National Debt and You Presentation

Ben Holbrook
Critic Editor

LSC professor holds youtube contest.

“The most important issue is that it matters to you.”

That is how David Plazek, professor of social science, opened his lecture on national debt to students gathered in the Alexander Twilight Theater. Plazek’s presentation dealt with the issues of having a large national debt and how it affects everybody.

“I got sent to D.C. and got all schooled up on the national debt,” Plazek said. For every new child, that child is immediately $175,000 in debt, Plazek said.

The U.S. “Spends more on defense than all the other countries in the world combined,” Plazek said.

Plazek explained the difference between a debt and a deficit. A deficit is an unbalanced budget due to greater expenditures and less revenue. A debt is an accumulation of deficits over time.

The nation’s debt especially effects college students because “You can’t have lower student interest rates on loans,” Plazek said.

In order to address the problem, Plazek is offering students the chance to compete for cash prizes in a YouTube video contest.

The contest requires students to make a video that addresses the issue of national debt in a creative way. It must also illustrate the problem clearly so that people understand what is going on, and offer solutions as to how to solve the issue.

“Power is about getting people or states to do things that they wouldn’t otherwise do, Plazek said.”

First place winners receive $300, second place $150 and third place $50.

Plazek ended his lecture by challenging students to get involved because “Democracy only works if people are involved.”