The Debt Collective 🟥

If you have federal student debt, you may have recently received an email from the Department of Education telling student debtors who are in the SAVE forbearance to switch plans. We want to encourage you to not rush this next step. Take a deep breath. You have until September.

We simply cannot handle this current combination of capitalist conspirators: gutting our healthcare, forcing us into debt for education, raising our rent, siphoning our jobs with AI, burning our planet. Those of us who work AND/OR borrow money to live need to unionize and bargain

Baristas literally spend their time in a steamy room pulling levers on dangerous machinery converting a raw commodity into a value added product for near minimum wage and yet every 2 months we decide that isn’t working class bc they have tattoos or something.

Every single worker needs a good paying job and safe working conditions. But in this age of financial capitalism, we need to ensure we resist each lever capitalists use to steal from us. That means every *debtor* needs a union, too, as our creditors are also predatory overseers.

The best thing you can probably do is come to our SAVE call on May 27th. REGISTER HER: debtcollective.org/event/save-pla… If you feel so moved, we'll take a coffee-sized donation to help us keep doing this work: debtcollective.org/support/donate/

The point is, a lot could change. Making the change too soon might come back to bite. Another point: we have a lawsuit awaiting a court decision that may intervene in the decision to gut SAVE. It's not guaranteed to work—but if it does and you moved too quick, you'll regret it.

You may be getting an email like this soon. Here's what you need to know.

News: Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called for a pause on data center projects until the state can assess the facilities’ long-term impact on Texas’ supply of water, power and land.

@FourtyFOURTY might have responded before the thread finished. It's to make this decision closer to September/October than May/June.

@StrikeDebt So what is the recommendation here to avoid an inflated due payment?

Happening Now:

@MattZeitlin He’s right here officer @FTC

renters should be allowed to get 30 year fixed loans with deductible interest to invest in REITs

No you can’t have rent control, you can have tax breaks for pell grant recipients who are first time real estate investors in qualified opportunity zones instead.

The data centers vs almonds water use thing is like catnip to a certain type of centrist contrarian who sees no difference between producing food and storage for ai generated CSAM.

you can see a draft of our FTC comment (deadline May 26) here and add your name to it to strengthen the comment: secure.everyaction.com/pjaFAZSsREOsZs…

the FTC/DOJ is currently taking comment on whether big private equity firms who do business transactions over $100M should be subject to automatic FTC review. right now, these firms are exempt. you can add your name to our comment to the FTC to push for closing this loophole.

We need a world without landlords.

In case anyone wants to join tomorrow's @StrikeDebt Zoom seminar wherein I will present my paper w/@andrewelrod "Rebuilding American Higher Education," register here: debtcollective.org/event/college-… 8pm ET on Thursday, May 21st.