Student Debt Is Out of Control: Is it Ever OK to Default?

For baby boomers, the big issue was war and peace. For millennials it's student debt. That's according to a poll by Harvard University. With the average amount owed about $35,000, the total burden is more than a trillion dollars for college and graduate school for some 40 million Americans, — all of whom are old enough to vote. In the Washington Post, Danielle Douglas-Gabriel reports that presidential candidates of both political parties are addressing the issue. Meanwhile, the New York Times is being called irresponsible for an op-ed piece encouraging student debtors to default on their payments. Is that the start of a much-needed conversation or just lousy advice? We hear more about the high cost of higher education.