Baruch's Blog

I came to Montana to practice my profession. The licensing process contains a number of redundancies which slow it down. I am almost there but until then I am making $12.48 an hour, good wages for this area, working 10 to 20 hours a week.

I have a student loan which is at $38k, all interest (I have paid off at least 3x what I originally borrowed but since I haven't been working the last few years the loan has been in forbearance collecting interest). They want $269 a month from me starting in March. This month I will earn under $700. If I don't make those payments they will suspend my professional and driver's licenses, which will of course make it impossible for me to practice my profession. Crazy eh? The US Congress passed that measure in 2005. This creates a catch-22. If you can't pay, you lose your ability to make a living, then you can't pay for food or housing either. Can debtors prison be far off?

When I was traveling and not employed I had more money in my pockets and less money stress than I do working and living somewhere. I feel like the message is getting clearer for me...drop out entirely, let the US and it's economic slavery go fuck itself.

So I am saying these things, and compared to many I have it easy! I don't have the responsibility for a bunch of kids, a mortgage, etc. There are millions of people in this country who are sinking fast.

And to top it off, the system which created this, and which stole the wealth of the nation and gave it to a few CEOs and politicians, is also responsible for killing, starving, poisoning, torturing, and basically brutalizing more hundreds of millions around the world.

Gee, great country we live in!