College debt will hurt young graduates

Newsday was absolutely right in its editorial questioning both the cost and worthiness of a college education ["Pomp, circumstance, debt," April 24]. Explaining that two-thirds of students graduate with $24,000 in red ink personalizes just how much is owed by the students, but there's a much bigger debt following them into the real world.

The national debt is roughly $45,000 for every adult and child in the country, almost twice the average accumulation of student loans. While Newsday has some worthwhile suggestions about how kids and parents can make choices to mitigate the soaring cost of higher education, there are virtually no options available to members of a class of citizens who have only just begun to vote.

So, while elected officials designate themselves as protectors of our young on such weighty matters as obesity and bullying, they've shown no genuine interest in shielding them from a much more serious threat. What kind of life awaits new members of a workforce who've had so much of their future ruined by a huge credit card bill, not of their own making?

Jim Soviero, East Setauket