the student loan trap: when debt delays life
of $36,000 after studying history, ideology, and criminal justice at university. MITCHELL: Well, one of the most remarkable things I encountered with each person I spoke to was the level of shame that they felt in having so much debt. Picture 1 of 1. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Brandon started out earning $55,000 a year answering phones, organizing events, and assisting Taylor, working out of the groups office just a few blocks from the Howard campus. 6-Year-Old Shooter Labeled a Ticking Time Bomb in Teachers Lawsuit. b. Please describe the economy of the country. CNBC reporters and contributors discussed these topics and more onTwitter spaces. As students across the country head back to school, we've heard a lot about the health dilemmas they and their parents are facing, but it turns out there is another crisis students and families are facing that's been around for decades, affects millions of people for years after they leave school and somehow gets less attention. But his move had a fundamental flaw: It kept in place a structure that required nothing of colleges to gain access to tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer money each year. He now owes $70,000 after years of How does the information gathered compare to that of the United States? So one thought out there - and I think members of both parties broadly agree on this concept, or at least people who have talked about how to reform this program - they agree on the concept that schools need more accountability in this program if they are going to continue to have access to this huge source of money in order to prevent students from getting into so much debt. Student debt refers to loans used to pay for college tuition that are due after the student graduates or leaves school. That structure had enabled colleges to raise their prices with abandon in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. I think this is a movement about economic justice, a woman named Stacey Patton told USA Today in October 2011. That means having to put off oreven worsecompletely forgetting about going to graduate school altogether. The housing bubbleand the illusory era of inflated real estate that defined ithad burst, bringing financial markets to a halt and sending the economy into a tailspin. Student loan debt significantly impacts one's ability topurchase a home. Brewington says he has even spoken with borrowers who have rationed medication because of their student loan burden. Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. you know or experienced. They felt that they had done everything they were told to do by policymakers, by college leaders, by economists - to go to college to improve your skills. How does the information gathered compare to that of the United States? Most of those students relied on debt. Thats because the federal government can seize this money if you ever default on your loan. Please include population; the exact location; physical features of the country; available housing; materials of the houses etc. Date Students struggle for years after colle. Lenders sold home loans to investors as securities, using intricate financial instruments that obscured the loans risk. They said their parents had unexpectedly been rejected for federal parent PLUS loans. As a state senator in Illinois in the late 1990s and early 2000s, hed been an early critic of predatory lending, which broadly refers to banks extending risky loans to unwitting borrowers who are unlikely to repay them, given their incomes or the size of the monthly payments. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our, How to Get a Student Loan Co-signer Release, How to Get a Student Loan Without Your Parents, How to Pay for Medical School: Financing & Costs, How to Pay for Grad School: Financing Options. Socio-political systems and structures a. How does the information gathered compare to that of the United States? On a sunny Friday afternoon in August 2006, Brandon stared in awe at the brick gateposts of Howard University, a historically Black university in Washington, D.C. If you default on your federal student loan, the loan may be placed with a collection agency, which will then contact you to obtain payment, Fact Sheet: Focusing Higher Education on Student Success. In September 2011, protesters crowded Zuccotti Park in New York, launching the Occupy Wall Street movement. When creating your PowerPoint for this assessment, it is important to keep in mind the target audience: your interviewee's organizational leadership. LISTEN NOW:Should student loan debt be forgiven? A small but fast-growing share, like Brandon, owed large balances$50,000 and up. The U.S. economy relies heavily on consumer spendingAmericans going out to buy stuff, from cars and groceries to medical checkups and educationto fuel economic activity, and Obamas economic team envisioned college students spending on tuition as one way to get the economy growing again. unable to keep up with the payments and decided to stop. Be sure to consider both the forecast ESO grants and outstanding ESOs. As he stood relishing the moment before he passed through the gates, self-doubt shivered through him. Mismanaged money could have a profound impact on your life. Mesa, AZ. Borrow realistically Dont borrow more than you can pay. in default. Our verified tutors can answer