> a college education is tremendously important for our democracy to exist in any meaningful way

this was the original purpose of college (and what liberal arts colleges still attempt to do today); but at some point (maybe starting in the 70s?) college became a place to get the skills necessary to enter the job market, until now it's basically become a prereq for almost any job that's not minimum wage so basically an extension of HS -- serves no real purpose but companies require the piece of paper so you have to have it.

(Yes there are exceptions -- tech, professional sports, acting -- but only if you are supremely talented at a young age, or very lucky, and therefore for the very very few.)