There are good arguments to be had about why college is so expensive and exactly how much federal and local money should go to education. It's simply untrue that it's impossible to pay your own way through college - I just did it for the last two and a half of my education. Of course I was making more than minimum wage, but for all but a semester I wasn't making radically above minimum wage (my last summer I worked at a top tech company). I chose to major in an in demand field that I was good at, worked a lot instead of drinking or playing video games, and went to an affordable in state school. Not everybody can make it through college without loans, but if everybody put the same effort into their job and education I did, it should be a worthwhile investment to carry a bit of debt.