@MidnightRider

Surely you're not saying a few young people you know are representative of student loan debt? From Forbes:

"...people carry their education debt well into middle-age and beyond. Borrowers ages 35 to 49 owe more than $620 billion in student loans. This cohort has the highest number of borrowers who owe more than $100,000 in loans.

Even retirees feel the pressure from student loans; there are 2.4 million borrowers aged 62 or older that owe $98 billion in student loans."

(more)

@BrazenlyLiberal It's really quite simple, don't borrow what you can't pay back. Don't buy a car or home you can't afford. I would support giving these humans 0% loan but not free money.

@MidnightRider

No, it's not that simple. For one, getting the training/education that racks up that debt is very often the entry fee to the job market. A degree too often means the difference between getting an entry level job or not - even a degree in an unrelated field.

Perhaps the thing to consider is not the benefits of free money but rather those of free/affordable education.

@BrazenlyLiberal Who are you typing to? I made $10,500 gross pay with a professional license and degree in 1980. I didn't make real money till I went back for my bachelor's at a reasonably priced state university paid for by me paying loans.

@MidnightRider

State universities are significantly more expensive now than they were then. And incomes on average -especially for entry level jobs- have failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

The last thing I'll say is this - just because it was hard for me is no reason it has to be hard for someone else. If you feel proud of what you accomplished, that's enough. You don't need millions of others to have it just as hard or harder to validate it.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

@BrazenlyLiberal Everything is significantly more than back then, including paychecks. That's how America works, you can't hire an X-ray Technologist for $10,500 a year now either. Enjoy your holiday too.

I was in undergrad from 1985-1989. My dad was an engineer and my mom a school teacher. Their combined income was less than $50,000. Too much for financial aid. I worked full time at $4/hr and was able to afford my tuition and housing at a SUNY school w/o a student loan.

Three of my kids attend public college in Virginia. it is $33K per year in state! Undoable at even $15/hr!
Even trade schools are costly and many require loans.

It's an unsustainable model.
@BrazenlyLiberal @MidnightRider

@ChippySuave @BrazenlyLiberal It's not unsustainable though, it's who can pay! And isn't that the USA in a nutshell? We're just going back to my parent's youth where rich people go to school. Doesn't VA have a grant system you achieve X grade and tuition is free? I get what you're saying completely but look at NY since you brought it up. You think 11,500 property tax on a $350,000 dollar house is sustainable? How do you retire? Who's going to pay for free school? Because it won't be the rich.

@MidnightRider

I was 45 before my loans were paid off. I had worked nonstop since I was 17.

BTW, it's wrong to assume these loans holders all volunteered for unnecessary debt. It's harder & harder every year to find a job that covers bills without some sort of advanced training/education.

@BrazenlyLiberal It's equally wrong to assume they were forced into debt. I'm tired of the crybabies. I was paying 14% mortgage. I paid all my college loans back. I sold my car and possessions to go back to school. Life is hard children, get a helmet.

@BrazenlyLiberal @MidnightRider
What I think is the system for the loans is so messed up. Just like other types of debt in this country. Credit card. It's all designed to keep us in debt.
Perhaps we should overhaul the system. I don't necessarily think removing the debt is helpful. Because we are living in a society where kids are clueless about what it is to live in this world.