– With only the teacher’s salary, I live from paycheck to paycheck. Sometimes I don’t know if I’ll make it to the next paycheck. Jacob Vaxmonsky works at a middle school in Scranton in the swing state of Pennsylvania. The city is best known from the American version of “The Office” and as the birthplace of President Joe Biden. news meets the 27-year-old while he is at work as a food courier for the delivery service Doordash. Jacob goes door to door in Scranton to deliver food. Photo: Eskil Wie Furunes / news – I am my own boss. Or, at least it feels that way, until I see that the payment for an hour’s work does not cover food this week, says Vaxmonsky. In an older Toyota Supra, news follows him around on deliveries in the city. In one hour, he earns just under NOK 100 from three deliveries. – Sometimes it feels like I spend more money on petrol than I earn on these trips. “Big money, baby!” Jacob exclaims as he is offered five dollars for a double delivery. – I spent about four minutes driving in circles to find this place, says Jacob and laughs as he collects one order. It takes him about half an hour to deliver. – I like to call my car Supra, even though it’s not a Supra. I try to keep the car going, but sometimes it feels like it’s just saying ‘no, not today,’” he says, laughing. Student debt crisis 8 out of 10 voters in the US point to the economy as one of the most important issues in this year’s presidential election, according to measurements from Pew Research. More important than anything else. Everything has suddenly become much more expensive than before – also for the democrat Jacob Vaxmonsky. – Buying a house is more of a dream than a goal at this point. It feels like an impossible wall to get over. He currently works full-time in special education at a secondary school. His salary is $45,000 a year. Every year he spends hundreds of dollars buying things to have in his classroom. It is common among teachers in the United States to use their own wallet to purchase equipment. Photo: Eskil Wie Furunes / news – It’s not bad. But it is not enough to live on and pay all the bills. Food prices are high, living is expensive, and I like to do something fun too. That’s why I have several jobs, says Vaxmonsky. For him, the biggest burden is a student loan of NOK 800,000. He is not alone in having that burden. 43 million Americans are sitting with a student loan of a staggering 1750 billion dollars – as much as the Norwegian oil fund. Vaxmonsky believes that the finances were easier for the older generations, especially for those who have completed higher education. – At least it feels that way. I think a big part of it was that higher education was cheaper before. They didn’t have $80,000 in debt when they were trying to find a house or build a life, says Jacob. – I like to call my students my little soldiers. So I pretend to be the general and greet everyone, says Jacob Vaxmonsky. Photo: Eskil Wie Furunes / news Think more people can afford it But not everyone agrees that Jacob Vaxmonsky and other young Americans have it tougher in today’s economic reality. – Measured according to several criteria, people can actually afford better now than 20-30 years ago, Dean Baker believes. He is a senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) in Washington DC Baker believes the media is helping to create a false reality that the economy is worse than before. – The media has constructed a story here that there is a crisis. The truth is that more people own their own home now than in 2019. We will see the proportion of people buying a home rise, he says. Inflation has been extremely high since the pandemic, but Baker points out that the whole world experienced the same. Now inflation is back at a normal level again – and wages have grown. – It is not a crisis. It doesn’t keep getting worse. Earlier this year, Joe Biden advocated for the cancellation of student debt for several million Americans. There are also today several schemes for teachers where the debt can be partially written off or where you can pay less each month. But Baker acknowledges that the schemes are not well known and that it is not always easy for young people with student loans. – The first years can be expensive, especially with all the debt obligations that young people face, he says. In the autumn of 2024, Jacob Vaxmonsky has acquired a bartending job at the weekends. Photo: Eskil Wie Furunes / news Got a new extra job news met Jacob Vaxmonsky for the first time this summer – shortly after Biden withdrew as a presidential candidate. The 27-year-old is more optimistic the second time we meet him. Because this autumn he got another extra job. Now he delivers food by car and serves beer and food at a local bar in Scranton. – I earn well as a bartender, especially with tips. But it is still not enough to buy a home, he says. Today, Jacob shares a home with his one sister in the house next door to his parents. Photo: Eskil Wie Furunes / news Vaxmonsky plans to vote for Kamala Harris during this year’s presidential election, despite the fact that he is experiencing tight finances. – I think she can help ease the student debt crisis here, whether it’s partially, halfway or completely. It will not only help myself, but millions of Americans. Teaching job during the day, food delivery part-time and bartending at weekends. This gives a small surplus both to save for housing and to pay off student loans. – I love teaching, even if it doesn’t pay very well. The hope is that one day all this hard work will pay off. – I can wake up every day and say that I love my job. Not everyone has the opportunity to say that, says Vaxmonsky about the teaching job. Photo: Eskil Wie Furunes / news Published 05.10.2024, at 20.10
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The teacher Jacob (27) has to work as a food delivery boy and bartender in the tilting state of Penn sylvania – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
