TimeCruncher

To BCEagle: Thank you for your comments, compliment, and suggestion.

Ron Paul and Barney Frank are known to be outspoken. Perhaps the CNBC anchors' amazement was in response to Bunning being the source of the challenging statement. On the other hand, the anchors sounded as though they were reacting to the actual wording of Bunning's statement, and the context in which he made his statement. (I think C-SPAN covered the hearing also, so they might replay it, and I'll have a chance for a second look and listen at the exchange between Bunning and Paulson.)

Yes, I'm purposeful, but fortunately, that's a quality I must have possessed at birth. (If I hadn't had that quality before entering college, I wouldn't have survived long enough to battle my way out of my hometown and into college.) College and grad school were undeniably valuable in helping me develop and improve my writing and research skills. I don't regret the time, effort, and money I spent to earn my college degree. (I have only my bachelor's degree; two major surgery-related financial setbacks required me to leave my graduate degree program in ABT status.) However, I do regret that despite my degree, I have never earned enough money to provide myself and my family with a higher standard of living. (My daughter's undergraduate student loan burden will be considerably larger than mine.)

Letters to legislators might be in order. I'm not the activist type, but I'll think about it. Thank you for the suggestion.

To mam1959: Thank you for your post and for your information. I don't know what you mean by "overleveraged," but I will find out.

To Atana: Thank you for another informative post. I appreciate it.

I agree that many of today's college students have little idea what life will be like for them when their massive student loans come due. Fortunately, my daughter has always been a realistic, eye-on-the-bottom-line sort of person. She had no problem rejecting the schools which admit-denied her. (Two of those schools--both OOS public flagships--offered financial "aid" packages consisting entirely of loans totaling $26,000 to $32,000 a year!) She also had no problem rejecting two somewhat more affordable in-state public universities which espoused a "Change your major as often as you want, and stay here as long as you like (as long as you keep paying through the nose)" philosophy of undergraduate education. My daughter is pleased with the large, urban OOS state-related public university she has chosen to attend. She has made the wisest academic choice and the wisest financial choice. My daughter knows that undergraduate and graduate degrees alone will not "elevate" her, that there is no high-income "dream job" waiting for her, and that borrowing federal student loans is serious business. Within the past few days, however, she has learned how a downturn in the economy can negatively impact individuals like herself. She's taking this news in stride, but still, she's shocked… now. Less realistic college-bound students will be very shocked later.