A tipping point is the moment in time when events that have been gathering momentum produce a toppling or change. More and more in our society “tipping points” are inorganically manufactured by way of the online media and the unabated access people have to information. Now don’t get me wrong; access to information is amazing. As they say, information is power, but what happens to an issue when one group can pay or politic to have their message spread across all media faster than the other side? The other side becomes crippled, and this is what’s happening to the student loan issue.

First proliferated was the news that H.R. 5 was being debated by the House, and the bill promised to cut interest rates on student loans. However, in order to pass the bill during its “First 100 Hours” in session, the House decided to pass the bill with interest rate cuts only on subsidized loans … a far cry from its original offer and surely a move that was orchestrated to give momentum to a new Congress.

Shortly after that the attorney general of New York, Andrew Cuomo, decided to get on the bandwagon and start attacking student loan officers. What can I say about that? Well, should one or two bad apples ruin the entire bunch? What about the good name of all those student loan officers out there who are helping students?

Next, onto the direct mail practices of some student loan companies … why are student loan companies being singled out? Mortgage companies, car insurance companies and a handful of other companies in other financial industries send out similar, if not more aggressive mailers.

Why is this happening? This is happening to manufacture a tipping point. By saturating the media with negative press about the student loan industry, politicians can make the change they want, not the change that is best for the students. They can sell out the students in order to pad their resumes. It’s counterintuitive, I know, but what about all the problems with the Federal Direct Lending Program (FDLP) that aren’t being attacked, such as its deficit or that the program doesn’t address students’ needs? What about the rising cost of education? That isn’t being addressed … the new student loan legislation is nothing more then a political sound bite or a political stepping stone. It’s a mess that the current politicians are creating for taxpayers and for future generations … future generations of politicians and future college students.

We are opposed to the proposed student loan legislation and middle-class families should be too! The government is taking money out of YOUR POCKET.

It only takes one minute to make a difference: call your senators, send your senators an e-mail, download a letter to fax to your senators, become part of our petition and help your friends find out the truth about the proposed student loan legislation.