If she picked a career with better compensation and decided to live in a location with a lower cost of living she would have had more financial security and could have spent less on her education, spent less time in school and started earning a higher income at a younger age.

That is what I mean by:

I think part of your financial insecurity was a career choice and where you chose to live.

The decisions you make are often the biggest drivers of financial security. Taking on debt is a big driver of financial insecurity. If you want to be secure, don’t borrow money, pay as you go and don’t spend what you don’t have.

I never advocated for reducing student aid, I have always supported generous “Pell Grants.” In my home state we have TOPS as well, which I hole heartedly support and my step-daughter receives.

https://www.osfa.la.gov/TOPS.htm

I did not create the world we live in and in many ways opposed the changes for which you blame me.

I have tried to provide guidance for how to best deal with the situation as it is. It is smart to be aware of the reality and learn to best take advantage and how not to be taken advantage of.

Yes, I got a generous Pell Grant but I did pay more than 30 percent of my tuition out of pocket. The inflation adjusted tuition cost escalation for my School, Embry-Riddle from when I paid tuition to today is more like 400% not the 600 to 900% you indicated. If tuition was that expensive when I applied I would not have applied, I probably would have gone to my state college or community college. I would not have borrowed that much money, I would never have been able to pay it back, the interest alone would have consumed all my disposable income.

Much of what you wrote is right. You even have placed some of the blame in the right place. It is what it is and changing it will require that people don’t feed the bloated machine with borrowed money.

TEK