Response to Articles

Martin and Lehren delve into the severity of the college loan crisis in America. While I was aware this was a big issue for students after graduation, I had no idea that we have " $1 trillion in student loans outstanding in this country." Colleges and universities advertising themselves as cost free or breezing over what a student loan will really mean down the line, financial aide not really saying which amount is given and which amount is expected to be paid back. Most colleges just "urge students not to worry about the costs..." Students attending for profit colleges arenow "twice as likely as other students to default on their student loans." Obama has tried to help keep student's eyes open to making sure each college website has a cost calculator on it, but apparently they are very complicated and hard to locate. Education has become so key in our society, that students and parents will do anything they can to get that nice shiny degree with a good college name attached to it. Sometimes, however, that's just not enough. Holland's article covers a different topic altogether. The Millennial generation, or those born between 1980-2000, are becoming "increasingly alienated from the major institutions of American Society. The article states that many of this generation have an aversion to religion and don't see many differences between Republicans and Democrats. They are "less trusting of strangers than previous generations. Fewer are tying the knot." Less than half of them do not identify with being patriotic towards their country. As millennial's, most of us have not seen our country do something amazing to restore our faith. Baby boomers watched their goverment tackle poverty and "were eyewitnesses to a major expansion of civil rights." Millenniels are starting to value social politics as far more important than anything economical. Many of our generation have given up hope that the wars will end, that we will ever be out of debt, or that we will get the social rights that many believe they deserve to have. With the economic collapse and just barely getting out of it, with the lack of job security and expensive living prices; this generation doesn't have a lot of room for gratitude towards their government.