Hillary Clinton's 'Debt-Free' College Proposal Falls Short of its Billing

[Jim Lane]

20. You're overlooking progressive taxation

In addition to the points that jeff47 made, you need to consider that not all students will pay the same in taxes. The student who currently has trouble repaying a $100k loan will be in a lower tax bracket (that's why he or she has trouble). People who parlay their loan into a degree and a lucrative career will pay more in taxes.

In fact, I'd increase the progressivity by rejecting the goal of completely debt-free college. I'd rather see loans but with repayment being a set percentage of the student's income for a set number of years after college. I don't see why I, as a middle-aged taxpayer, should subsidize someone who uses a government loan to get a business degree, goes to work for Goldman Sachs, and in his or her first year of employment is making more money than I make. Let that person "repay" a loan (in fact, probably paying more than the loan that was taken out), while the student who can't get a decent-paying job pays little or nothing toward his or her loan.