Why do we penalize Americans for wanting the go to college? Most of the brightest, smartest people in the United States have student loan debt. The better educated one is, the more debt they have. Is this really smart?
Asia, Russia and most European countries pay for its students' college educations, and even give students a stipend to live so that they can make contributions to society and can spend money that contributes to economic growth of their countries.
In America, older people with student loan debt are especially burdened due to medical bills and their children's college education and difficulty finding employment. People should not owe on their loans after age 55.
We need more compassion for people, and we need to think smarter about human capital and economic growth.