Lifestyle

Why Millennials Are Seeking Actual Solutions To The Student Loan Crisis

by Rebecca Coffman

Last week, the left-wing Millennial group Generation Progress published a piece entitled, “Why Are Some Students Enlisting Sugar Daddies To Pay For College?” The article describes SeekingArrangement.com, a website through which young women are turning to wealthy, older men in a desperate attempt to pay off their tuition.

This is undoubtedly a tragedy – young Americans are finding themselves in so much debt that some are turning to desperate solutions.

College tuition prices are skyrocketing, and the average student loan burden in the United States is a whopping $30,000 and climbing rapidly.

My generation simply can’t afford higher education. What’s worse is that even for those who find a way to pay, 50 percent of college graduates can’t find a job after they graduate.

So what are we are really seeking? A new higher education arrangement in America. We’re looking for innovation and more choices to bring down costs and increase quality. So it’s too bad Generation Progress is pushing policies that help put young Americans in a difficult situation.

We need to bring down costs. Let’s start with what isn’t the solution to unaffordable education: Generation Progress’ phony push to artificially lower student loan interest rates.

The primary reason college costs so much is government loans and subsidies. Think about it: Colleges know more people can afford to attend their schools, so in turn, they raise prices to turn a higher profit.

There is little downside to raising tuition when you know the government will help pick up the tab.

Increased demand means increased prices; that’s Economics 101. The average cost of college tuition and the number of students attending college has skyrocketed alongside the growth in government – tuition costs are 500 percent more expensive than they were in the 80s, even accounting for inflation.

So why not help young people out by cutting them a small break on their interest payments? Because we’re going to pay those costs through higher taxes, while those younger than we are will pay more in tuition in the future.

Senate Democrats and Generation Progress are betting that young Americans – blinded by attempts to shave just a few bucks per month off unaffordable student loan bills – can be conned into voting for Democrats this fall.

But our generation is much too savvy, demanding real innovation in higher education to bring down costs and improve our future career prospects.

One such proposal is the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act, proposed by Senator Mike Lee and Representative Ron DeSantis, to open up the accreditation process.

Today, bureaucrats in Washington are determining what counts as innovation in the higher education field. Under this new proposal, states can open up their state to more competition and choice.

More Economics 101: more choices are better for aspiring college students. It means higher quality at a lower price.

Imagine the possibilities: New technologies allow the best professors in the country to reach millions of students. Online learning can be tailored and customized to each and every individual, something our generation demands in today’s marketplace.

And finally, apprenticeships and real-world experience would likely play a larger role in the higher education experience.

Millennials aren’t just desperate to finance their higher education – they’re also desperate for real solutions. Young Americans are seeking a new arrangement to pay for higher education: a dynamic marketplace of innovation and choice.

Unfortunately, Generation Progress is colluding with government bureaucrats and politicians who are supporting policies that will only diminish our chances at a better future.

Editor's Note: The views expressed in this article are solely from the point of view of its author, not Elite Daily. This story was shared with us and has been reprinted with the permission from the writer. 

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