Dave Chandler

"Walking is man's best medicine."

Student Debt Servitude

It is so important for young people and their families to understand just how out of whack the system of higher education has become in 21st century America.

From a four million dollar a year football coach to tuition increases going up and up and up -- college is becoming an educational option that is ridiculous on its surface and mostly an initiation into decades of personal debt.

To heighten the absurdity, President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan continue the droning mantra to every youth in the nation: 'Go to college! Go to college! Go to college!' Whether or not college is for everyone or whether or not the republic needs that many college graduates (although who starts and who finishes is another interesting discussion) is never debated.

I cannot say enough about the value of actually being educated ... it produces a quality of life that transcends just how much money one can make. Nevertheless, there has got to be a change in what is going on in the higher education arena. The present trend to debt slavery for college students, inadequate curriculum, and obsession with college sports is not a prescription for a brighter future; this direction is truly another signal of national decline: confusing the idea for the actual thing.

So, as I have opined here before, remember, college isn't for everyone. There are many different alternatives for young people. As usual, most Americans know this in their gut -- but the politicians and the one percent never hear what we are saying -- all they can want are profits from the student loan interest and football ad revenue.

I Said No to My Student Loan: One Borrower's Decision to Stop Paying | Natalia Antonova/AlterNet.org

I am aware of the total lack of consumer protection associated with student debt. But I took a long, hard look at the numbers, and I realized that I am already a slave.