I have a staunchly Republican friend with a crap load of student debt

[More_Cowbell]

20. It's not the original debt, but interest and fees and added costs

I consolidated law school loans and a little bit of leftover undergraduate debt in 1992.

After paying it for 16 years, in 2008 I lost my job, was hospitalized and couldn't work, recovered and got another job and rehabilitated the loan.

In 2014 my boss cut our pay by almost half. In the six months it took me to find another job I stopped paying again. Started up payments in early 2015.

Debt in 1992: $39,000
Amount I paid in the last 4 years: $25,000

Amount owed today: $33,000

I've paid on this loan almost constantly for over 25 years. I've probably paid the principal amount over 3 times. The interest and penalties and "collection costs" (they've never made any attempts at collection, because I always just pick up and pay it again on my own) are what go on and on.

It can't be refinanced, as it's been due and collectible, the whole amount, since 2014. The interest is 9%.

I just want to provide another data point that government loans are run on a system that would never be allowed by a private company.