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The student debt crisis has become one of the hot platform topics for candidates on the 2020 election circuit, but for the people it affects it is more than a campaign strategy. Tuition and fees at public and private schools rose at roughly three times the rate of inflation between 2007 and 2018, according to a College Board survey. Borrowers currently owe more than $1.5 trillion in student loans, an average of $34,000 per person.

The list below is a collection of tweets from people explaining how the U.S debt crisis evolved to this point or sharing their stories on how student debt has impacted their lives since graduating - and they may shock you or be sadly relatable.

#1

Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

zechareyah Report

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    #2

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    pnwLeftist Report

    tuzdayschild
    Community Member
    6 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I totally understand. We started with nothing, but you are starting in a huge hole. Universities have priced themselves out. They are too expensive. We should offer more apprenticeship programs so you either pay nothing or get paid while learning your job.

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    #4

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    MattLaneWrites Report

    SAF saf
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This should be criminal, I don't understand why the politicians can't meet us half way on this. Why can't student loans be zero to super low interest rates. You pay back the $250k and call it settled (which is still alot' of money btw).

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    #6

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    Unknown Report

    Maci Mae
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm fourteen, and I really want to be a special education teacher when I'm an adult, which requires college. I want to have a job that I love, but I can't imagine being that much in debt. Any time I bring it up to an adult, I'm told that I'll "figure it out" or that "I shouldn't be worrying about that yet". But considering the situation my country is in, I probably should have started saving for college two years ago :(

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    #7

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    IdalinBobe Report

    Martha Meyer
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What kind of crazy interest rates are being charged on these loans?!

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    #8

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    missmayn Report

    Leo Domitrix
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm Gen X. We hae ALL inherited the debts racked up by Boomers and the gutless politicians catering to them. They didn't pay it forward. They loaned it forward, with compound interest....

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    #9

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    architects4pete Report

    Peg Walton
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As a retired professor, I strongly agree with this statement. It is terribly broken, from pre-K up to PhD. The American education system is completely broken.

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    #10

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    BillDixonish Report

    Kaisu
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's really f****d up, a 17-yo isn't mature enough to take such a huge loan and to understand the ramifications a loan like that has on your life. In my county you could never get that much student loan

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    #12

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    RosatiBiscotti Report

    Rue Granger
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Can’t even start to believe the blame is being put on the victims...

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    #13

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    BernieSanders Report

    Peg Walton
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Must be nice to be one of the lucky ones. I went to college after raising my children and still ended up with $40,000+ in loans. Now my salary isn't enough to live and pay loans. Their "programs" do not help. Wish I had never gone to college. My Masters is worthless.

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    #14

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    sarra1833 Report

    Panda Kicki
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As a swede with mostly free schools and low cost state loans to cover other expenses it is so horrifying to read all these tragedies :'(

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    #15

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    KendraJames_ Report

    Pamela24
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You should stop spoiling yourself and demanding luxuries. If you don't have the money to eat, just don't. It's as simple as that. *sarcasm - just to make sure*

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    #16

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    AbdulElSayed Report

    Jeff Christensen
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    In Australia university was free until 1988, but now it is paid for by Government loans - but repaymemts don't start until your income is over a certain threshold. If you never reach that threshold, you never repay the debt.

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    #17

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    astradisastra Report

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    #18

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    KingBeysQueen Report

    Pamela24
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I just can't understand why AT LEAST the loans couldn't be without interest. I believe that is how the UK has it (correct me if I'm wrong, please).

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    #19

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    DebtCrisisOrg Report

    Ahmad Pujianto
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Just wow.. I only pay 25 USD each month during 4 year of college.. Then (because I work while studying) another 50 USD each year for 2 year of extention.. Totally I spend around 20 Million IDR (around 1.500 USD) till graduate.. #asian

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    #20

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    oneangrytooth Report

    Candice Lewis
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    With interest it could become that much and the sucky thing is our children will probably be responsible for some of it

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    #22

    30 Alarming Posts About How The Student Debt System Affects People's Lives And It's Terrible

    LethalArcher Report

    Mewton’s Third Paw
    Community Member
    6 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What in the entire f**k. The pettiness. Pettiness of this level can only come from the mega rich.

    Jeff Schrade
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Just following the directions and pay nothing. I suspect the school has an agreement with the printer provider -- the school has to pay for the number of printed pages to account for wear and tear on the machine. Most work places have similar agreements with printer providers.

    Danielle Victory
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A lot of schools charge for printing, even if you print nothing.

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    Johnny
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Paper costs under a penny per page in bulk, running a blank page through a color printer can cost more than that for an organization that has a printer service contract and pays per page. So "printing" blank pages costs the university more than people just taking a blank sheet of paper, so where's the theft?

    Russell Pisciotta
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The difference is reimbursement of inventory, must be well known around there or they'd have offered an explanation. The printer counts the paper usage, so if you take paper out before it's been 'printed' they lose track of how much paper is needed.

    Michael Rhum
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Because they clearly can't do something complicated like count the reams of paper at the beginning and end of the month.

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    Ke Sigerson
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I would have stolen the printer and left the sign.

    Billy Beecham
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Damn that angers me. You think paper grows on trees or something! Sheesh!

    Teresa Frith
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    you can literally get a pack of paper for just maybe five bucks, geez people

    Russian Otaku
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Pffft one f*****g paid off class from just one guy could buy a damn f*****g closet full of the same cheap a*s paper they be using

    Full Name
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So prefer that people can take as much paper as they want? It's not unreasonable that they don't want people just taking as much supplies as they want.

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    #23

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    kph3k Report

    #24

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    stevebram Report

    Monica Michelle
    Community Member
    6 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    There are 2 types of people who are wronged those that say never again to noone else and those who stop progress because it does not help them personally

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    #25

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    SeeMiaRoll Report

    Belinda Matson
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    OMFG I'm surprised boomers aren't being slaughtered en masse in the USA. Pro Tip: Start with the politicians...

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    #26

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    catnipslip420 Report

    Ivo H
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's terryfing that someone has reason to write "i did a terrible thing" because he studied for a job he wanted to do. Not everyone likes to be doctor/lawyer/whatever just to pay off his or hers loans.

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    #27

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    SFWP Report

    Missy Barton
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I officially paid off my student loans four years ago. Want to know how? My husband died.

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    #28

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    Champion76 Report

    Cassie
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If your payments are income based, your (compounded) interest will continue to accrue, which means your loan amount will be more when it's forgiven than when it was initiated. The government could have saved money by just paying for the tuition in the first place.

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    #29

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    TheStarDamien Report

    guy greej
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    From malawi a third world country. Paid of my university degree debt in 1 month after getting a job.

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    #30

    Student-Debt-Crisis-Posts

    odesit85 Report

    Martha Meyer
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's supposed to be a joke, right? She didn't pay it off, her mother basically did!

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