It's not like people are forced to take student loans.

[stevenleser]

144. Very well thought out post. Here is why I disagree

If I was in the position of a director of a company and I was going to promote someone into a sales manager position, or any other position that would interact with clients and represent my firm, I would be concerned about someone who wasn't well educated.

I would be concerned because if that person interacts with a client who IS well educated and in conversation the lack of education of my employee became evident, it would reflect negatively on my firm. In competition for overseas business, I think this is a killer. I think most Americans come off as having a much poorer education than their Central/South American, Australian, European and Asian competitors.

I think that instead of us trying to make arguments for why its ok to saddle people with massive amounts of debt for having the temerity to want to be educated, or make arguments for why it is OK for people to not receive an education that properly prepares them for citizenship in the modern world, we should be trying to solve how to educate everyone to make them ready.