I worked as a janitor to keep my student loans low. Wiping debt punishes students like me.

Christian Barnard:

Rather than funding the exorbitant sticker prices of America’s colleges, it’d be much better for everyone if policymakers held the institutions directly accountable. Innovative alternatives to traditional student loans such as income-sharing agreements — where private investors fund students and are paid back by students’ future income — are a promising way to incentivize universities to actually become more affordable and career-focused.

Sanders wants students to be spared the risk of investing in their own futures. But people like me, folks benefiting from their undergraduate and higher-level degrees, should have skin in the game. After all, over our lifetimes, we’ll make millions more with our degrees than we would have without them. Certainly, college should be accessible and affordable to all. But to get there, it doesn’t require giving welfare to the rich and punishing the young people who chose to exercise some financial responsibility.