Humorous (but Serious) Critique of Student Loan Problem

Don’t be fooled by the (sometimes) off-color nature of this examination of the student loan problem. Through the humor, Oliver identifies some serious moral worries about the nature of what we might call the student loan problem.

Highlights include:

• Total student loan debt is more than auto-loan debt and more than credit-card debt.
• Student loan debt is a unique kind of debt that cannot be discharged via bankruptcy protection.
• The fact that it’s not dischargeable via bankruptcy protection is made morally worse by the fact that it is one of the easiest kinds of debt to secure, at a time when the consumers are at their most vulnerable.
• The for-profit college industry is a huge driver of this problem.

What do you think should be done about the student loan problem? Should student loans be dischargeable via bankruptcy protection? Shoulthere be restrictions on the for-profit college industry’s access to federal loans for students? Let us know what you think.