Re: “Plan for state to pay student debt stalls” (Page A1, July 21), the article on Sen. Nate Libby’s bill:

Some seek higher education in expectation of better, higher-paying jobs than would otherwise be attainable, an admirable trait. Students must remain responsible for the costs of same, and expectations that the state of Maine will pick up the tab for their loans enables behavior that encourages avoidance of taking personal responsibility.

There’s a segment of our population that opines incessantly about how tough life is for students. Such views lack perspective. Numbers for “average” student debt reported range from $35,000 to $45,000 – as if that’s an insurmountable debt.

I graduated from the University of Maine in 1975 with a student loan of $10,000, financing college via a combination of scholarship, work and loans in roughly equal measures of a third each.

My family lacked the means to help, and it took me 10 years to pay off that debt. This built character and a sense of accomplishment that otherwise would have been missing from my life experience. There is value to our young citizens in such experiences.

Does research indicate how effective a Finance Authority of Maine program, such as proposed, might be? What are the metrics? Might this be yet another example of a well-intended but misguided legislative mission for FAME? Think about the Maine New Markets Capital Investment Program.

Some of my classmates at Orono were from out of state. After living in Maine for four years during college, some liked it here well enough to put down roots and stayed. Maine sold itself without financial inducements.

Interesting factoid: $10,000 in 1975 translates to $44,600 in 2016 dollars (CPI-U index).

The state of Maine providing post-secondary educational opportunities for our young citizens is desirable and admirable; paying off the loans for same is not.

Rick Kelley

Windham

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