(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . This morning, President Biden changed my life FOREVER [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-17 Like many poor people, I struggled through the first part of my life as we wore torn clothes and ate cheap, unhealthy food. I used to wash my clothes in the shower as a young child. As a young adult, I had to take out student loans to make my way through higher education. But my situation extended far beyond tuition affordability. I was DEAD BROKE...working three jobs to support a young wife and baby girl while trying to earn good enough grades to make it through undergrad (and ultimately grad school)...and we were STILL struggling to put food on the table. So I did what I absolutely had (but didn’t want) to do: I took out excess student loans and used the overage to buy diapers, food, gas, and other necessities. I did this for years, as needed, because I didn’t want my loved ones to do without and public assistance was very difficult to secure in those days. Without it, I’d have had to work more overtime, see my wife and baby even less, and doom my family to an immediate life of scarce provisions with little or no prospect of upward mobility. Trying to pay back student loans is a lot like trying to swim upstream against a strong current. You move an inch forward, the current drags you back a foot. I paid and paid only to see my balance increase after years of all the payments I could afford. You see, instead of taking my degrees into high-paying careers in finance, I accepted a position to teach because I wanted to work with young people and help them reach their goals. Sure, the pay wasn’t good, but the benefits meant I would no longer have to worry about whether I could take my wife or baby to the doctor for lack of insurance. The side effect was the growing level of student loan debt that always seemed to grow no matter how many payments I made. I was confident in the knowledge that I would die still owing this balance. That is, until President Biden forgave my student loan debt today...in full. I received the letter via my student loan account...and what brought tears to my eyes was this addition to the congratulatory sentiment: Thank you for your public service! The Department of Education, after forgiving a student loan balance that was three times my annual salary, thanked me for my service. Does President Biden have my vote in 2024? He already had my vote. He now has my undying gratitude. He has changed my life...forever. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/17/2199918/-This-morning-President-Biden-changed-my-life-FOREVER?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/