They're extremely difficult to get discharged currently. That's purely a legislative protection. One that can be legislated away at any point if the political c

They're extremely difficult to get discharged currently. That's purely a legislative protection. One that can be legislated away at any point if the political climate demands it. Keep in mind major purchases such as cars and houses support the local economy and taxes. Student loan repayment doesn't. Once a large enough percentage of consumers are deferring those purchases that it starts to be felt locally, it becomes a lot more palatable to remove that safety net on student loans. Especially since the federal govt holds most of those loans, so fewer lobbyist dollars at work to protect it. And representatives will pretty consistently choose to screw over the federal budget before they'll take a hit locally. Especially as more and more representatives become personally affected by the issue and sympathetic to it.