--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The whole student loan thing drives me…" description: "\"The whole student loan thing drives me completely nuts. If it wasn't possible for 18-year-olds to sign themselves up for tens of thousands of dollars i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/gail-collins-3567_bills_the-whole-student-loan-thing-drives-me-c_1129051.png" --- # The whole student loan thing drives me completely nuts. If… ![“The whole student loan thing drives me completely nuts. If it wasn't possible for 18-year-olds to sign themselves up for tens of thousands of dollars in debt in order to pay their college bills, the state governments wouldn't have found it so politically easy to cut taxpayer support for public…” quote by Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/gail-collins-3567_bills_the-whole-student-loan-thing-drives-me-c_1129051.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/gail-collins-3567_bills_the-whole-student-loan-thing-drives-me-c_1129051.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/gail-collins-3567_bills_the-whole-student-loan-thing-drives-me-c_1129051.png) > “The whole student loan thing drives me completely nuts. If it wasn't possible for 18-year-olds to sign themselves up for tens of thousands of dollars in debt in order to pay their college bills, the state governments wouldn't have found it so politically easy to cut taxpayer support for public colleges and universities.” [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote criticizes how easy access to student loans for young adults creates a political environment that discourages public funding for higher education. **In simple terms:** Student loans make it hard to cut public college funding. Key Takeaway Advocate for loan reform and stronger public support. Themes education politics finance equity policy Mood frustrated concerned critical Type opinion political analytical When to use this quote - college budgeting - legislative hearings - parental guidance - student financial planning Key Concepts student debt public funding political incentives economic burden Questions to Reflect On - How could loan eligibility be restricted responsibly? - What alternative funding models could replace loans? A Different Perspective Loan reform alone won't solve underlying cost inflation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Colleges and universities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colleges-and-universities/) [Dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Student loan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/student-loan/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Taxpayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxpayers/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) ## Related quotes > [“No one disputes that college has gotten a lot more expensive. A recent Money magazine report notes, “After adjusting for financial aid, the amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-harlan-reynolds/no-one-disputes-that-college-has-gotten-a-lot-more-expensive-a-recent/) Glenn Harlan Reynolds > [“We're all on loan. The only thing that makes sense is to be together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-fay/we-re-all-on-loan-the-only-thing-that-makes-sense-is-to-be-together/) [Juliette Fay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-fay/) > [In Germany, college tuition is free. In America, college tuition is increasingly unaffordable. In a highly competitive global economy, which country do you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/in-germany-college-tuition-is-free-in-america-college-tuition-is/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [As president, I will fight to make tuition in public colleges and universities free, as well as substantially lower interest rates on student loans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/as-president-i-will-fight-to-make-tuition-in-public-colleges-and/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [People of my age who went to college, go into college, you know what it cost back then? Nothing or next to nothing. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/people-of-my-age-who-went-to-college-go-into-college-you-know-what-it/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [I worked for dad on the grounds and I was in high school and I said I wanted to go to college, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/i-worked-for-dad-on-the-grounds-and-i-was-in-high-school-and-i-said-i/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [When I was a sophomore in college, my father called me at the fraternity. He told me he no longer had the funds to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-j-lundgren/when-i-was-a-sophomore-in-college-my-father-called-me-at-the/) [Terry J. Lundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-j-lundgren/) > [College students today are drowning in debt, and it is hurting them and hurting our economy. 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But I got into broadcasting by accident, if you will, because I needed money to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-trebek/originally-i-think-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-but-i-got-into/) [Alex Trebek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-trebek/) ## More by Gail Collins > [The Bushes were certainly part of Texas in their mind, but they didn't have the kind of political flavor that you normally find in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/the-bushes-were-certainly-part-of-texas-in-their-mind-but-they-didn-t/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [The work-family divide is the biggest issue for American women. But in some ways it's amazing how adjusted society has become to it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/the-work-family-divide-is-the-biggest-issue-for-american-women-but-in/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [I don't think the folks in the low-tax states really want to go into a fairness discussion. 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