There are a few things that the government could do to help, without blanket loan forgiveness: 1. Allow people to pay off their loans with pre-tax dollars, jus

There are a few things that the government could do to help, without blanket loan forgiveness: 1. Allow people to pay off their loans with pre-tax dollars, just like 401k investments. 2. Cap interest rates. The high rates are a big problem for people with large balances. The interest rates are a little lower now than the used to be -- 6.8% was standard for Federal loans for many years, and private loans are even higher. 3. Limit the amount that can be borrowed in the first place. Colleges have been raising tuition because they know students will be able to get the money. Apparently there are already limits, but I know people with over $100k in debt for a bachelor's degree, so clearly the limits aren't low enough. Limit what students will borrow, and you limit what they can pay -- tuition increases will become a lot harder to justify. 4. Make it easier to discharge loans in bankruptcy. This will also reduce lending, which is actually a good thing.