Well, we can agree that complete loan forgiveness is not the way to handle this. How it gets handled is anybody's guess at this point, and hardcore leftist pandering to the millennials just complicates the problem. And I think we can agree a whole lot more work needs to be put into the front end of this choice between college and some other path which is probably more appropriate in many cases, and I'm still holding my position that discussion needs to come first, otherwise we find ourselves in a similar position to illegal immigration, in that we're chasing horses with the "promise" of closing the door AFTER we figure out what to do about all the horses running around. No, close the door first, then we can debate some kind of amnesty. Prevent the excessive loans from occurring before the kid ends up buried in debt with little or nothing to show for it, then we can figure out what to do with the existing student debt for those who were scammed by this corrupt post secondary educational system.Just hard to implement because you apply for financial aid beforfe you enter college, most people don't declare until Sophmore year. I understand your point but it will be too hard to make that a reality because you are asking a lending institution to make you declare your major summer before college before they decide to approve your needs based loan. then it is not a needs based loan it is a "We will decide what you study loan".
Key is to increase the flexibility. If someone is crippled by $1,000 a month for 10 years, make it $500 a month for 15 years or wokr with the person who will increase earning potential. Interest forgiveness is nothing new like what credit cards do to get paid on most of it. Most will pay it off,a few whose Age of Cathedrals thesis got them no where will need to declare bankruptcy but it will cleanse them and help them start again. will hopefully incentivize next crop to pick smarter.
But let's face it. this all comes down to personal responsibility.
A parent decided to send their kid to Stanford and was ok with them getting low level degree good for maybe only teaching. If they got student loans well the parents supported and they should be on the hook somehow. May are getting student loans because parents cannot afford to pay outright but stills upport their kid getting a useless degree.
If a brilliant kid of a single mother gets a high SAT scores and applies to Stanford and cannot afford it, well how about Stanford using those billion dollar endowments to provide financial aid to attract best and brightest instead of throwing money at sports most don't give a shit about and prepares the athletes for nothing. A low income person deserves more of a shot at Stanford then some spoiled rich rower who coudl have afforded the school anyway.
There is also always the route of community college for 2 years or JUCO and earn straight As and look to get transferred into the big schools. The goal is not to pledge fraternities as a freshman, it is to get an education needed to be productive and a good earner.
Schools have plenty of endowments to help students but they spend it on stupid shit.