You're both right. College is beneficial to society. And it costs way too much to deliver right now.

You could copy-paste these statements to describe American healthcare vs European healthcare and get a very different reaction. Even though it's true for that field too.

Why the actual fuck does a humanities degree cost anywhere near as much as an engineering degree? Literally all you need is some professors and a space to teach in. You could run them in co-working spaces, parks (weather permitting), or coffee shops ffs, with no administrative staff or other bloat. (For real: small seminars in a coffee shop or a public park would be dope)

Education is beneficial to society and making it cheaper makes it more widely accessible. You and the person you responded to actually agree on a lot.