Quick post about Obama's Middle Class Task Force's Telephone Conference Today

The house is empty and we're heading across country tomorrow, but I was still able to be a part of a critical conference call with the White House today. (Many thanks to SponsorChange.org for letting me know about this important discussion). It was a discussion with the Middle Class Task Force.

Jared Bernstein started the discussion. After he spoke, the call was opened for questions. (Incidentally, Bernstein was on the Board of Directors at United Professionals. He stepped down when he was appointed as an economic advisor to Vice President Joe Biden).

With the four initiatives discussed today, I was quite encouraged by the fact that the student lending crisis (my term, not theirs) was mentioned as NO. 2. That's big. (All of our work together is making a HUGE difference, so I want to thank all of you for writing and writing and writing. Keep it up!).

I was able to ask a question about Sherrod Brown's debt swap proposal, and tried to make it clear that I think that there ought to be attention paid to debtors who are not recent grads. While I thought my ultimate question was pretty straightforward, Bernstein didn't follow.

There was too much emphasis on accessibility to higher education and on how to help recent graduates. Nevertheless, I am encouraged by the Administration's turn toward discussing the issue of financing higher education and the unmanageable levels of student loan debt with which students are burdened (that so-called "form letter," as a very ungracious poster wrote obviously meant and means something).

I am glad I was able to ask the question directly to Bernstein.

It was an honor and a privilege to be a voice for student loan debtors on a direct phone call to the White House. I look forward to being a part of more conversations like this one in the future.