Ed Helms Explains Why Americans are Drowning in Student Debt

Americans owe over $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. And like many of our country’s problems, it all ties back to corruption.

In just 9 minutes, Ed Helms exposes the corruption at the root of the student debt crisis, and how we can fix it.

**Clarification: This video refers to the Former Chairman of the Education Committee, John Boehner, not the current Chairman.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Right now, over 43 million people in the United States are buried under $1.6 trillion dollars in federal student loan debt. And every year the crisis continues to get worse.

Ed Helms explains how crippling student debt is actually just a symptom of our broken political system. Massive financial institutions use lobbyists, campaign donations and their insider political connections to skew federal policy to protect their interests and pad their profits. It’s corruption.

President Biden has deferred student loan payments until October and is considering an executive order to forgive some student loan debt. But these actions won’t fix the underlying cause of this crisis.

Luckily, there’s hope. The most powerful, sweeping federal anti-corruption law since Watergate is moving through Congress right now. The For the People Act would fundamentally reshape American politics. It takes political power away from lobbyists, political insiders and profiteering financial institutions and puts it back in the hands of the people.

We need millions of Americans fired up about the For The People Act right now. Everyone’s talking about student debt. Let’s show them that fixing the system can fix this, too.

#EdHelms #StudentDebt #ForThePeopleAct

Ed Helms
Nora Gilbert

Directed by: Michael Marantz

Writers: Joshua Graham Lynn, Ryan Kleier, Michael Marantz

Research: Jack Noland, Ryan Kleier

Animator / Animation & Illustration:
Luke Toth
John Cranston
Joe Garber
Danni Fisher-Shin
Arnold Aldridge
Nolan Wang

Composer: Garth Stephenson

Director of Photography: Don Davis

Producer: Ari Hakim

Assistant Director: Miles Johnstone

Associate Producer / Post Producer: Zach MacDonald

1st Assistant Camera: Kevin Yoshimitsu
2nd Assistant Camera: Kevin Hooper
DIT: Felix Arceneaux, Willis Chung

Gaffer: Paul Hauser
Best Boy Electric: Eric Fleetwood
Lighting Board Operator: Gustavo Oliva

Key Grip: Archie Ciotti
Best Boy Grip: Chad Teglas

Script Supervisor: Tara Riddell

Sound Mixer: Daniel McCoy
Boom Operator: Amanda Pust

Teleprompter: Jeff Dunham

Editor: Zach MacDonald
Assistant Editor: Koby Leff
Mix Engineer: Brandon Hickey

Hair & Makeup: Angelina Butera
Wardrobe Stylist: Jane Vernon

Production Manager: Mike Suzuki
Production Coordinator: Katie Hoagland
Production Assistants: Mariama Bonetti, Patrick Gilman, Esther Ancrum

Special Thanks
Kate Frydman

Camera: The Camera Division
VTR: Stu Susten
Teleprompter: Greenberg Teleprompt

Stage: BLT Studios
Stage Manager: Steve Martin
Production Supplies: BLT Studios

Catering: McCrafty’s, Taqueria El Tapatio
Craft Service: Danny Crowley
Production Trucking: Galpin

[Stiggandr]

Very few organizations get my unreserved unconditional support, but this is definitely one of them. I don't have time to give, but for the first time in my life I do have money to offer to support this cause I agree with.

[jamadir]

now this is the high quality stuff i subscribed for!

[derekeboyd]

Loan payments from Cornell must be out of control.

[jenpoole]

It makes sense that the oligarchs have decided they didn’t want to treat student loans like other loans. They know they also don’t pay people enough. So obviously, too many people are likely to default on their loans!
Rather than reduce the cost of education and increasing wages for college educated workers (and workers in general), they have instituted a new form of indentured servitude.