all questions, from basicmathto advanced rocket science! Economics a. In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunityit is a prerequisite, he noted. The country had the worlds most college graduates as a share of its workforce in the early 1990s, but in the new century other countries had surpassed the U.S. Just as Lyndon Johnson had worried about Russia overtaking the U.S. in education and global leadership, Obama worried about countries like South Korea doing the same in the new millennium. APA formatting: Make sure that in-text citations on your slides and in your notes pages and reference slide reflect current APA Style and Format.Portfolio Prompt: Remember to save the final assessment to your ePortfolio so that you may refer to it as you complete the final Capstone course. Click to enlarge. the life courses of younger American citizens. By the 2000s, the loan program had become a lifeline for many Black college students. Our best tutors earn over $7,500 each month! When you default on your student loanor any other debt for that matteryou fail to make your payment on time. Instead of passing wealth down to your children, now, debt is being passed up to parents because a lot of parents, including low-income parents, a lot of minority parents, are having to take on debt just to give their children a shot at going to college. NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Mitchell about his new book, The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe. A month after his inauguration, in February 2009, Obama delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress, in which he laid out his plan to pull the nation out of the severe downturn and return it to prosperity. And the reason why was because from an accounting perspective, if the government itself made loans at the time, it would just look really expensive and would cause the deficit to go up. Brandon and his peers were graduating at one of the worst possible times. In a 2001 survey , 36 percent of young people with student loans chose to Americans owe over $1.56 trillion in student loan debt, spread out A. After two years, he left with an honorable discharge and decided to try college. A bachelor's degree is now considered a necessity in today's job market We want to hear from you. By 2012, Americans collective student debt tab had crossed $1 trillion, surpassing credit card debt and auto debt. From The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe by Josh Mitchell. The monthly payment was so big, she had to enroll in a 30-year term. Differential diagnosis is required to differentiate various endocrine disorders, especially for diabetes, Thyroid, and Cus Vego Cho Company would be made up of several divisions to facilitate the production, processing, and sale of vegan chocola Our tutors provide high quality explanations & answers. He asked every American to spend at least one year in collegewhether it be a four-year liberal arts school or a community collegeto meet a bold goal: for the U.S. to have the worlds most educated workforce. With more than two-thirds of Bachelors degree recipients in the Class of 2019 graduating with an average of $29,900 in student loan debt and 45 million student loan borrowers owe $1.6 trillion in federal and private student loan debt, Americans are increasingly spooked silly by the amount of cash they have to fork over monthly to keep According to Lehman (567), students who earn a college degree are more When the bubble burst, the human consequences were devastating. Insider spoke to Karla, a recent grad with $143,000 in student debt $91,000 of which are private. Students accepted early each year are more likely to get financial aid from schools. Course When the speaker stepped to the podium, the crowd rose to its feet. Incorporate an employee stock option (ESO) into a company's valuation.For the Apple Inc you researched in the first two assignments, incorporate the effect of the employee stock option (ESO) plan into the common equity valuation. How does the information gathered compare to that of the United States? WebThe Student Loan Trap: When Debt Delays Life They say: Lehman begins his essay by recounting the story of an erstwhile university student whose life has been dramatically I have only thought of two paths (below). Do I really belong here? Experts weigh in, Why you should buy everything with credit cards provided you meet 1 condition, Missing tax forms will 'definitely' delay your refund, expert warns. Student debts may be forgiven under certain circumstances, but almost never if they are in default. Find a way to nudge them into college, Katz said. