The cost of college accelerated
because the government loaned money without regard to repayment ability to students Colleges took advantage of the government funding their income source. However, that does not mean that everyone pays full tuition. Scholarships are given out by private colleges and public colleges. My son went to a high end private college at $50K per year, he was given a 50% scholarship, and I paid 80% of the rest with him taking out about 20% of the tuition. Similar scenario with my daughter. I was unemployed at the time he started, and I took 100% loans out for myself, same for my daughter as a public university. So thank god for parental loans which were given out without payment requirements.
My daughter worked for the VISTA program which paid minimum wage, but would contribute $20K towards paying off college loans, and that was about what she borrowed. There are post graduation programs to work which will assist paying off loans. My son paid off his at his job by renting very very cheaply. But they were brought up being responsible.
But the US is trending toward rewarding victimhood, so people play up that angle in the media. But counter point, having automated people out of a job, jobs are trending toward commodity requirements, so minimum wage. That's part of
Amazon.com
so, the world operates on most people think that the current scenario will continue indefinitely, and that never happens. Expect continued trends towards smaller numbers of educated jobs and fewer people employed above commodity / service level status, with ever more requirements on highest learning. Its a slow long term trend, but its real, and age discrimination is part of that. I was part of an age reduction program at work, I survived, but also don't care if I get let go.
so expect that the student loan repayment of existing loans, even if they cancelled the program today, to continue to be an ever growing issue, due to employment trends, and population trends as the primary reasons.
so not sure that prior posts are all accurate. . . many generalizations and assumptions
sportsguy