Fred was pretty livid yesterday, according to the Federal Aid office he doesn't qualify for FA because he, in the eyes of that particular government office, is still a dependent, and mother makes too much money. Even though he hasn't lived with or 'depended' on her for a good handful of years now.

Of course, we all know the real reason he can't get help is because, thanks to his sexual preferences, he is a wealthy man, and is hiding it from the IRS. Oh, and he's not sharing with me, because he's a weasel turd.

Regardless of that however, it really started me wondering. Why is the cut off date for dependence in the eyes of the FA people 23/24? How annoying is that? You can vote at 18, you can drink at 21, but until you're 23 or 24 the government thinks your mommy and daddy should be paying for your classes and picking out your pencil cases for you. (My mom isn't allowed to do this for me anymore, because she always gets me the ones with the boy bands on them, and that's so uncool.)

I moved out of my moms house when I was 18, and got very tired of having to run back and get copies of her taxes and her signature on things because they had deemed me dependent. If I was such a dependent, then why was the power company still billing me and not billing her each month? I don't feel it's my 'families responsibility' (as the lovely lady in the office told him) to pay for my college.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying tax payers should pay for it either (actually, I think higher education should be available to everyone and be much more affordable or even, god forbid, free, that way everyone who wanted to go could go without all the rigmarole) I do think it's your own responsibility, but college is expensive, and with the lovely cost of living right now, who can afford it? Lord knows I can't, and I'm dang sure my mom can't afford to pay for mine either. I do think that the age that the FA stops viewing applicants as dependent should be 18.

Everyone has the right to learn, and it irks me to high heaven that Fred - a brilliant, albeit smelly, man - might not get to go to college because our government is contradictory and unreliable.

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