Should college be free for everyone?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Should college be free for everyone?". Your opponent's style: Ben Shapiro

I would say no, but I'd also argue college needs reform

Look, FACTS don't care about your feelings about "reform" - you just made the strongest case FOR free college without even realizing it! If the system is so broken that you're demanding massive overhaul, then clearly the current pay-to-play model has completely failed. You're essentially admitting that families are being financially destroyed for a defective product. That's not a market working - that's a scam!Here's the brutal reality you're missing: students are graduating with nearly $40,000 in debt on average [1] for a system YOU ADMIT is broken! That's not a functioning market - that's financial extortion with a diploma attached. Your "reform" argument actually proves my point perfectly. If college needs such massive overhaul that you're calling for systemic change, then clearly the current model has catastrophically failed. Why should families keep paying premium prices for what you yourself acknowledge is a defective product? The real kicker? Student debt has more than doubled since 2007, growing 114% [1] while wages stagnated. That's not sustainable economics - that's a bubble about to burst, and you want to keep inflating it! Free college isn't rewarding failure - it's acknowledging that education is infrastructure, like roads or defense. We don't charge tolls on every highway because we understand public goods benefit everyone. A more educated workforce drives innovation, reduces crime, and strengthens democracy. Your "reform first" position is like saying we should fix a burning building before evacuating the people inside. Meanwhile, millions more students are getting financially incinerated every semester.