[OC] College tuition has outpaced how much people earn by almost 10x.

The government started backing cheap student loans so that anyone could "pay for" college if they wanted to take on the debt. Once everyone could "pay" $20k/year, universities figured out they would "pay" $30k, then $40k, then $50k, then $60k, then $70k, then beyond, and they just used that money to fatten their administrative staffs. With the government-backed loans footing the bill, colleges have no incentive to be affordable except for the students they really, really wanted, who still go for free, or for cheap.