A taxpayer gave you a dollar for dollar loan to go to college if you take out federal loans. You ain't robbing me so you will take your student debt to your grave. If you don't want to be in debt then don't go in debt.
What about the student loan "processing agencies" which take a cut from student loan interest? What do they owe society? Are you saying that there's no fault there?
What about the money that does go to uni? Did it just disappear?
What about universities that intentionally increase tuition because of the high availability of student loans? When you're 2-years in to a 4-year degree, and the uni increases prices...what happens then? Abandon the program? Not? Back when I was a student, my uni increased tuition fees nearly every semester.
This is nowhere as clear-cut as you make it out to be.
Edit: one more thing...how in the hell is a 17-year old high-school student supposed to figure all that out when every adult in their life is encouraging them to go to uni? We're essentially saddling our youth today with life-long debt before they're really capable of understanding the consequences of doing so.
Quick DDG search finds https://www.bankruptcysoapbox.com/government-loans-that-bank... :
> Believe it or not, certain unsecured loans from government entities are dischargeable in bankruptcy.
> This includes SBA loans, and loans made through The Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and others.
or from https://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/bankruptcy/discharge-sb...
> On the contrary, with the exception of student loans, most government loans including SBA loans can be easily discharged in bankruptcy.
Without bankruptcy laws we end up with debt bondage and peonage.
You know that companies can also have government loans, right? Because of limited liability, the owners can declare bankruptcy and dissolve the company without being personally liable.
Which sounds like you want capitalists to have more freedom in what they do with government money than those who accept personal debt. The rich get richer and the poor become peons.
While you don't like it, the government is in the student loan business so, like everyone who loans money, must accept that they might not get all the money back.
Besides, your point seems to be that government shouldn't loan any money if there's any sort of risk, not just to students.
And apparently that companies with limited liability protection shouldn't take government loans either.
Do you want veterans leeching off your taxpayer dollars via VA loans and then declaring bankruptcy?
Do you want homeowners leeching of your taxpayer dollars via HUD loans and then declaring bankruptcy?
Had normal bankruptcy law applied, the accumulated debt would be nowhere near this high.
It isn't, however, a justification for why student debt should be treated so specially.
Since the government was also responsible for the mountain, they also need to be part of the solution. Which can include forgiving debt.