Dear Mr. President,

What and when are you going to help the middle class struggling with student loans? I have, in the last year, managed to earn a whopping $10K in INTEREST on a $40K loan through Sallie Mae thanks to the 9.25% interest rate they're charging me. They want me to pay them $800+ dollars now and $400 a month for the rest of my life... which would be great, if I were employed. I'm an out of work teacher scraping by as a substitute, while my husband (who has an MFA) is doing temp work after almost a year of unemployment as well. And Sallie Mae is now telling me that it's MY FAULT that I can't afford to make my monthly payments! My sister, who is in a similar situation, gets over TWELVE CALLS A DAY looking for exorbitant payments after ridiculous fees are added on to her principal balance. And whatever interest we're accruing while we're unable to make these payments gets capitalized and ADDED TO THE PRINCIPAL BALANCE!

I don't want to *not* fulfill my financial obligations. It's bad enough that I have to swallow my pride every month to borrow money to pay my rent. But these companies are resorting to what amounts to usury, and they're not willing to work out an agreement. I actually had a Sallie Mae representative ask me what I can afford to pay a month, and when I told him I could MAYBE scrape together $150 a month, he told me that sending that little would essentially be a waste of my time since it wouldn't make a bit of difference on my account. And then he had the audacity to ask me how I was even going to be able to afford that if I can't make the $400 payment!

If billions can be given to struggling banks, what about those of us in everyday America who struggle just to keep from getting evicted? How can we be used and abused for profit? I went back to school to become a teacher so I could make a difference; however, if I default on this education loan because I can't find a full time position, I risk jeopardizing potential positions if the employer decides to do a credit check.

So I could bite the bullet, move back in with my parents (who are also unemployed), and send everything to Sallie Mae, or I can ignore the growing debt that this predatory company keeps shoving down my gullet and risk not getting the job I need SO I CAN PAY THEM BACK.

I'm screwed if I do, I'm screwed if I don't!!!