Column by Taylor Larson

Larson is a sophomore public relations major and can be reached at [email protected]

Even though my college graduation is still a couple years away, I am already worried about how I will pay off my student loan debt. With the costs of higher education so high, taking on such debt is essential in order to get through college. While I am confident my investment in my own education here in Des Moines at Drake University will be worthwhile over the long-run, with my job prospects less than stellar upon graduation, it’s hard for me to not be worried now about how I’ll pay off my debts later.

I took on my financial obligations knowingly, and I consider my promise to pay them back to be sacrosanct. Shouldn’t the federal government take its own debt just as seriously? As a share of the economy, the national debt is larger now than at any point in the last 65 years. It’s time our leaders in Washington, D.C. pay as much attention to its debts as I
am to mine.

Now that President Obama has released his budget proposal, members of Congress — including our representatives from the Hawkeye State — need to focus on the deficit-reduction provisions that can garner bipartisan support. They need to develop a plan to create a realistic and long-term solution to our fiscal problems. To learn more about the debt and how you can make a difference, visit fixthedebt.org.