I don't think this is as big of an issue as many people make it out to be. Yes...college CAN be very expensive. However, there are routes that an individual can take which, while not cheap, they should be able to afford. First...if you cannot afford a 4 year institution, attend a community college first. CC's get a bad rep, but this is usually coming from people who had the resources to attend a 4 year school. Yes...a CC might not provide the "college experience" that most young people are looking for, but the government shouldn't be concerned about whether a person can afford to live in a dorm, hang out on the quad, and attend frat parties.
The second thing that comes to my mind is student loans. In my experience these were not hard to obtain. Yes...it sucks that I'm still paying for college years after completing it. However, the interest rates are good, and the expense of college should be looked at as an investment.
If people make sacrifices and use the resources that are already available, there is no excuse that a capable person can't graduate from college with a bit of effort. College isn't for everybody, and I wish those running our educational systems would stop thinking that way.
All of the funds that the government gives out to make colleges "more affordable" do little to help the situation. This only allows the colleges and universities to charge more for the services they provide, which is one of the reasons that costs have skyrocketed in the last decade.

This is not an issue...unless you happen to believe that a college education is an entitlement.

College is expensive, really? news to me :)

Unless you're unusually smart or have rich parents who pay for stuff half your life, this is a huge issue. Sadly, most of us can't afford to go to a decent college without working overtime while attending classes. Let's see you get a scholarship when you're working full time through high school and college.

College is rapidly becoming out of reach for many Americans due to the skyrocketing cost. Students who at one point could have afforded a 4-year university ten years ago have been priced out and must attend community colleges; some cannot even afford this. It is simply becoming unaffordable.

Sure this is an issue. Take for instance my own home state of Florida again. Here we have a scholarship known as Bright Futures that pays 75% of your college tuition per semester if you have a 3.0 GPA in High School along with a 950 SAT score. Very generous if you ask me; college has been very cheap for me as a result, especially since I go to a state university. Well now, the legislature is cutting back funding for this and it's causing protests in the campuses. State and federal college fund grants give people a shot at a decent, affordable education. It isn't a federal handout, you want people to maximize their talents. I'm going to talk about outsourcing of jobs in another comment, but one of the reasons why so many jobs are leaving to China and India is because those countries have well educated populations who work for cheap. I say we should give incentives for people to get a better education, it will make us more competitive in the global marketplace. It isn't about protecting industry, it's about making our people more competitive, that's what capitalism is all about.

I don't see this is a political issue. No one has the rights to college. There are already so many programs available to help pay for college. Loans, scholarships, payment plans, etc. can all help in paying for it. Also, its very smart to get a job when your a teenager to help save for college. You can even get free college- just enlist with the military. Not only will it look good on applications, most of your college will be free, or at a drastic lower cost to you. I also believe most people can afford to go to a decent college anyway. And, some parents plan this way in advance.