The Pilot School I signed up for when we moved to Las Vegas in 2004 sounded like a really good thing. There were the promises of “no mandatory retirement age, almost a guaranteed employment opportunity” and other things like that. Well, I should have done what I continually tell others, “research, research” and more.
Well, the owner of the school decided that he should take his wife and children and move to the Turk Cacaos Islands in the Bahamas and stay. That wouldn’t have been so bad but he took all of the money for and from the school, a little over $7 million, emptying the school’s funds before he left. Kinda stunk like a 4 day old road killed skunk on a sunny day, if you get my meaning.
The holder of the student loans, American Educational Services (AES) which had paid the school ahead of schedule and actually allowed the owner the opportunity to leave with so much money, decided that instead of going after the thief to go after the students. Well, rather than paying the entirety of the loans, many students went to court to challenge the sagacity of AES’s claims since the owner of the school embezzled the school’s money that we shouldn’t have to pay the student loans back. Guess what, the courts, in a limited fashion, sided with AES and required the students to pay an amount equal to the training we had received. The Students can’t afford to go after the school’s lying thieving owner so he is off, scott free. The students that are stuck here have to pay amounts ranging from $20,000.00 to well over $100,000.00 with NOTHING to show for it.
I have been paying on this worthless note for almost 12 years now and truth be told, it is difficult. My wife and I are on fixed incomes (I have been on a fixed income since 2002) and on any given month, it is tough. Every month I get angrier and angrier since I have NOTHING to show for this debt and the thought of that POS Jerry Aerola living the life in the Bahamas is like rubbing salt into the wound. There are days when I would like nothing better than to not pay the loan! I would like nothing better than to be able to say “Go after the guy who stole your money and leave the rest of us alone”, but, unfortunately, like with anything else the loan provider, AES, had the most money and could afford the court. Yep, that is what I said, “They could afford the COURT”!
Who says “Justice isn’t Fair”? It is the best legal system money can buy, as has been proven time and again by the protectionist laws that have been passed in the last 50 years allowing companies to not be sued for damages, insurance companies to not have to abide by the law, hospitals and doctors killing people and not having to answer for it. The poorest pay the price for the wealthy and the Government backs the wealthy up and the devil takes the hindmost.
Outside of EVERY courthouse you will see a statue of a blindfolded lady holding up balanced scales. This is supposed to be a reminder that Justice is “Balanced and Blind” and is fair and available to ALL. Well, at some point “Lady Justice” found that she could sell herself for a profit and our court system became prostitute for the wealthy Corporate America.
Sure, I sound bitter! Sure, I am whining! Certainly with noting else to do I should quietly just pay into the coffers of a company that instead of going after the criminal went after the primary victims. I said “primary victims” intentionally as in all things there is a secondary and truth be told a tertiary victim. The Secondary Victims being the spouses and families of the students. The tertiary victim being the loan provider. What does one do when, in truth, there is NO JUSTICE available for those of us who cannot pay the courts to rule in favor of any of the victims?
How long do we continue to pay for something that we NEVER received? We were never allowed to obtain the employment we had been promised? How long do we allow the Government that is supposed to protect and represent us to continually corrupt the Republic our fore fathers built with their blood and sweat? How long do our very lives have to be in the bargaining pool before we are represented to the extent we are continually promised and we listen daily to those promises being broken?
:) I can almost say "I remember that",, hahaha Betsy DeVoe is doing her darnedest to make it "Worst of times" for all the students.. Still makes me sad.