Rules for Life

The couple at the restaurant

A gluten free guy and his lactose free girlfriend decide to make a reservation for dinner. They research restaurants in their area that can accommodate their dietary needs and land on a four star Italian restaurant that can satisfy their requirements. The restaurant has been in business for over fifty years and has a great reputation for providing patrons with delicious Italian food, a great ambiance, and excellent wine selection.

The couple sits down, orders wine, appetizers, entrees and some dessert. Everything is delicious and satisfying. After a few hours in the restaurant, the waiter approaches them with their bill, which is $275, including tax. The waiter gives them ten minutes to figure out their payment and then returns to the table.

When the waiter opens the waiter wallet and looks at the payment, he notices that the bill has been left largely unpaid. The couple decided to leave $67, $208 short of their balance, and says that’s all they can afford. When the waiter tells them it’s unacceptable and someone has to pay the balance, the young couple suggests that other people who have eaten in the restaurant over the last twenty years can chip in and pay their tab.

Sounds ridiculous, right? This is what people are asking for when it comes to student debt relief! Sure, going to college gives you an advantage in the workplace, but it is not required to be successful. Choosing an expensive college, complete with dormitory expenses is just that … a choice. The price tag was fully visible when you made the choice on the university and the experience you selected, same as the food menu.

Why should other people pay your tab because you decided to go out of state to an expensive college just so you could get drunk and hook up with strangers four nights a week? People need to wake up and realize that encouraging this type of behavior sets some of the poorest precedents for our society, and ultimately sets up our nation for failure in the long term. We have become an unaccountable society that expects to be coddled from infancy into adulthood. Pay what you owe. If you can’t afford something, you don’t need it!

– Your Big Bro