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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 10 things to know for Friday Posters about missing teen will be distributed Competition keen at first city chili cookoff They got algorithm Alice Hardesty shares healing memoir Education Ashland schools expand chicken pox exclusion rules Students go behind the scenes at hospital Ashland robotics team aims to build a winner AHS ranked No. 7 by Niche College debt load balloons: What could, should be done? 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In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Sports Latest Stories Respect: sock it to him A Grizz sweep Heisman winner Mariota says he's going to the NFL Comets press past Grizzlies Buckeyes won title behind line play, Elliott and Jones High school A Grizz sweep Comets press past Grizzlies Raiders put on a show Graham sparks Grizzly rout Ashland drops MWL opener to Marist Southern Oregon University Heisman winner Mariota says he's going to the NFL Buckeyes won title behind line play, Elliott and Jones Sayre says character key to SOU's success Ducks grounded Raiders put on a show Opinion Latest Stories Kent Bush: Capital punishment raises questions Our View: A matter of survival Letters to the Editor, Jan. 16 Other Views: Get GMO rules right Editor's Notes: We were wrong Editorial Our View: A matter of survival Other Views: Get GMO rules right Our View: No benefit from LNG pipeline Our View: Putting slash to work Our view: Protect Ashland's crown Letters Letters to the Editor, Jan. 16 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 14 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 5 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 31 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 29 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Bikes, hikers/equestrians need separate watershed trails Guest Opinion: SOU biomass burner would be big mistake Guest Opinion: City hiring policy is fair, unbiased Another view: Cheney defends nation's journey into darkness Herb Rothschild Jr.: Fury impedes justice Revels Latest Stories Thanks for the Memories Theatre presents 'Cardenio' Best Bets: Jan. 15-22 A look at the life and vision of Martin Luther King Jr. 'Spotlight' highlights Orbison's life, music 'Selma' struggle remains relevant today Theater Insights into the gifts theater offers off the stage Theater is an act of co-creation ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Music Jeff Kloetzel at Belle Fiore The Farr Side: Top 10 album count-up for 2014 Visual Art Schneider winter exhibits on tap: 'Baker's Dozen' and 'New Works' First Friday kicks off a new year Movies Movie review: ‘Blackhat’ is a frustrating 404 error Movie review: ‘A Most Violent Year’ is a gritty look at oily dealings in ’80s New York Movie review: Clint Eastwood shines as director in ‘American Sniper’ 'Selma' struggle remains relevant today Interview: Bradley Cooper discusses working with Clint Eastwood on ‘American Sniper’ Food and Drink Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Cadillac Escalade Dr. Jeff Hersh: Heart test causes undue alarm Dr. Murray Feingold: How reliable is the medical information we read? Looking Up: Comet passes by the Pleiades Suzette Martinez Standring: Chance advice was eerie Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business NEWS NOW Our View: A matter of survival ... Posters about missing teen will be distributed ... Brammo bought by Polaris ... Our View: A matter of survival ... Posters about missing teen will be distributed ... Brammo bought by Polaris ... LOCAL TAKE College debt load balloons: What could, should be done? Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jan. 7, 2015 @ 7:49 pm Updated Jan 7, 2015 at 7:50 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jan. 7, 2015 @ 7:49 pm Updated Jan 7, 2015 at 7:50 PM » RELATED CONTENT • What do you think of the proposed natural gas pipeline? • Do you think vaccinations should be mandatory? • Was what CIA did after 9/11 appropriate? • Should tax on market vendors apply retroactively? • What are you doing to get ready for winter? » Social News A generation or two ago, college was an affordable investment in young people’s future, enabling them to get well-paying and plentiful jobs, pay taxes and help fund the college of the next generation.  With the trend toward tax-chopping and state disinvestment in higher education, that compact between society and young adults is gone. Students may not have money for college but they are told that, instead, they do have the years to pay off crippling debt.  By the numbers: 69 — The percent of grads from public colleges with debt. $30,000 — Average debt of grads from public universities. 165 — The percent rise in tuition cost in the last 20 years. $1 trillion, plus — The total of college debt in the U.S., doubled from 2007. $679 billion — The total credit card debt in the U.S. $783 billion — The total vehicle debt in the U.S. $37 billion — The total of Pell grants for low-income students now, up from $14.8 billion in 2002. $3,131 —  Average annual tuition for two-year colleges. $8,655 — Average annual tuition for four-year public colleges. $29,056 —  Average annual tuition, private colleges. What do you think about the enormous burden of debt on young people for college? What will this do to American society and economy? What should we do about it? Sabrina Erickson — We need cheaper tuition. It means paying more taxes so our children can have a future without debt. I went to community college for a year in California. I came here and it was a lot more expensive, so I’m reluctant to keep going. I want to study herbal medicine but the cost is discouraging my generation from going to school. We’re dumbing down our society. Anne Richards — I like the idea of what Germany is doing, paying for everyone’s college, including people visiting the country. Oregon announced an optimistic plan for free tuition a few years ago, but we didn’t hear anymore about it. It’s tragic what happened to the old compact. I went to Cal State at $43 a term. The demise of it is part of the whole fear-based right wing leaning that started with loss of middle-class jobs and people listening to Fox News. We have to learn the hard lesson that over the long run, if you pay for things, instead of always tax-cutting, you save money and give people futures, instead of them falling into the social safety net and expensive prisons. "Rabbitt" (Jane Babbitt) — It’s crazy, a backward economy. It’s punitive for people trying to better their lives and be useful members of society. My daughter is 38 and still paying off the college loan. I went to Stevens College in the '60s and escaped debt. It wasn’t prohibitive then. Higher education is a great investment and community colleges are wonderful. But people with master’s degrees are now working fast food, unable to get in and get real wages. It gets impossible to get out from under the debt. It doesn’t make much sense. I don’t know the solution. Maybe revenue from the lottery or marijuana. Young people are getting the short end of the deal for trying to do the right thing. We should value education and we don’t any more. Maja Addington — I lived in Europe and am half Swedish. I can’t help but compare us with Sweden, which is almost free, and Germany which is totally free. We have the right to educate our young. It’s crazy our young generation has to go in debt. I finished my master’s degree in psychology in 2009 and I’m $40,000 in debt. The debt is bigger than what you can earn. I don’t know the solution. We need to stand together and maybe everyone not pay the debt. We need to look at other countries. They’re making it work. We’re ruled by debt in this country. A lot of people are living off the grid to get away from it. Debt keeps the banks going, though. Who benefits? I don’t know. I don’t think it’s me. — Reach Ashland freelance writer John Darling at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jan. 7, 2015 @ 7:49 pm Updated Jan 7, 2015 at 7:50 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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