Any solution to a problem that’s existed in the past is going to be unfair to those who had the problem in the past. That can’t be an argument against doing something now. Some blue collar workers could turn around and use the improved system to go back and get degrees, and an improved economy from less people in debt will indirectly help others.

You can stop the trolly anytime, but it’s unfair for the people not on the train tracks.

“You can only help people if everyone gets the exact same amount of help”, is the dumbest argument on the planet. And I’d challenge you’re premise that blue collar works are paying for white collar workers to go to school. With progressive taxation, really it is upper middle class and wealthy people that are paying for that school regardless of education background. Very little of that money is coming from the blue collar workers that aren’t brining in a lot of money. If $2 of Joe the cashiers taxes go to paying for education but $20,000 of random rich guys taxes go to bettering education, I really don’t think that is such an unfair system like you make it seem. The lack of a debt burden on a large subset of society ends up benefitting everyone, including the janitor or cashier.

Easy, give everyone the amount of the person with the most student loan debt.

didn’t feel like they could afford the loans, so went to work instead.

That’s me, I did that. If I’m what’s stopping it I don’t think loans for horrible interest rates should be given to a jobless teenager and if you took that risk that’s too bad you didn’t make better investment decisions. Those loans did more harm than good and canceling them now will help reverse that a bit.