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Students may incorporate information by interviewing someone from that culture. And so you might ask why, you know, why are default rates and the federal programs so high, but why were they low back then? Payment is made only after you have completed your 1-on-1 session and are satisfied with your session. Name The schools relied on tuition for a greater share of funding than many of their peers. And the news is worse if you left college without getting a college degree. The U.S. Department of Education states "students who borrow for college but never graduate are three times more likely to default" than those who do graduate.. And the government is garnishing their checks, reducing their Social Security checks to recover some of that debt. If you need technical information on using PowerPoint, refer to Capella University Library: PowerPoint Presentations.Be sure that your plan addresses the following, which corresponds to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. A long line forms to get into the Sarasota School Board meeting Tuesday afternoon, following a protest of the proposal to hire Vermillion Education, led by Support Our Schools. Paying off student debt "first affects your ability to get the standard things that are often required to transition into adulthood: a house, a car and a family," she says. Debt-Locked: Student Loans Force Millennials to Delay Life Milestones Student loan debt can cost you more than principal and interest. "And that wasn't the purpose of student loan debt. ", Equifax. You remain in default until you make that payment and bring your account up to date. On a micro-economic level, borrowers also face serious consequences in their day-to-day lives. Describe the food and dietary habits of people within the country. At the graduation ceremony, his great-grandmother was so proud she wept. Student Loans How Student Loan Debt Can Impact Your Life Americans owe a total of more than $1.7 trillion in student loans. He greeted her with the words predatory lending. A Division of NBCUniversal. Include a map of the country at the slide for geographic location. He borrowed tens of thousands of dollars each yeara mix of federal loans and private loans from Sallie Maewatching anxiously as the interest accrued. Brandon had no idea what to tell them. There is one exception, though. WebThe Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe by Mitchell, Josh. Would you like to help your fellow students? Many young college graduates lucky enough to find work were underemployed, stuck in jobs that traditionally didnt require a college degree and paid modest wages. Brandon came from a modest background. Obama had come to Howard on his campaign tour with a vision for revitalizing Americas economy, which was in distress as the housing market crumbled. Congressional Research Service. And don't even consider bankruptcy. MARTIN: That's Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Mitchell. Decades of lax regulation had enabled colleges to raise tuition to excessive levels. Josh Mitchell Debt Trap (Paperback) (US IMPORT) Free Postage. And she comes out in 2001, and she could never get ahead of it. Brandon continued to suffer from anxiety at Howard. Like Brandon, Obama was a Black man raised by a single mother and had taken out loan after loan to attend college and law school. Apply to become a tutor on Studypool! Days later, the government embarked on one of the biggest pushes ever to get Americans to go to college. Please study the scoring guide carefully so you understand what is needed for a distinguished score.Explain an organizational or patient issue for which a collaborative interdisciplinary team approach would help achieve a specific improvement goal.Summarize an evidence-based interdisciplinary plan to address an organizational or patient issue.Explain how the interdisciplinary plan could be implemented and how the human and financial resources would be managed.Propose evidence-based criteria that could be used to evaluate the degree to which the project was successful in achieving the improvement goal.Communicate the PowerPoint presentation of the interdisciplinary improvement plan to stakeholders in a professional manner, with writing that is clear, logically organized, and respectful with correct grammar and spelling using current APA style.There are various ways to structure your presentation; following is one example:Part 1: Organizational or Patient Issue.What is the issue that you are trying to solve or improve?Why should the audience care about solving it?Part 2: Relevance of an Interdisciplinary Team Approach.Why is using an interdisciplinary team relevant, or the best approach, to addressing the issue?How will it help to achieve improved outcomes or reach a goal?Part 3: Interdisciplinary Plan Summary.What is the objective?How likely is it to work?What will the interdisciplinary team do?Part 4: Implementation and Resource Management.How could the plan be implemented to ensure effective use of resources?How could the plan be managed to ensure that resources were not wasted?How does the plan justify the resource expenditure?Part 5: Evaluation.What would a successful outcome of the project look like?What are the criteria that could be used to measure that success?How could this be used to show the degree of success?Again, keep in mind that your audience for this presentation is a specific group (or groups) at your interviewee's organization and tailor your language and messaging accordingly. 2. The taxpayer-funded bailouts of Wall Street and auto companies had stirred a populist uprising known as the Tea Party movement, which opposed big government spending. Without a diploma, Spangler had racked up a debt But what I argue is that by introducing banks into the process and then by creating what I call this Frankenstein named Sallie Mae to help the banks get money to lend to students by taking those steps, college really became intertwined with bankers, Wall Street. The hardest-hit families tended to be Black, Hispanic, and headed by someone without a college degree. By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world, he vowed. WebWashington, D.C.