
Yep. I don't get those who complain about student loans. Don't take them if you don't want to pay them back.

There are other options for paying for school or reducing costs, like junior college or state schools, ROTC and the like.

I do think that America spends too much on loan based financial aid and should adopt a more European approach, but then you get the idiots complaining about high taxes.

But no one puts a gun to anyone's head to sign loan papers.
 

Marleyman

Banned
Evil Benius said:
If I was in that situation you are describing I would have completely reevaluated whether or not to go to college or a college that expensive.

News flash, this situation came AFTER college. Also, by not going to college how do you get that cushy job you really want to get?

Evil Benius said:
No one was holding a gun to my head forcing me to attend a $30,000 a year school.

It is shoved down our throats that college is the way to go to get a high paying job and live the American dream; has been for years now.

Evil Benius said:
Also if you keep forcing big credit card payments and an outrageous car payment into this we are assuming the person is not the best at making financial decisions.

You assume? How old are you? I don't know about anyone else, but most successful 30 somethings I know have a newer car and they are also in cc debt. Don't act as if having CC debt and new car equate to not being able to make sound financial decisions.

Evil Benius said:
I get the feeling you are trying to prove a point, but you are just making yourself look ridiculous doing so.

My point is that you are hyping your situation up without taking into account what others are going through.
 

marrec

Banned
Karma Kramer said:
Your generalizing a group of people who are struggling economically based on the fact that you haven't suffered. Is that right?

I'm generalizing a group of people who are struggling based on the fact that I didn't make stupid decisions with money.

Well, I did make a stupid decision. I quit my job and moved across country in 2009, what could have been the single stupidest decision in my life turned out to be the best decision because I prepared and didn't do something that I couldn't afford.

Speaking of bad decisions, I have to get back to work... lazy hippies.
 
marrec said:
So most people don't have a safety net? They don't have a couple months of Salary in savings just in case they lose their jobs? They don't qualify for unemployment?

I may not be able to relate here, but I lost a job and had to be on unemployment for 3 months... didn't change my lifestyle in the slightest. Only thing that was different was that I couldn't put money away like I used to, hell my son was still able to attend his School.

Good thing no one had to go to the hospital during that phase. I mean really, we can go all day with personal anecdotes and how great we are with budgeting and how anyone else with debt is completely incomprehensible.
 

Dude Abides

Banned
Manos: The Hans of Fate said:
No, I just gave you evidence of me doing so. I'm sorry you can't get past your left/right divide and see a hard working immigrant.

Trust me I've done work in immigration law, I know just how hard many new Americans and those who want to be an American work to succeed. I've seen it first hand. I'm sorry you can't see or care about that, but I do.

The evidence of you doing so is your grandfather? Lol. Again, where are all your posts about the businessmen hurt by protests you support? What are you doing for this guy other than posting on the internet?

You've provided no evidence whatsoever that you care about this particular guy, or anyone else disrupted by any protest, for any reason other than your views on the underlying protest. He's a prop for you, nothing more. Just own it.
 

Marleyman

Banned
marrec said:
Ya, but the Comic shop there is dope... though the people there don't like outsiders.

Yeah, true. They also have a head shop now in the mall, which kinda signifies how far Century III has fallen.
 
Manos: The Hans of Fate said:
Who fault is it though? I mean didn't they keep money aside and other investments?

My Uncle was paying for his two kids college, his architecture firm collapsed after the economic crisis, virtually no new work. So yeah they did keep money aside, but as of very recently they have run out. He is a very successful architect in Bellingham WA and can hardly get money from clients he already finished work for. He is 73 years old... I would say lived a very wealthy life up until now. (not like top 1% or anything close, but very comfortable and happy)

The other example of the friend was him putting in huge investments into a town hall construction, housing crisis happened, investors flew, he was left with huge bank payments, couldn't pay them, had to declare bankruptcy, went from living on the golf course to living with his mom at the age of 51.
 

Marleyman

Banned
The Albatross said:
yeah, 99% is hyperbolic sorry, but the student loan debt problem in the US is not driven by for-profits. I think that the national enrollment of for-profit universities is ... what 5%? But that 5% represents a much different demographic than the 95% at non-profit universities.

Much different demographic. The student loan issue is not driven by for-profits but their tactics are aimed at a demographic that are easy prey.
 
