The Issue: Government subsidies for student loans and the rising cost of college tuition nationwide.

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I appreciate the point about government-sponsored student loans, but there’s more to rising college tuition than the availability of federal money (“Why College Costs So Much,” Editorial, May 26).

Look at all the capital projects that many colleges undertake: new buildings, such as dorms, garages, administrative structures and classrooms. These projects require a lot of money, and so does maintaining them. There are also administrative and professorial salaries and benefits, and expanding athletic and academic programs to attract more students to cover costs.

If generous loans were the real culprit here, correcting the problem would be easy. But there are more fundamental causes driving up the costs that the government is trying to help colleges cover with easy money.Richard Reay

The Bronx

College is a waste of time, money and effort. Most important, it is a waste of four of the best years of your life. Instead of frittering away all those years memorizing trivia in order to get a decent mark, you would be better prepared working at your interests, obtaining an apprenticeship in a trade or working at minimum wage to gain experience in business.

You would not be saddled with enormous debt that gets you nowhere, with a piece of paper that has as much value as a recycled Kleenex tissue.

The problem started with knuckle-headed politicians in Washington who initiated the student-loan program in the ’50s.Robert Walsh

Basking Ridge, NJ