The most insidious aspect of college today is that the government has inserted itself into every aspect. Set aside the obvious indoctrination and funding-curriculum extortion fears. The government controls the only lending scheme available.
If you wanted to go to school in the old days, you went to the bank and the local banker judged your fitness and whether he thought you were worthy of the risk. The fed guaranteed the loan, but your cosigner (mom & dad) were first in line. The banker in your community judged you.
Nowadays, if you want a loan, you get it from the fed directly. You’re as good or bad as any other anonymous applicant.
Fifty years of subsidy later, as others ably point out on this thread, the government interference has skewed the market up so high that you need... government money to get a degree. Forget that the cost of the degree far exceeds what you could hope to earn in the first years out of school; this is part of the plan. When no one can afford the cost of education anymore, the government will have to make it ‘free’.
The catch is that the loan today comes at a very high cost: there is no way out of it. If you fall down on your luck, if you can’t pay back the loan, the ancient remedy of bankruptcy is not available. The enforcer is the IRS, and they can raid your assets, encumber your paycheck and dun your cosigners equally. It cannot be discharged.
The old joke is that if you think you own your home, try skipping a tax payment. If you think you can afford an education, try skipping your loan payment.
The insidious part strikes me differently.
I want an education, however I can not afford the college of my choice, in olden days I would apply for education loan thru local bank.
Nowadays I need to apply to govt entity, what happens if they deem ( whoever they be) that they do not need a watch maker, mico precision expert, clockmaker, or jewelery repairman.
I am SOL . There still is a need but I cannot get education for that field.
I may have have appitude but I cannot get training.
They will control who gets trained for whatever field, may not be best fit, but govt will make the square peg fit in triangular hold if it kills us.(it probaby will)
In addition we will be over run with useless trades, buggy whip makers, wheelwrights, basket weavers, politicians, or what have you.
All noble professions in time gone by(except the politician field), but next to useless now.
I am running my course now, but what happens for the next generation.
They are going to be put in triangular holes, when the should be round or squares.
These bastards wanting to control my destiny and coming generations destiny should be hung from light poles.
For anyone reading this post I am not kidding, no sarcasm is intended.