Actions have consequences.
It is a phrase we have heard many times, often with a negative connotation following a misstep in life, but it can also refer to something positive.
As a recent college grad, I have a mountain of debt to pay off, about $40,000 and some change. But on the flip side, I have a college degree now. It was an exchange I agreed to knowingly. It was a price I was — and am — willing to pay.
Later this month the first debate of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary will feature a long list of candidates vying for the nomination, and I expect every single one of them to pander to young voters like me, promising to pay off my college debt or just forgive it.
That’s an insult to me. I took out student loans. To not pay them back myself would be dishonest and immoral. Again, actions have consequences.
Last month I graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville, a small Catholic institution nestled in the Ohio River valley. It was the culmination of a four-year journey that was one of the best experiences of my life and came with a lot of personal growth.
But when I made the decision as a senior in high school to attend this university, I accepted a responsibility — I am morally accountable to pay for the education I would benefit from, and that I agreed to pay for.