Do Me A Solid and Pay My Student Debt

With the average cost of college higher than ever, it's almost impossible to pay it all off without taking out student loans. A recent episode of Huckabee on Fox News reported that 70% of all students graduate with student loan debt, and that approximately 42% of all households under the age of 35 still owe student loans. This statistic reflects the majority of recent college graduates that are currently unemployed.

In today's economy, it can be very difficult to get a job, in any field. Regardless of degree, only 20% of all millennials are getting jobs out of the first two years of college, which means only 1 in 5 people of that generation have the ability to pay off their debt. What do the other 80% do, you ask? Well, 24% of them think that their debt should be completely forgiven, that the federal government should come in and pay off their debt for them. Now this may sound completely absurd, but good arguments were made on both sides.

"We bailed out banks, and then we gave pay increases to CEOs who sent our economy spiraling down. The least we can do is help a generation that has been overcharged for education." I completely agree that colleges are currently overpriced when, in the past, a semester only cost $600 per semester. Some people just do not have the money to attend renowned schools, and according to Huckabee's panel, "those who are going to higher undergraduate, unfortunately, private institutions are the ones getting the jobs"; those who are attending public, community, or online colleges simply are not getting jobs. However, is it the responsibility of the taxpayers to pay off student loan debt?

Gov. Huckabee (R) doesn't think so. "If a student decides to go to the most expensive school in America, why is it my responsibility as a taxpayer to...have to pay for somebody else's decision?/I'd say go to the school you can afford." I do agree that it would put a lot of responsibility on the taxpayer, and I believe that just erasing one's student debt would set a mindset of "oh, I can go to all the student loans I want and America will just do me a solid and pay it off for me." Another panel member brought up the fact that many students do not pursue the "hundreds of thousands" of blue collar jobs waiting to be filled. I also agree with this statement, but does that mean one has to sacrifice a life of happiness doing something they're passionate about in order to make a salary?
My solution would simply be to make higher education more accessible to the masses. Whether that means colleges lowering their tuition or the federal government providing more aid to pursue education, it doesn't matter. More opportunities would be available for students to get jobs and give back to the community if we allow higher education to be easier pursued. If we want to be able to boost the economy, close the unemployment gap, and advance our nation, we need to start with our education system, for "education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world."