
The Student Debt Crisis: How America’s Broken Education System Trapped Generations in Financial Servitude
The American Dream Deferred In the land of opportunity, higher education was once the golden ticket to upward mobility. Today, it has become a Faustian bargain for millions. With student loan debt soaring to a staggering $1.77 trillion—surpassing credit card and auto loan balances—the U.S. education system is no longer a ladder but a quicksand pit. Stories of retirees still paying off loans or adults selling plasma to cover interest payments aren’t outliers; they’re the norm. This investigative piece examines: I. The Anatomy of a Crisis: By the Numbers II. How We Got Here: A Timeline of Policy Failures 1944–1970s: Good Intentions, Flawed Execution The 1972 Tipping Point: Enter “Sallie Mae” 2008–Present: Crisis Meets Capitalism Key Quote:“We unleashed a loan monster...