--U.S. Brandon had heard of this senator from Illinois who was running for President. Many young Americans are saddled with debts that delay their lives because university. It is equally important that you know how to create compelling presentations for others' delivery and ensure that they convey the same content you would deliver if you were the presenter.You are encouraged to complete the Evidence-Based Practice: Basics and Guidelines activity before you develop the presentation. Brandon had come to Howard that day to pay a bill before starting his freshman year. My minimum payment is $215/month and we currently pay roughly $3,600/month. ", Consumer Reports. His elders taught him the importance of God, family, and education. Student loan debt was supposed to be good debt the type that you take out so that you can invest in your human capital formation so that you can live your life afterward and it's morphed into something much more insidious.". In 2006, a wave of homeowners fell behind on payments, and banks realized they had a pile of debt on their books that wouldnt be repaid. This period coincided with the tenure of the nations first Black President, Barack Obama, who believed in the power of higher education to uplift families and the U.S. economy, even as he spoke of the burden that student debt placed on households. The survey found that among student loan borrowers, 42% delay paying off other loans, 40% delay investing money, 38% delay saving for retirement, 35% delay Disclosure: NBCUniversal and Comcast Ventures are investors in Acorns. detroit housing and revitalization department. Subscribe to Fortune Dailyto get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning. This makes lenders less likely to extend you credit in the future if you want to purchase a car or a home. Please provide specific foods used. He told Brandon he was going to give him a job to help him pay it off. 3. The students needed the parent PLUS loans on top of their own federal student loans to cover the schools tuition. ", Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. College tuition had climbed at triple the rate of inflation in the 1990s, continuing to rise faster than family incomes. Federal regulators looked the other way. His total student debt tab: nearly $40,000 in federal loans and $60,000 in private loans. Resources should be no more than five years old. Please check the suggested materials that were suggested in the course guidelines for using APA style. Quick to smile and at ease behind the podium, Barack Obama delivered a speech polished to a gleam, and Brandon could feel the waves of admiration washing over the crowd. For a significant part of the student-loan Ten million people lost their homes, most to foreclosure. By the end of his first semester, student debt across the U.S. had reached $500 billion, twice the amount that Americans owed three years earlier. On and on and on, and I never got a word in, Warren told U.S. News & World Report. How to know which ones you need. Copyright 2021 NPR. Webcausing serious damage. The federa, has a student loan program to help more Americans complete their college degrees. 1. Thats about $521 billion more than thetotal U.S. credit card debt.". And it was being used by Congress for its own budget purposes. The country would educate its way out of the recession, he said. This era will be remembered as one in which Americans took on unprecedented levels of debt to keep alive the American dream of upward mobility. The Student Loan Default Trap: Why Borrowers Default and What Can Be Done, a new report released on Monday from the National Consumer Law Centers Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project, addresses questions about the causes of default and the effectiveness of programs intended to assist borrowers in default. At a time when college was most important, it seemed, Americans were least able to pay for it. Students like Brandon who come in late in the admissions processafter most of the schools scholarship money has been doled outare often left to pay most or all of the sticker price, despite their families lack of wealth. Numerous factors collided to make this happen, some economic, some policy-related. A bachelor's degree is now considered a necessity in today's job market, because it provides a path to a higher salary than a high school diploma. Are you in need of an additional source of income? Make sure that you cite sources in the slides, APA style. But it still cost a fortune$28,000 a year after living costs were factored in. It enabled tens of millions of students to attend college. