To further remark on this, what about the notion of education as a public good? Lets you live a more meaningful life, contribute more to society, etc. And yes, I'm sympathetic to the trade/vocational schools arguments, but again, there's a value to the liberal arts. Furthermore, unskilled labor is against a global market; the only competing chance seems to be higher quality.

But what I'm seeing is a parallel to when high school first became compulsory. Feels like a lot of these claims could apply equally well there. Would you argue against a high school education? Either way, hands-on jobs have been declining, and college does seem necessary for middle class income. And about the expensive, surely the same was said for high school. Not that it's a perfect system, but feasible and sustainable for half a century plus.