Dude Abides said:
The evidence of you doing so is your grandfather? Lol. Again, where are all your posts about the businessmen hurt by protests you support? What are you doing for this guy other than posting on the internet?

You've provided no evidence whatsoever that you care about this particular guy, or anyone else disrupted by any protest, for any reason other than your views on the underlying protest. He's a prop for you, nothing more. Just own it.

You are just incredibly bitter that people are pointing out collateral damage that you'd rather have ignored. I also provided evidence pointed out working in immigration law and having first hand experience with immigrants. I also stated I try and support immigrant run businesses as much as possible.

Read all the posts next time.
 
Marleyman said:
News flash, this situation came AFTER college. Also, by not going to college how do you get that cushy job you really want to get?

Then if it came after they should be smart enough to decide if having a kid, buying an expensive car, or whatever is the smart decision to make when sitting on that kind of debt. For instance I did not think it was a good idea to go buy a house when I had those loans payments and that kind of salary so I waited until I was making over $70,000 and married to buy a house. As for jobs there are a lot of trades out there that make decent money without the debt of college.


Marleyman said:
It is shoved down our throats that college is the way to go to get a high paying job and live the American dream; has been for years now.

So that absolves people of any kind of decision making using common sense? Also it is not like school is a not go or pay 30 grand a year kind of affair, there are a lot of cheaper options if people want to go that route.



Marleyman said:
You assume? How old are you? I don't know about anyone else, but most successful 30 somethings I know have a newer car and they are also in cc debt. Don't act as if having CC debt and new car equate to not being able to make sound financial decisions.

If it causes you to not afford your student loans that is the exact definition of bad financial decisions! As for my age I am 28, but that should have no impact on this discussion.


Marleyman said:
My point is that you are hyping your situation up without taking into account what others are going through.

Apparently I need to give up all self responsibility, make bad decisions, get in financial trouble, and then finally understand the plight of that woman in the photo.
 

Monroeski

Unconfirmed Member
Divvy said:
I don't understand credit card debt. For me, I use my credit card, get the monthly bill, pay that, rinse and repeat. Is the debt based on people just spending too much and not paying those bills?

Lack of decent financial education IMO. Many see "only $30 a month!" and think it's great but they don't realize what compound interest at those rates will do to you.

I was talking to a guy in a long line at a convention who was telling me that his friend actually told him that the best thing he could do is max his card out and make only the minimum payments because that would be great for his credit. This friend would know, because he worked for a bank or CC company or something like that. smh. We were going to be there for an hour or so at least so I gave him a basic finance lesson and blew his mind.
 

Dude Abides

Banned
Manos: The Hans of Fate said:
You are just incredibly bitter that people are pointing out collateral damage that you'd rather have ignored. I also provided evidence pointed out working in immigration law and having first hand experience with immigrants. I also stated I try and support immigrant run businesses as much as possible.

Read all the posts next time.

Why do you insist this is solely about immigrants? Because you did a semester of a clinic at Rutgers or some shit so you can get on your high horse?

It's not about immigrants specifically, it's about whether you care about businesses that are disrupted by protest, immigrant-run or otherwise. You don't. You didn't complain about all the people affected by disruption in Egypt or Libya. You complain about this guy, however, because you can use him to take shots at the protesters you despise so much.
 

Marleyman

Banned
ezrarh said:
Yea I can see where you're coming from. I'm thinking just out of college (23 here).

I figured; no big deal.

ezrarh said:
But when you're that old, should you not think about that repercussions of having a kid and getting a newer car if you're still paying 500 a month on student loans at that point in time?

Hey man, I am not old. You always have to think about how you are going to fit things into your budget. Anyway, the poster who mentioned he had that payment per month didn't have those type of expenses.
 
Dude Abides said:
Why do you insist this is about immigrants? Because you did a semester of a clinic at Rutgers or some shit so you can get on your high horse?
I never went to Rutgers or did a clinic, this was doing actual work to make money in Grad School. So I can speak from real world experience.

It's not about immigrants, it's about whether you care about businesses that are disrupted by protest, immigrant-run or otherwise. You don't. You didn't complain about all the people affected by disruption in Egypt or Libya. You complain about this guy, however, because you can use him to take shots at the protesters you despise so much.
I do care, because the situations and what people where trying to achieve in Egypt and Libya were miles and miles apart from this. That was for basic political freedom.
 
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