The Coalition of the Meek

As I read whatever I can about the student loan dilemma my eye is occasionally caught by stories from outside this parochial sphere. While these other stories are about different industries altogether the central theme seems to be germane to the student debt industry.

Whether one has freshly returned from watching the film "Food Inc.", reading an article about utility companies involved in the setting of energy prices in California a few years back, the pharmaceutical price fixing that President Bush included with any free trade agreement he made or the ongoing collusion in the health care industry to prevent competition one thing becomes clear.  The same kind of behavior persists across many industries - big companies are seeking unfair and illegal strangle holds on the American people by marginalizing their livelihoods and thus their ability to fight back and maintain their liberties.

Now - I know that sounds like a bold statement and quite honestly sounds a little too paranoid for my taste. But the fact remains that we are seeing the erosion of the American way of life under the guise of capitalism - the very same thing we espouse as almost as fundamental to America as democracy is.

Don't take my word for it though. Do some digging and learn on your own. The stories I mention above are only a few that exist out there and that in and of itself is a shame because we are quickly loosing a handle on this crisis.

So let's review for a minute the stories I mentioned above. We have a student loan industry that was developed to make student loans available to more students for the express purpose of educating the American people and making us more competitive in the Cold War and the international economic environment as a whole. Instead, today we have a system solely in place to make executives at student loan and collection companies rich and that sells education as a way out but in reality is a quick dead end road into debt for many. I think this characterization qualifies the industry for the stamp of failure. Sure the loans are available but is the American public reaping the full benefits it was supposed to? I think not if we are trapping our intellect in debt and dead end jobs.

Food Inc. - watch this movie and tell me if the treatment of farmers by large seed production companies and chicken producers is legal and or fair. In these industries - it seems that antitrust laws are being broken but the lobbyists of these firms are so powerful the markets and the government have been corrupted beyond the sight of the law. Watch it and you decide.

If anyone recalls the energy crisis in California a few years back when brownouts were common it subsequently came to light that some of the energy companies were purposely rotating their maintenance schedules to drive up the price of energy by creating the desperate situation that arose. Uh gee - let me think the last time I checked that is not capitalism or a free market system in effect - its called collusion and it is illegal.

And for anyone who was watching at the time, go back and read the Free Trade agreements that President Bush made with Canada, Australia and some South American countries. Each of those agreements has pricing statements for pharmaceuticals. These statements generally require these countries to maintain pricing on pharmaceuticals in keeping with American prices. For a free trade agreement I have to wonder how price fixing serves the American public in the slightest.

And I am sure this is not the limit of what is out there. My point is generally that each of these industries have lost their way - falling away from the competitive, free market principles that as Americans we hold dear toward serving the interests of a selective few who only care about pumping profits at the expense of the general public.

So it is with sincere encouragement and hope that I suggest the following. It is my belief that leaders of each of the activist movements in these industries start to communicate with one another. Start comparing notes and I think you will find that we have so much in common. That each of our interests and needs are in reality all of our needs. We should pool our resources, financial and intellectual, and fight together to change the way business is being conducted in this country and hence the world. By working together in one industry at a time we just might be able the get the change we all so desperately seek and need in all of them.

So today I put forth a call to everyone out there willing to join the Coalition of the Meek. Separately we might be dismissed but together our voices might finally be heard and heeded.

I hope this finds you all well.

Warmest Regards,
J. Densmore