When making comparisons with Sweden or other countries the cost of healthcare, housing, food, and transportation should be taken into account. Healthcare and transportation costs are much higher in the U.S. I think too we also have a higher per capita income and I don't know how things balance out. One thing for sure though. I'd rather be poor in Sweden than in the U.S.

There is also the fact that many students who start a four year degree end up never graduating. At the college I teach at it is clear that we are marketing to students who should not be going to college and shouldn't realistically expect to get a degree. But we need the money due to lack of state support and as a result standards for passing have gone down. What we have now is a system that has the incentives in the wrong place and this will have bad societal consequences years from now.

Like almost everyone else who comments on this topic I have ideas on how to make things better and like almost everyone else those ideas are largely naive.