[NoraConrad]

While all of this is part of the problem, this is a much deeper issue than corrupt politicians. High schools push college so hard when half the kids don't know what job they want. Loans are normalized, no one teaches you alternative ways to afford school without going into debt. Colleges charge ridiculous rates for the most basic expenses. Schools require 4 years when it takes a handful of classes to actually learn the skills required for your goal career and degree. For the few people that choose trade schools and going straight to the work force, they are looked down on and treated as lesser than. Additional education is not everything - but you wouldn't know that by looking at the debt.

[ericreingardt]

I'll be a freshman in college this fall. Wish me luck guys!

[sethdonut]

the music is off the chain. also I’m sharing this with everyone

[PremierCCGuyMMXVI]

There is a lot of rings we must fix in this country. The only way to do that is by actually getting a government that works for all not the few.

[alexbeltran]

Maybe the government should not garentee loans to 17 year olds

[tarzan]

Ed, were there any animals hurt in the process of making those snazzy shoes? LOL

[JeffAdamsMusic]

The game gets more diabolical as it's relegated unto class-ism. With the "haves" & "have-nots", those that already "have" are allowed to have/control resources, while those that are "have-nots" are not — but rather indentured to the former forever. Has this changed since time immemorial? Or have we just redefined things?

[PahanaofProphecy]

It's DEBT SLAVERY... I've met many individuals that declared bankruptcy on credit cards on 10s of thousands of dollars... Not to mention the private college I attended violated the those with disabilities act due to my learning disability, and I just found out they did a year ago, but I graduated in 2006 with a degree I never would have attended, and the Student Federal Loan program only give a individual 160 days to file a suit against a college for that CRIME with a Statute of Limitations, basically git rape by the college I attended and the Government Lian System helps them get away with the CRIME, CORRUPT INDIVIDUALS IN GOVERNMENT.

[coda]

Nothing can make our leaders listen to the people anymore. We no longer have the vote.

[obie]

There is very little in this video about the actual root cause of the crisis which is tuition rates that are rising unchecked. It's mentioned briefly but that's about it. Ed mentions corruption many times... what about the corruption within our education system selling phony degrees to unsuspecting young people. The student loan debt is just a symptom of the problem. Fix the root cause (tuition prices and corruption in the universities) and the symptoms (student loans) will begin to correct themselves organically.

[itninja]

College got exponentially expensive when the government started interfering and guaranteeing student loans. Once it became a guaranteed return on ANY investment there was not incentive to compete on price. With no incentive to create successful graduates we ended up with a flood of people with MA and Phd's in completely pointless areas of study. If banks and colleges are willing to let someone graduate with $100K in debt for someone with some commercially worthless MA degree they deserve to lose that money when a student defaults.

I would really appreciate a grown up video on this topic without the attempts at humor. I want to know what your actual plan is that would correct the system.

[thebatonmaster]

I love the message, as always. So important to limit corporate influence on government! I'm not sure if the attempt at humor is the best way to go. But I know you're just trying to do everything you can to make the video palatable and engaging.

[davidanderson]

"Fix the Corruption" In the meantime we supported one of the most corrupt, incompetent people in the history of politics as the Savior.

[travisgarrett]

1. stop getting an unmarketable degree.
2. stay home.
3. go to community college for your lower division.
4. go to a state university(one where you can stay at home).
5. get a part time job, preferably one that you can study at like a parking lot attendant or a
security job.
7. and finally, don't get student loans!
If you follow this advice, you'll be light years ahead of those that do what everyone else is
doing.

[jyienger]

I love the idea of Represent.us, but it's sad that I have to come to YouTube to comment on it. I like 80% of it policy, but not all of it. Like you advocate for ranking candidates- which strongly agree with- you should allow the public to rank each of you policy positions so I don't feel like I am advocating things I dont want. If you want to push for ranked candidates, you need to permit ranking of your own policies so you can allow the movement to truly represent us.

[miked]

Hey it's that funny man from The Hangover movie. Not as funny as Zach Gallifinakis but still funny.