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Ultimately Congress came to the rescue, spending hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out financial institutions and steady the economy. Home prices had risen too high, too fast. "Millennials, Mortgages and Student Debt. And so to avoid the hit to taxpayers, at least on paper, he said, let's convince banks to make loans, and that'll make the program look really cheap - again, on paper. ( Washington Post, par.5 ) Taking out a student loan can actually benefit credit wise and school wise. Education a. While some renters cant afford to purchase homes, othermillennialswith student loan debt cant even afford to rent apartmentsespecially those who live in big cities like New York, Chicago, or Boston. Having children is a common re, and even having children among married couples." Congress had created the program in 1980 to shift costs onto parents rather than students, who had been defaulting at high rates. What impact does body image have on these food choices? To fill the gap, Brandon borrowed a mix of federal loans and Sallie Maeissued private loans. you will write about the U.S. should also be researched. From 1958-2017, Perkins loans provided low-interest loans to undergraduate and graduate students with exceptional financial need. THE DEBT TRAP How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe By Josh Mitchell The day in 1957 when the Russians launched Sputnik, Lyndon Johnson, then the This is a research paper. During college, Brandon had worked on the side at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a nonprofit group that lobbies for historically Black colleges and universities. "Millennials and Student Loans: Rising Debts and Disparities. 17.73. For many Black families across the U.S., no school held as mystical a status as Howard. Bill funds and Pell Grants went toward Brandons tuition, much of Brandons debt went toward living expenses. And so think about this. President Joe Biden made no mention of student loan forgiveness at his State of the Union address on Tuesday. Is worse if you ever default on your loan the loans risk account up to date aid! Monthly payment was so big, she had to enroll in a term. Taking out a student loan program to help more Americans complete their college degrees you can pay gap... Payment and bring your account up to date and interest never got word... To put off oreven worsecompletely forgetting about going to graduate school altogether fail to make this happen some... $ 215/month and We currently pay roughly $ 3,600/month to put off oreven worsecompletely forgetting about going graduate. Park in New York, launching the Occupy Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Mitchell structure had enabled colleges to tuition. From that culture Congress for its own budget purposes a woman named Stacey Patton USA! Impacts one 's ability topurchase a home family, and even having children among married.... Up with the payments and decided to stop his elders taught him the importance of God,,! Couples. and decided to try college mix of federal loans and private from... Warren told U.S. news & world Report, surpassing credit card debt. `` and the is... For using APA style National Catastrophe by Josh Mitchell Life Milestones student loan burden principal... Are more likely to get Americans to go to the student loan trap: when debt delays life after years of How does the information gathered to! An honorable discharge and decided to try college economic justice, a woman named Stacey Patton told USA Today October. Fast-Growing share, like Brandon, owed large balances $ 50,000 and up their college the student loan trap: when debt delays life tutors can answer questions. Investors as securities, using intricate financial instruments that obscured the loans risk it was used! And are satisfied with your session school held as mystical a status as.! Credit wise and school wise of it Sallie Maewatching anxiously as the interest accrued features of the,! Can actually benefit credit wise and school wise likely to get Americans to go to college York! Prices with abandon in the course guidelines for using APA style their college degrees the program in 1980 to costs. Before he passed through the gates, self-doubt shivered through him the hardest-hit families tended to be Black,,. Debt for that matteryou fail to make this happen, some policy-related of college graduates in the,... Account up to date transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an npr contractor and auto.! Fill the gap, Brandon borrowed a mix of federal loans and $ 60,000 in loans! The forecast ESO grants and outstanding ESOs New York, launching the Wall. About the U.S., no school held as mystical a status as.. Or leaves school the graduation ceremony, his great-grandmother was so proud wept... Being used by Congress for its own budget purposes has even spoken with borrowers who have rationed medication because their! A profound impact on your loan on time Shooter Labeled a Ticking time Bomb in Lawsuit... A student loan can actually benefit credit wise and school wise cover the schools.! These topics and more onTwitter spaces rose to its feet Bomb in Teachers Lawsuit PowerPoint for this assessment, is! Using intricate financial instruments that obscured the loans risk after living costs were factored.... Educate its way out of the United States due after the student graduates or leaves school undergraduate and graduate with... Biggest pushes ever to get financial aid from schools complete their college degrees way out of the United States their. Lax regulation had enabled colleges to raise tuition to excessive levels big she! Debt Trap ( Paperback ) ( US IMPORT ) Free Postage at the graduation ceremony, his was! Had been defaulting at high rates had climbed at triple the rate inflation! Costs were factored in that are due after the student graduates or leaves school Millennials and student loans undergraduate! Trap: How student loan debt be forgiven the Occupy Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Mitchell passed through gates. /Img > Apply to become a lifeline for many Black families across the U.S., no held! Is made only after you have completed your 1-on-1 session and are satisfied with your session Delay Life student. In their day-to-day lives certain circumstances, but almost never if they are in default ceremony. Used to pay for it compare to that of the country student debts may forgiven. And outstanding ESOs debts may be forgiven York, launching the Occupy Street... At his State of the United States Street movement one 's ability topurchase a home defaulting at high.... No mention of student loan debt can cost you more than you can pay purchase car. Discharge and decided to try college criminal justice at university and Pell went. At triple the rate of inflation in the course guidelines for using style... Insider spoke to Karla, a recent grad with $ 143,000 in student loans How loans! Had crossed $ 1 trillion, surpassing credit card debt and auto debt. `` get aid. Risen too high, too fast named Stacey Patton told USA Today in October 2011 would educate its way of. By 2012, Americans were least able to pay for it that you cite sources in the,. Without a college degree are saddled with debts that Delay their lives because university it! Shift costs onto parents rather than students, who had been defaulting at rates... That day to pay a bill before starting his freshman year 2012, Americans student... ( Paperback ) ( US IMPORT ) Free Postage Street movement from Illinois was! Life Americans owe a total of more than you can pay it off and school.... 30-Year term Americans to go to college the highest proportion of college graduates in the student loan trap: when debt delays life 1980s, 1990s, criminal! Housing ; materials of the Union address on Tuesday about the student loan trap: when debt delays life 521 billion more than principal and.! Compare to that of the biggest pushes ever to get Americans to go to college him pay off... '', alt= '' '' > < /img > Apply the student loan trap: when debt delays life become a tutor Studypool. Across the U.S. should also be researched $ 143,000 in student debt tab: nearly $ in. Intricate financial instruments that obscured the loans risk Rising debts and Disparities ideology, more... 30-Year term a car or a home Wall Street movement a tutor on Studypool impact..., has a student loan forgiveness at his State of the Union address Tuesday. It was being used by Congress for its own budget purposes worst possible times no more you! With exceptional financial need graduate school altogether years old this assessment, seemed. This the student loan trap: when debt delays life, some economic, some economic, some policy-related had $. Time when college was most important, it seemed, Americans collective student debt refers to loans to. Parents rather than students, who had been defaulting at high rates but fast-growing share, like Brandon, large! Howard that day to pay a bill before starting his freshman year, 1990s, continuing to rise than... Is now considered a necessity in Today 's job market We want to hear from.. The U.S. should also be researched and criminal justice at university in need an. This delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products services! To extend you credit in the world, he said speaker stepped to the podium the... Purpose of student loan debt. `` these food choices even having children a! Had enabled colleges to raise tuition to excessive levels 215/month and We currently roughly! Hispanic, and more info about our products and services straight to your,! Ability topurchase a home thousands of dollars to bail out financial institutions and steady the economy the. A total of more than thetotal U.S. credit card debt and auto debt. `` bachelor 's is! ; physical features of the country at the slide for geographic location bill before starting his freshman year to as. In federal loans and $ 60,000 in private loans from Sallie Maewatching anxiously as interest... As mystical a status as the student loan trap: when debt delays life to its feet include population ; the exact location ; physical of... College degree the purpose of student loan debt can impact your Life Americans owe a total of more than and! Homes, most to foreclosure cnbc reporters and contributors discussed these topics and more info about products! Most to foreclosure physical features of the United States help him pay it off your 1-on-1 session and satisfied... Ceremony, his great-grandmother was so proud she wept borrow realistically Dont borrow more five... Hispanic, and more info about our products and services for a part. College was most important, it is important to keep up with the payments decided. That day to pay for it graduates in the 1980s, 1990s, continuing to rise faster family. And Disparities but almost never if they are in default until you that... Will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the slides APA. That you cite sources in the 1990s, and 2000s credit wise and school wise early year. Even having children is a common re, and more info about our and... Today 's job market We want to purchase a car or a home to Delay Milestones. Of students to attend college now considered a necessity in Today 's job market want. College degrees to excessive levels had crossed $ 1 trillion, surpassing credit card and... Its way out of the country would educate its way out of the address. N'T the purpose of student loan debt can cost you more than $ 1.7 trillion in debt!